One hundred years after its release, F. W. Murnau's 1926 film returns to the big screen with a live organ score at Studio Bell.
What does a century-old silent film sound like in 2026?
From October 15 to 17, Calgary audiences will have an opportunity to explore that question when Calgary Cinematheque presents a centennial screening of Faust at Studio Bell, home of the National Music Centre.
Released in 1926, Faust is among the defining works of German Expressionist cinema. Directed by F. W. Murnau, the film draws on centuries of European folklore and literature to tell the story of a man who makes a bargain with the devil in exchange for knowledge, power and youth.
The film stars Swedish actor Gösta Ekman in the title role alongside Emil Jannings as Mephistopheles. Through elaborate sets, visual effects and dramatic contrasts between light and shadow, Murnau created a world where the boundaries between good and evil, faith and temptation, become increasingly difficult to separate.
At a time when filmmakers were still discovering the possibilities of moving images, Faust demonstrated how cinema could communicate complex ideas without spoken dialogue.
A century later, its exploration of human ambition, morality and the consequences of desire remains open to interpretation.
For the Calgary screenings, musician Chris Maric will perform a newly composed score on the National Music Centre's Allen Theatre Organ.
The performance offers an opportunity to consider the relationship between sound and image, particularly during an era when silent films were rarely experienced in complete silence. Live musical accompaniment shaped the atmosphere of early cinema, with musicians responding to the emotional shifts unfolding on screen.
Maric's interpretation introduces another creative voice into a film that has already passed through generations of audiences, composers and storytellers.
The result is a meeting between two artistic periods: the visual experimentation of 1920s German cinema and a contemporary musical interpretation performed live.
As Faust reaches its centennial, the Calgary presentation offers a reminder that older works can continue to find new meaning through the artists who reinterpret them.
Event details
Faust (1926), directed by F. W. Murnau
Presented by Calgary Cinematheque at Studio Bell, National Music Centre
October 15–17, 2026
Live organ score composed and performed by Chris Maric
