Murnau (6-DVD Thinpak Box Set) (Amazon)
In one of the most eclectic films of the German silent era, visual stylist F.W. Murnau (Faust, Sunrise) broke away from the dark, foreboding dramas for which he was known to explore the realm of light comedy. Working from a screenplay by Thea von Harbou (Spies, Metropolis), Murnau crafted a playful espionage thriller reminiscent of Ernst Lubitsch (who had recently left Germany for Hollywood).
Harry Liedtke stars as a “benevolent dictator” who must preserve the tiny nation of Abacco by fending off creditors, wooing a wealthy Russian princess (Mady Christians), and evading a band of demonic conspirators (including Nosferatu himself, Max Schreck).
Kino International is proud to release a new six-film, thinpak box set dedicated to the German films of legendary UFA director F. W. Murnau.
"Essential viewing for anyone wondering how movies told stories before there was sound: brilliantly!"
- Time Magazine, March 2009
Contains
- FAUST - Disc 1 of Restored Deluxe Edition (NEW)
- THE HAUNTED CASTLE (NEW)
- THE FINANCES OF THE GRAND DUKE (NEW)
- THE LAST LAUGH - Disc 1 of Restored Deluxe Edition (previously released)
- NOSFERATU - Disc 1 of The Ultimate Edition (previously released)
- TARTUFFE - Restored Authorized Edition (previously released)
All six films included in the box set, The Haunted Castle (1921), Nosferatu (1922), The Last Laugh (1924), The Finances of the Grand Duke (1924), Tartuffe (1925), and Faust (1926) have been recently restored by the Murnau Foundation and Transit Films, Germany, and were mastered from 35mm archival materials.
Of these six films, three of them are new to DVD in the US: Faust, being presented in a restoration of the German release edit never seen in the US, as well as The Haunted Castle and The Finances of the Grand Duke, both being made available for the first time in the US.
Nosferatu, The Last Laugh and Faust are presented in the new Murnau box set on single discs, containing the latest 2007 and 2008 restorations, along with all the special features found in the double-disc sets. The deluxe versions of Nosferatu (Kino, 2007), The Last Laugh (Kino, 2008) and Faust (Kino, 2009) continue to be available as double-disc sets on DVD.
Born on December 28th, 1888, in Germany, Friedrich Wilhelm Plumpe (F.W. Murnau) studied art history at the University of Heidelberg before dedicating himself to filmmaking. Greatly influenced by the work of Max Reinhardt's theatre company, Murnau inherited the expressionistic use of high-contrast lighting from Reinhardt's work. Also highly influenced by his art history background, Murnau's work has direct references to Rembrandt's paintings and other masterworks of European art.
Murnau's ability to create an uncanny combination between camera movement, choreographed action, and then-unseen lighting techniques, makes him one of the archetypes of the "artist filmmaker."
More than pushing cinema into new aesthetic grounds with his revolutionary use of multiple exposure and warped lenses, Murnau will always be remembered as a director who further developed the relationship between the moving image and its subject matter.
- F. W. Murnau - Director
- Frank Heller - Writer
- Mady Christians - Actor
- Harry Liedtke - Actor
- Julius Falkenstein - Actor
- Max Schreck - Actor
For press and publicity inquiries, please email [email protected]. A selection of press materials for this title may be available for download here.
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