Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #31155 in DVD
• Released on: 2005-01-24
• Rating: Universal, suitable for all
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Formats: Full Screen, PAL, Silent
• Subtitled in: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 64 minutes

DVD Description
F. W. Murnau made this film adaptation of Moli�re's satire for UFA early in 1925 and it was released the following year, shortly followed by Faust. By presenting the play as a film-within-a-film, Murnau takes the opportunity to place the material in a contemporary setting, sandwiched inside a morality lesson about greed and hypocrisy.

A devious housekeeper convinces her master to cut his worthy grandson out of his will and to leave the riches to her instead. The grandson, disguised as the projectionist of a travelling cinema show, flatters his way into the home to project a film of Tartuffe in an attempt to open his grandfather's eyes. Emil Jannings plays Tartuffe with creepy panache in a tour-de-force turn alongside Lil Dagover and Werner Krauss.

Unjustly neglected for decades, perhaps because of its low-key nature compared with Murnau's more grand masterpieces, this delightful curiosity is more than a mere trifle. Tartuffe affirms Murnau as a master of multifarious cinematic disciplines: from the set-based dreams of Faust and Sunrise, to the naturalist landscapes of Nosferatu, City Girl, and Tabu. In Tartuffe we find an intimate Murnau, relying on close-ups and the performances of his actors to create magic.

This DVD contains the best surviving version of the film, German intertitles, optional English subtitles, tinting, and is presented at the correct speed. Restored in 2002 by the Bundesarchiv-Filmarchiv Berlin/Koblenz and the Friedrich-Wilhelm-Murnau-Stiftung of Wiesbaden.

Special Features
• Tartuffe - The Lost Film, a new 37-minute Luciano Berriatúa documentary • 16-page booklet with a new essay by film historian R. Dixon Smith • German intertitles (and optional English subtitles)

Synopsis
An expressionistic retelling of the classic Moliere story, Murnau contemporized his version by setting the exploration of morality and hypocrisy amidst a housekeeper's murder plot. Here, the housekeeper (Rosa Valetti) schemes to poison her employer (Hermann Picha) in order to take control of his estate and fortune. However, the employer's grandson (Andre Mattoni) becomes wise to her plot, and shows his grandfather a film of Moliere's TARTUFFE to expose her plan.

Customer Reviews

Facts of life, Murnau's moral comedy
This film should be appreciated as a masterpiece even though it hasn't got that many new developments from the process point of view.

It is a superb moral comedy directed by the cinema's greatest silent movie director, F W Murnau. Great intertitles and great acting from Emil Janings and the crew. Still some camera angles are very important in Tartuffe.

Overall the movie is worth to be part of your collection as should aslo: Faust, Der letzte Mann, Nosferatu, Sunrise, Phantom, City Girl and Tabu.

Not Murnau's best, but still intriguing
F.W. Murnau was probably one of the silent era's greatest filmmakers, with masterpieces such as Nosferatu and Der Letzte Mann. Masters of Cinema have been nice enough to bring us some of his best in great quality, with loads of extras and digitally restored images. Tartuffe is one of these, and while being a fan of the original play this was based on, I cannot get myself to fall in love with this film.

It has several of Murnau's usual tricks and solid craft, but what it lacks is that extra bit of clarity and ingenuity. The short running time doesn't really help either, and it feels as though there could have been significantly more depth to this. That being said, the atmosphere, cinematography and particularly the cast is still of high quality.

Still though, for any fan of Murnau and in particular the silent era this will remain an interesting watch, it has a lot of quality, but comes short in those areas where Murnau is at his very best. It doesn't have the same chilling atmosphere of Nosferatu, the brilliant storytelling of Der Letzte Mann nor the humanity and warmth of Sunrise. It is a well told film which doesn't really excel in any area, but remains a solid outing from one of the era's greatest masters.