Join us for a screening of F.W. Murnau's classic 1926 silent film, Faust, complete with a new live score from Not So Silent Cinema featuring the Bismuth String Quartet.
In Murnau's telling, the righteous alchemist Faust is tempted into making a deal with the Devil to save his village from the plague. But will the Devil corrupt his soul or can Faust be redeemed? Faust is renowned for its narrative, combining elements of older traditions of the legendary tale of Faust with Goethe’s classic version, as well its dazzling array of in-camera special effects, making it one of Murnau's greatest filmic achievements.
Faust will be screened in tandem with new exhibitions, Spit Spreads Death, and Going Viral. The film will be paired with a brief introductory lecture charting the line from alchemy to virology by our Head Librarian and co-curator of Going Viral, Beth Lander.
Mütter Museum admission is included in the ticket price and the museum will be open from 5:30-6:30, as well as a cash bar and complimentary pretzels upstairs. The lecture and film screening will begin promptly at 6:40 and no one will be admitted past that point.
Timeline:
5:30PM-6:30PM Reception/Museum Open
6:40PM-9:15PM Program (Lecture and Screening)
ABOUT NOT SO SILENT CINEMA:
Not So Silent Cinema is the project of Philadelphia composer Brendan Cooney. Cooney pulls together different groups for each of his film projects, creating diverse mash-ups of musical personalities from different music scenes to create lively new platforms for interaction and creativity. His scores are tightly composed, time-coded and thematic but also have plenty of room for improvisation and interaction between players.