Film Review
Admittedly a comparatively minor work when set aside
F.W. Murnau's highly revered masterpieces of the time - such
as
Nosferatu (1922),
Der Letzte Mann (1924)
and
Faust (1926) -
Herr
Tartüff nonetheless stands as a beautifully composed example of German expressionism,
and is certainly one of the director's lighter and more humane works. Emil Jannings
is perfect as the Nosferatu-like villain Tartuffe, a magnificent portrayal of that leech
in human form, deliciously comical, but also rather disturbing.
The film is not long (it runs to just over one hour), but within this limited space
Murnau manages to pack a surprisingly large amount into it. Not content with
just retelling Molière's celebrated
tale of greed and hypocrisy in a period setting, he places it within a framing story of
contemporary times, emphasising the eternal relevance of the story. Tartuffe
is a type we are all likely to encounter at least once in our lives.
Murnau's use of the familiar expressionistic tropes is less emphatic, less extravagant, than in his better known
works - the one exceptionbeing the haunting Nosferatu-like night-time sequence
in which Tartuffe's wickedness is exposed. Here, expressionistic lighting
and camerawork are used more subtly, and arguably to greater effect, to suggest,
rather than overstate, a threat
before it becomes apparent to its victim. Murnau does this twice - first in the
opening passage which introduces the old man and his housekeeper, and then subsequently
when we enter the world of Orgon and his wife. On each occasion, Murnau creates
an element of doubt in the mind of the spectator, hinting at something nasty before making
it obvious that there is indeed something nasty. It is an ingenious device which
succinctly underscores
Herr
Tartüff's moral theme: beware hypocrites and manipulators, for they, like
the poor, are always with us.
© James Travers 2006
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Next F.W. Murnau film:
Sunrise (1927)
Film Synopsis
A wealthy old man is about to sign away his entire fortune to his housekeeper when his
grandson makes an unexpected return. Convinced by his housekeeper that his grandson
has led a bad and dissolute life, the old man throws him out onto the street. Seeing
through the housekeeper's game, the grandson, an actor, returns in disguise and offers
to show them a film adaptation of Molière's "Tartuffe". In the film, a scheming
parasite, Tartüff, plays on the gullibility of a nobleman, Orgon, to extort money
and favour. Shocked by what she sees, Orgon's wife, Elmire, resolves to unmask the
villainous Tartüff. When her well-laid trap fails, Orgon is more than ever convinced
of his friend's piety…
© James Travers
The above content is owned by filmsdefrance.com and must not be copied.