Tartuffe (1925) User Reviews (22)

A minor Murnau work, but remains essential viewing

[ackstasis · 6/10 · 22 February 2008]

As I've discovered after relatively recent viewings of 'Nosferatu (1922),' 'The Last Laugh (1924)' and 'Faust (1926),' F.W. Murnau was one of the most exciting and influential European directors working during the 1920s. His contributions towards early German cinema are rivalled only by Fritz Lang, and his ability to use lighting and shadows to create atmosphere are almost unparalleled. 'Herr Tartüff / Tartuffe (1926)' was apparently forced upon Murnau by contractual obligations with Universum Film (UFA), and you suspect that perhaps his heart wasn't quite in it, but the end result nonetheless remains essential viewing, as are all the director's films. The story is based upon Molière's successful 1664 play, "Tartuffe," which explored the notion of hypocrisy, particularly among self-proclaimed religious "devotees." Murnau and screenwriter Carl Mayer stripped the story to its bare essentials, removing any extraneous supporting characters and creating a close-knit triangle – Herr Orgon, Frau Elmire and Tartüff – around which the story revolves. Murnau also added an interesting framing device, whereby the story of Tartuffe becomes a film-within-a-film that a young actor shows to his grandfather to warn of his housekeeper's evil intentions.

Interestingly, I found the story's prologue – of the old man and his scheming housekeeper – to be a more engrossing story than the film that the characters are later shown. The conniving old woman (Rosa Valetti), with a devilish grin like a Cheshire Cat, manages to convince her senile employer (Hermann Picha) that his grandson has dishonoured the family name by becoming an actor, and so she sets herself up to inherit his entire fortune. When the sincere young actor (André Mattoni) finds out about this betrayal, he plans an ingenious stratagem to outwit the malicious housekeeper and convince his grandfather of her evil. Murnau was obviously a great believer in the power of cinema, and so it's no surprise that the young man chooses the cinematic medium with which to reveal the ultimate truth about hypocrites. The film, by employing a few deceptively simple shots, immediately translates the inner motivations driving each character: the housekeeper, greedy and malevolent, kicks aside her master's slippers, whereas the kind, loving grandson delicately sets them back into place. Also notable is a moment during the narrative when the young actor turns to the camera and addresses the audience directly, one of the earliest instances I've seen of a character "breaking the fourth wall."

The tale of Tartuffe himself is also worth watching for its technical accomplishments, even if the story itself seems somewhat generic and uninteresting. Most astounding is Murnau's exceptional use of lighting {assisted, of course, by cinematographer Karl Freund}, and, in many cases, entire rooms are seemingly being illuminated only by candlelight. This story concerns a happily-married woman, Frau Elmire (Lil Dagover), who is distraught to discover that her beloved husband, Herr Orgon (Werner Krauss), has become obsessed with Tartüff (the great Emil Jannings), a grotesque little man who speaks with divine importance and claims to be a Saint. However hard she tries, Elmire cannot convince Orgon that he has been duped by a religious fraud, so great is the cunning of Tartüffe's deception. In the film, Jannings predictably gives the finest performance, playing the unsavoury title character with a mixture of sly arrogance and lustful repugnance. Nevertheless, the role falls far short of the silent actor's greatest performances, which include Mephisto of 'Faust (1926)' and the hotel porter from 'The Last Laugh (1924).'

Not his best, but still excellent by anyone else's standards.

[OsbourneRuddock · 8/10 · 18 December 2005]

Personally I think the other reviewers have been way too hard on this film, and I certainly don't agree that it is "extremely average", "throwaway" or "plain and forgettable". OK - it's not his best by a long shot, but Murnau was such a talented directer/artist that even his weaker films urinate all over the films of most other directors. I thought that the 'film within a film' structure of it worked brilliantly. The cast were all excellent in their acting. The film is pretty great visually too (as one would expect from Murnau) - the 'outer' film is shot in a crisp, modernist style, with adventurous camera angles and no make up, while the central 'film within a film' section was filmed in a more classical, soft-focus style. The film was also quite risky for it's time in its depiction of sexuality, and corruption within the clergy, and several scenes were censored for American audiences.

The central theme of the film is hypocrisy, particularly with those who are overly pious, judgemental and puritanical. This is encapsulated in the words of Tartuffe when he admits: "Who sins in secret - does not sin". Murnau expertly exposes the true roots of fanatically pious behaviour - behind which lies its very opposite. This is very similar to what Freud termed 'reaction formation', whereby a character trait or impulse which one finds unbearable to oneself (the ego) is disguised and repressed by bringing a complete opposite tendency to the facade of ones personality - but this is always noticeable by its exaggeration. The Tartuffe character also indulges in another Freudian defence mechanism called 'projection', whereby one relieves the anxiety caused by an unwelcome trait by projecting it onto others.

It's important to mention that this film also works brilliantly as a satire, and at times I found myself laughing out loud at the grotesque character of Tartuffe. In one scene the obedient Emile is seen rocking Tartuffe as he yawns and lazes in a hammock like a selfish baby. Yet despite the ridiculing, there is always a deep humane concern underlying the film - as there is with all of Murnau's films.

So, like I said: this is not one of his best, but any Murnau film is worth seeing.

TARTUFFE (F. W. Murnau, 1925) ***

[Bunuel1976 · 8/10 · 18 March 2006]

In 1992, an Italian TV channel showed a two-week late-night retrospective of Silent films, the bulk of which were expressionist classics. Unfortunately, I missed out on a couple of these and TARTUFFE was among them. More than a decade had to pass before I could watch it, by which time I had come to consider Murnau - despite the fact that only a small portion of his work has survived the ravages of time - as one of the undisputed masters of cinema.

For some reason, TARTUFFE has been little-seen over the years so that it never had much of a reputation (which may explain why I by-passed its sole TV showing to begin with!); having watched the film now, it clearly emerges as a masterwork from the golden age of German cinema and its place in Murnau's irreproachable canon (still impressive 75 years after the director's untimely death!) should not be overlooked.

Having watched OTHELLO (1922) - which also starred Emil Jannings and Werner Krauss - relatively recently, I couldn't help noticing that it offers an interesting role-reversal with Murnau's film for these two powerhouse actors; in fact, Jannings' larger-than-life performance here is played alongside an impressively restrained turn from Krauss (whom I had previously only seen essaying villainous characters). One of TARTUFFE's most interesting elements is its 'film-within-a-film' structure that looks back to THE CABINET OF DR. CALIGARI (1919; featuring Krauss's most famous role, interestingly enough) and forward to Hiroshi Teshigahara's THE FACE OF ANOTHER (1966) - which, coincidentally, I watched the very next day (my review of which is shortly to follow) without having prior knowledge of this! Criticized at the time for being a pointless flourish on the film-makers' part, I strongly feel that - with respect to TARTUFFE, at least - this device merely underlines the universality of the main theme being dealt with. I see, however, a third connection at play here, this time with Murnau's own NOSFERATU (1922): Tartuffe is presented as a different form of bloodsucker, one who is not undead but very much alive (or human, if you like), and just as dangerous - not to mention that much more common in our daily life than the vampire of myth and literature; besides, the fact that - as in NOSFERATU - here it is the devoted wife of the man under the influence of Moliere's symbolic figure of hypocrisy ("From now on, all hypocrites shall be called 'Tartuffe'!" reads a subtitle) who brings about his come-uppance, by 'sacrificing' herself, only helps reinforce this particular aspect.

Despite the film's relative brevity (explained in my notes for the accompanying documentary below), its intimate nature, and also the fact that Murnau was handed the project at short notice, his trademark stylistics of expressionistic lighting and acrobatic camera-work are well in evidence. Finally, I would like to say something about the English subtitles - displayed over the original German intertitles - for all three of "Masters Of Cinema"'s Silent releases (the others being, of course, SPIONE [1928] and ASPHALT [1929]): I admire Eureka/MoC's decision to preserve authenticity in every aspect of their DVDs, but the interweaving text (with the English translation appearing in too small a font) makes it a comparatively labored read overall! At this juncture, I truly regret missing out on the retrospective of Murnau's work shown a few years back at London's National Film Theatre - and I can only long for the time I will be able to watch the likes of JOURNEY INTO THE NIGHT (1921), THE HAUNTED CASTLE (1921; when I was in Hollywood I held in my hands a DVD-R of this film but, since it had been announced for DVD release by Image, I didn't rent it), THE BURNING SOIL (1922), PHANTOM (1922; the same comments for THE HAUNTED CASTLE apply here, its DVD release from Flicker Alley has been imminent for some time now!), THE GRAND DUKE'S FINANCES (1924) and CITY GIRL (1930). It's inconceivable how the work of such an important film-maker, so long as it is available, is kept mysteriously under wraps - thus denying film buffs everywhere the opportunity of enjoying it!

The 41-minute documentary, TARTUFFE: THE LOST FILM (2004; TV), is an essential watch for fans of Silent films and director F. W. Murnau: although TARTUFFE may not be among Murnau's greatest films, it is certainly one of his most personal as he identified himself with the young relative who is shunned from his inheritance because he has chosen the lowbrow way of the artist rather than a more lucrative profession. Besides, the documentary highlights the depressing state of most Silent films in existence today: while we should consider ourselves lucky that the U.S. theatrical version of TARTUFFE (from which the DVD transfer was made) is in such a good state, it is considerably shorter than the original German version. Fragments of the lost scenes shown in the documentary include a couple of key sequences which, as incomplete as they are in the film now, seem a little rushed. Although the quality is understandably inferior, one wonders why they weren't included in the main feature itself.

It's still Murnau

[VanRippestein · 7/10 · 8 November 2007]

This is the fourth Murnau i've seen, after Nosferatu, Sunrise and Faust. I admire the work of Murnau for it's beautiful compositions an camera movement. Murnau is able to translate the mood he want's to set into composition and movement without being artsy for the sake of it.

Tartuffe has quiet a story behind it. Apparently, Murnau was forced by contract to make this film. So this film is to Murnau what Spartacus was to Kubrick. Even though it's still a Murnau picture: again Murnau knows how to give a quiet flat story more depth by suggestion and style. I liked the film, it's hasn't got the outdoors scene's that Sunrise and Nosferatu had, or the huge sets and special effect of Faust, but still it remains an exciting film. Don't hold back by the negative reviewers of the film, this is, by all means, not a bad film. It's just that Murnau made so much breathtaking stuff in his other work, that this film seems not so historical interesting. But if you're a fan of Murnau's other work I'm sure you'll like this as well. Make sure you'll watch the Masters of Cinema edition. It has a great documentary about the making of this film. It gave me a lot of new insights about the film and about Murnau.

More innovation from Murnau

[tomgillespie2002 · 9/10 · 21 November 2011]

The film begins with the story of a rich man being given a slow premature death by his money-grubbing housekeeper. The elderly man has shunned his actor grandson, who visits him and, after discovering the housekeepers use of poison, is sent away. He returns disguised as a travelling cinema worker, who, upon getting into his grandfather's house, proceeds to show them the story of Herr Tartuff. Rich landowner Herr Orgon (Werner Krauss) brings his new friend and religious fanatic Tartuffe (Emil Jannings) home, much to the dismay of Orgon's wife Frau Elmire (Lil Dagover). After she spurns Tartuffe's sexual advances, she sets out to prove to Orgon that Tartuffe is an imposter who is seeking to inherit Orgon's vast estate.

Why director F.W. Murnau decided to use the film-within-a-film device in his adaptation of Moliere's famous play, I'm not sure. Maybe it was to put his own new spin on what is now a well-known story and moral tale, or perhaps it is just to bring it up to date. Either way, it's an effective device, and allows Murnau to advertise his unbelievably advanced film-making techniques and ideas. His better known classics such as Nosferatu (1922) and Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans (1927) showed his ability for expressionism and breakthrough techniques, but Tartuffe displays his eye for the science of cinema. Every frame, every camera movement, and every cut is sheer beauty. And everything is helped by one of the giants of silent cinema, Emil Jannings.

Tartuffe is an absolute monster, and it needed a true monster to play him. Jannings is colossal - his hulking frame making him look like a kind of evil spectre, capable of anything (what a shame that Jannings would later commit career suicide by becoming Goebbels pet propaganda tool). The film takes some surprising risks (for its time) as well. During the opening scenes, before we are introduced to Tartuffe, we see the young grandson being booted out of the house. Then something amazing happens - he walks up to the camera and looks at us, the audience, smiling. He assures us that the matter is not finished, and that he will be back to avenge his grandfather. This was back in a time where directors felt they had to have the characters looking a certain way went conversing, and that camera shots had to be at a certain level, for fear the audience simply wouldn't understand what was happening. Directors were simply terrified to try new techniques, but not Murnau.

There is also a shocking scene involving the first exchanges between Tartuffe and Elmire. She is in the midst of demanding him to leave, when the camera droops down from her face, and lingers on her cleavage, which is slightly visible due to the way she is looking down upon Tartuffe. All is seen from Tartuffe's point of view, and this happens a number of times. Surprisingly saucy given it's age. Murnau is simply a genius, and you can watch almost any of his films to realise this. Tartuffe is not his best, and even if it seems to be breathlessly sprinting for the end in the final ten minutes, it is still a brilliant film.

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Religious Criticism And Moral Weaknesses

[FerdinandVonGalitzien · 21 October 2011]

It is always a pleasure to hear from Herr Friedrich Wilhelm Murnau even though this particular film is one of his minor works sandwiched in between two of his masterpieces, "Der Letzte Mann" (1924) und "Faust" (1926).

"Tartüff" (1925) was a film that Herr Murnau didn't originally intend to direct, preferring to focus his artistic efforts on his next film "Faust", once he finished "Der Letzte Mann" but in the end the German director did his duty in spite of a lack of enthusiasm for the project (After all, he was a genuine and strict Teuton).

Inspired by the play by the frenchified playwright Herr Molière, the film depicts one kind of masquerade inside another one, a film within-a-film. We get the classic story based on the original play and a new modern one, both critical of hypocrisy and dubious morality.

The passing of time has taken away the original nitrate copies of the film but the duplicates, however inferior, still don't hide the remarkable aspects of the movie. The implicit eroticism and Murnau's sibylline sense of humor come through very strongly. Murnau often uses close-ups to reflect the inner sentiments of the characters (and their falsities). Sham and imposture are duly mocked, especially that of Herr Tartüff, a false priest ( Herr Emil Jannings ). The trickster is finally unmasked thanks to the charms of Frau Elmire ( Frau Lil Dagover ), Herr Tartüff's obscure object of desire.

The combination of a costume film with a modernen one, besides being original, enriches and complements them both. The social contexts are of course different: religious hypocrisy is more the concern of the classical part whereas the modern story skewers the selfishness and greed of society. Appropriately, the rococo sets are shot in a decadent but luminous style for the old story while a dark and gloomier manner prevails for the modern scenes (the work of Herr Karl Freund is superb).

"Tartüff" may be a transitional film for Herr Murnau but it is still an imaginative approach to the Molière play wherein religious criticism and moral weaknesses and other human sins are showed openly and straightforwardly.

And now, if you'll allow me, I must temporarily take my leave because this German Count must tell something very different from what really he is thinking to one of his rich Teutonic heiresses.

Hypocrisy Is a Dirty Thing

[gavin6942 · 6/10 · 7 July 2011]

Young man shows his millionaire grandfather a play based on Molière's Tartuffe, in order to expose the old man's hypocritical governess who covets his own inheritance.

This is a film that really shows the talent of Emil Jannings and why he was so popular in Germany. He is assisted by Lil Dagover. The story is surprisingly lecherous for its time, though the overall tale is simple. I have not read the Moliere tale, but I have to imagine that it goes into a great deal more depth than this.

Professor Jan-Christopher Horak notes that "the frame story is shot realistically, with Freund and Murnau consistently emphasizing depth through movement from background to foreground, and by opening and closing doors in such a way that they are literally in the spectator's face." I did not notice all that, but I will take his word for it.

Another wonderful Murnau film

[planktonrules · 8/10 · 22 July 2006]

While this film does not have the amazing scenes with breathtaking cinematography like FAUST or SUNRISE, this Murnau film still does excel due to the camera-work and great care taken in its production. And, while not the very best silent film available, it's certainly among the better ones.

This story differs from Molière's play in that the entire play is actually part of a larger story--with a prologue and epilogue. The story begins with a rich old man living alone with his supposedly devoted housekeeper. She has convinced the man that his grandson is evil and should be disinherited because he is, oh, horrors,...an ACTOR!!! Instead, she's fooled him into making her the beneficiary. When the grandson shows up to say hello, the old man chases him away and it appears the housekeeper has won. However, given that the young man is an actor, he dresses up as a traveling showman and comes to the house to show them a film--TARTUFFE.

The film stars Emil Jannings as the evil priest, Tartuffe, who has fooled a rich nobleman into forsaking the pleasures of life and becoming an aesthetic, like him. But, the man's wife soon realizes the priest is a charlatan and much of the movie is spent trying to trap the priest in his lies. Naturally, all this is symbolic of the relationship between the housekeeper and the rich man.

The sets, direction and acting are all excellent. The acting is rather restrained compared to some silent films and the story is told in a brisk and watchable manner.

Religious Hypocrisy

[Hitchcoc · 7/10 · 3 January 2021]

A wealthy, elderly man is being taken care of by an evil housekeeper who is working to be the heir to his fortune. While she navigates her plan, she is slowly poisoning him. Along comes his disowned grandson, an actor, who sees through the housekeeper's plans. He sets up a movie version of Moliere's Tartuffe, which is about a man who blindly follows a charlatan, Tartuffe, who is working to become heir to a fortune as well. The Tartuffe film is slow moving and has trouble getting around to the climax, but it's still interesting. Not Murnau's best, but worth a look.

Tartuffe

[MartinTeller · 8/10 · 4 January 2012]

A light fable exploring the theme of hypocrisy and those who exploit the weak-willed under false pretenses. Although it's not a film that bowls you over, there are some interesting touches. The film-within-a-film framework (perhaps one of the first to use it in such a substantial manner), the direct appeals to the audience, the overt sexuality. The look of the film is impressive, with a lavish set to work with, striking lighting techniques, and a few bold camera angles. Emil Jannings is hammy as usual, but in an enjoyable way. The dual stories being told are simplistic and predictable, but fun to go along with. I have yet to see a bad film by Murnau, and even if this isn't one of his most memorable works, it's worthwhile.

Moliere according to Mayer.

[brogmiller · 8/10 · 11 December 2019]

When first performed at Versailles in 1664 his play 'Tartuffe' landed Moliere in all sorts of trouble due to its depiction of impiety and religious hypocrisy. Apparently the Archbishop of Paris threatened anyone with excommunication who performed, watched or even read it! It was finally staged with great success in 1669 in the five act version we know today. Obviously humbled by the experience Moliere's satire was never again quite as scathing. The film under review is extremely scathing however and presents Tartuffe in the person of Emil Jannings as a monster of avarice and lechery.Well, nobody's perfect! His true nature is finally revealed and Orgon, played by Werner Krauss is reunited with his wife Elmire, portrayed by Lil Dagover, who had been estranged due to Tartuffe's evil influence. Only these three characters plus Lucie Hoflich as Dorine the housekeeper remain from Moliere's original so this piece cannot be judged as a film of the play. Purely as a film it is exceptionally well made and acted. This is hardly surprising as some of the greatest talents of Weimar cinema are involved. The 'film-within-a-film' concept of the brilliant but ill-fated Carl Mayer is inspired. Director Murnau has once again the services of the superlative Karl Freund behind the camera whilst Walther Rohrig and Robert Herlth contribute their magnificent art direction. It is beyond the power of words of course to define the breadth of Murnau's talent. Werner Krauss is a terrifyingly good actor and makes the most of a pretty thankless part. Although Jannings was dismissed by Dietrich as 'an old ham' it was always, well, nearly always, ham of the finest quality. This is also the first film of the lovely Camilla Horn who is uncredited as Lil Dagover's stunt double! She went on the following year to make her mark as Gretchen in 'Faust' for the same director. 'Tartuffe' is highly recommended for those few who appreciate film as an art form.

Expressionist Version of the Moliere Classic

[l_rawjalaurence · 8/10 · 18 March 2014]

Based on Moliere's classic seventeenth century comedy, this version of TARTUFFE has the eponymous antihero (Emil Jannings) being ultimately outwitted by the family; at the same time the head of the family Orgon (Werner Krauss) remains as blissfully unaware of how to distinguish truth from falsity as he did at the beginning. F. W. Murnau's version is set in a large, rambling house, full of wide staircases and plenty of doors. He proves himself a master of the camera; his close-ups focusing on the pockets as Tartuffe stashes away his ill-gotten gains while pretending to embrace religion, or on Elmire's (Lil Dagover's) breasts, as Tartuffe tries and fails to keep his hands from touching them. Jannings is given full rein to show off his range of facial expressions as Tartuffe; here is a genuinely evil man who believes he can do anything under the cloak of religion. What makes this TARTUFFE most interesting, at least for students of history, is the specially-added prologue and epilogue, in which a young man (André Mattoni) shows his wealthy grandfather (Hermann Picha) the film of TARTUFFE, in order to alert him to the old man's hypocritical governess (Rosa Valetti), and her designs on his fortune. The young man is impoverished, but shown to be much more able to understand human behavior than his grandfather. Through this device Murnau takes a pot-shot at how capitalism and wealth often destroys judgment, creating a covetous society in which everyone is out for themselves. This could be a microcosm of Germany in the mid- Twenties, before the Nazi accession to power. This TARTUFFE moves along at a brisk pace, complemented by a jaunty soundtrack. Worth watching.

Uninspired Murnau

[world2you · 1 June 2004]

It strikes me as odd that Herr Friedrich Wilhelm Murnau, easily one of the 25 Greatest Directors in History, delivered such a plain, forgettable and uninspired film. I can't help but to wonder what sort of business must've been going on with the UFA Executives at the time.

All the elements of the great German Silent Cinema are here - screenwriter Carl Mayer, Actor Emil Jannings, Actress Lil Dagover, and of course, the genius F.W. Murnau, yet for some reason the film lacks all the brilliancy and magic of Murnau's other works, reminding one of the epilogue of "The Last Laugh" when Murnau and Mayer were consciously trying to make something vulgar and ridiculous.

This feeling comes across throughout the entire length of "Herr Tartüff", in which the story is told in pure, unflinching mockery. Even the customary visual flair of Murnau's films is nowhere to be found here, aside from one or two shots in the which the Director must've let his genius come out for a moment.

Even Emil Jannings - arguably the greatest silent film actor who ever lived - is unconvincing as the charlatan Tartuff. The same can be said of the rest of the cast, unfortunately.

It does give one a feeling of sadness that this picture had the potential to be another Murnau Classic (something that wouldn't be too bad considering so few of his films are available to the general public), but all one can hope for is a DVD release of all his other, unknown films; something that seems quite unlikely, considering the extremely reduced fan base for Silent Pictures.

To sum it up, I can only recommend it for fans of Murnau and Jannings.

Satirical hypocrisy

[TheLittleSongbird · 8/10 · 20 February 2020]

FW Murnau was, and still is, a fascinating director, if perhaps not one of my all-time favourites. He was one of the best and most influential directors in his day, and to this day he is still a big influence in cinema with a unique style in visual style and tone. His films are extremely well made and remarkably atmospheric and imaginative and the themes that he explored were daring at the time and not explored in the way he did, regardless of how the film does for you on the whole.

'Tartuffe' is not one of his best, one of his masterpieces or his most important. It is still a very interesting and superbly made and directed film, that shows that even when Murnau was not on the best of forms his work was leagues better than the lesser work of many other directors (there were a fair share of other great directors whose lesser work were quite big misfires). A lot of effort went into 'Tartuffe' and it shows and the theme of hypocrisy (religious) has seldom been explored in quite this way, quite bold for back then when other directors would not have dared.

It does feel incomplete at times, hence why the odd part feels rushed and disjointed.

However, 'Tartuffe' is a masterpiece of visual style and composition. The photography is sombre yet full of atmosphere, complete with some inventive angles unlike any seen before in places. The lighting is some of the cleverest and most striking for any silent film or even any film of any kind at the time, and the sets are lavishly designed. It's hauntingly scored, while Murnau's direction is at its best impeccable.

On top of being quite unsettlingly formidable in places in terms of tone and with some nice moments of intimacy when necessary, 'Tartuffe' is also satirical. And it's very sharp, frankly scathing and even hilarious satire, without trying too hard that it becomes strained or limp like how satire is executed frequently.

Emil Jannings was one of the best actors of the silent film era, not one of the most subtle but always one of his most riveting. He is on top form here and clearly relishes his role. Lil Dagover and Werner Krauss support him very well without being intimidated.

To summarise, Murnau is not at his best but this is still impressive work. 8/10

Excellent But Quirky Presentation on a Moliere Classic

[springfieldrental · 9/10 · 11 March 2022]

January 1926's "Tartuffe" is a quirky interpretation of Moliere's 1664 play. F. W. Murnau pared down the French playwright's classic story of a seemingly-religious fanatic who persuades a rich nobleman to give up all his wealth and become a mendicant devoted to a prayerful life. Considered a minor work in Murnau's canon, "Tartuffe" is seen by many as a brilliant pice of filmmaking. The director's steady collaborator, writer Carl Mayer, submitted a screenplay using the Moliere play as the framework to illustrate how unscrupulous connivers can convince innocent people to commit acts that are unthinkable, even though the hypocrisy is over the top.

Emil Jannings plays Tartuffe, who lassos Herr Orgon (Werner Krauss) into surrendering everything, including his wife, Elmire (Lil Dagover) to him. Elmire sees through Tartuffe's charlatanism and plots to wake her husband to the scam. What makes Murnau's "Tartuffe" unique is the Jannings' plot is actually a movie projected by the Grandson (Andre Mattoni) to show his wealthy Grandfather after he discovers his grandfather's housekeeper (Rosa Valetti) is slowly poisoning him to capture his inheritance. The housekeeper has persuaded the old man his Grandson is irresponsible because he has chosen acting to be his profession and she should receive all his money instead. The grandson happens to witness the Housekeeper's antics and decides to show his grandfather the Tartuffe film as an example how evilness can rob people blind.

As simple a story "Tartuffe" is to modern audiences, the visual impact brought on by Murnau's direction unfolds a cautionary tale his grandfather should learn from. Murnau's unusual framing, his effective close-ups and the stylistic Expressionistic lighting all highlight his talents during the peak period of his most creative powers.

A roundly terrific classic that still holds up well

[I_Ailurophile · 9/10 · 30 November 2021]

F. W. Murnau's mastery of the medium is without question, and 'Tartuffe' represents still another showcase of his great skills as a director. I'm immediately taken in by his arrangement of shots and scenes, which largely seems distinct from some of his other films. The camerawork often favors tightly focused shots that spotlight a single element of a scene, drawing forth all detail thereof - whether every nuance of an actor's expressions, or a specific aspect in a space. This approach especially lets us appreciate all the more the subtleties of the stars' performances, and superb rounding aspects like hair, makeup, costume design, and set decoration. It's strange to me at this point that Murnau is a filmmaker most widely known for a single horror film - it's unfortunate, for even recognizing that picture's quality, his fantastic body of work speaks for itself and is far, far more than one genre piece.

I admire Carl Mayer's screenplay, adapting another work with the novelty of telling a story within a story. It's a tack that's not without pitfalls, as overemphasis on one segment or the other may well weaken the integrity and impact of either or both. I'm not entirely sold on the usage here, but I will say that both components are written quite well. Characterizations are strong, and the intertitles are generally cheeky and biting. Moreover, hand in hand with Murnau's pointed scene work as director, Mayer's screenplay seems to prize concrete, distinct moments above all, even as all together they build a whole story. And, with that, 'Tartuffe' is a great success that ever advances with what feels like careful exactness from one beat to the next - a precision that, for the skills of all involved, nonetheless feels perfectly natural.

Why, it's certainly not just Murnau and Mayer - the whole cast likewise operates with a high level of remarkable intelligence. All on hand embody their characters with vivid completeness that rather seems to defy the inherent constraints of the silent era. The exaggerated facial expressions and body language demanded by the lack of sound or dialogue broadly portend a built-in sense of artificiality, but I think in this case the rigorous precision from every angle instead simply brings the tableau to brilliant life without so severe an air of pretense. For that matter, it may be that in the moment I'm prone to overexcited praise, yet I can't help but be roundly impressed with how strikingly rich every facet of 'Tartuffe' is, from start to finish. Any minor deficiency there may be in the production is far overshadowed by the substantial, far more prominent quality.

Despite being so enamored of Murnau otherwise, I admit I began watching with uncertain expectations. Any possible doubts were quickly laid to rest, however, as the direction readily enthused, then the writing, and then the acting, to say nothing of fine technical craft. I wouldn't necessarily say that the movie is perfect; there remains something about it that just feels a little off to me - perhaps in the framing of the story? - that ever so slightly dampens my enjoyment. Still, it's just as likely that I'm nitpicking as that I'm watching the picture through rose-tinted glasses. No matter how you look at it, 'Tartuffe' is a wonderfully entertaining, engaging film, vibrant and fulfilling - another marvelous testament to the abilities of all involved, and to the lasting value of the silent era. As far as I'm concerned this comes very highly recommended, well worth checking out wherever you're able!

Forgettable 1-hour silent film

[Horst_In_Translation · 4/10 · 10 March 2016]

"Herr Tartüff" or "Tartuffe" is a German, black-and-white silent film from over 90 years ago. It was directed by Friedrich Wilhelm Murnau/Plumpe, probably the number 2 of his time in terms of the genre and region behind Fritz Lang of course. "Tartuffe" is neither among his most known nor his least known works. The original ran for slightly over 70 minutes, but the new DVD version, also the one I watched, only runs for slightly over 60 minutes, probably because of lost scenes or just more frames per second.

The cast includes a couple really famous names such as Emil Janning and Lil Dagover, but sadly the story and script never impressed me that much that I would say this is a rewarding watch. I found it very forgettable. The ending is okay and the film has its moments, but overall, even for such a short runtime, the material simply is not good enough and the actors also fail to elevate the material we have here. This one is only worth seeing for the biggest silent film fans. Everybody else should skip it.

A film within a film

[gbill-74877 · 8/10 · 20 April 2021]

Two stories, presented as a film within a film, complement each other beautifully. In the outer one, a housekeeper (Rosa Valetti) is slowly poisoning her employer (Hermann Picha) after convincing him to disinherit his grandson. In the inner, a pared down telling of Molière's play, a religious zealot (Emil Jannings) is duping a rich man (Werner Krauss) out of his money, to the horror of his wife (Lil Dagover). She hatches a plan to expose him by tempting him with her cleavage and ankles, and one of the interesting little footnotes is that Camilla Horn was used as a "foot double" for her.

I love how Murnau puts the camera on the actors, and their performances, Jannings and Dagover in particular. The lighting and Expressionist set designs are fantastic, and the satire of religious hypocrisy is brilliant for all ages - 1664, 1925, and today. The stories are straightforward, but I thought 65 minutes was a good length, and that this focused the film into a very satisfying narrative. Definitely worth checking out.

Splendidly entertaining; a fragment from another age.

[mehobulls · 8/10 · 21 September 2020]

Murnau adapts the Moliere play within a story by Carl Mayer with great artistry and succinctness. The fear of religious zealotry and being bamboozled by false prophets is well told featuring strong turns by the full cast. The expressionistic visual sense and the innovative film language on display are often quite astounding.

Guess Who's Coming to Dinner?

[bsmith5552 · 8/10 · 12 December 2018]

Another little masterpiece from legendary German director F.W. Murneau. This one is an ambitious "film within a film" picture.

A supposedly faithful housekeeper (Rose Valetti) to an aging employer has scheme to dupe the old man out of his fortune by having him prepare a will disinheriting his grandson (Andre Mattoni). The old man prepares the will. His grandson arrives and is promptly thrown out by the old man. The grandson sees what is happening and vows to expose the hypocrite of a housekeeper.

He disguises himself and goes to his grandfather's house under the guise of a travelling movie exhibitor. He gathers the grandfather and the housekeeper into the parlor to watch a movie on hypocracy based on Moliere's "Tartuff".

In the movie within the movie, Herr Orgon (Werner Krauss) and his wife Elmire (Lil Dagover) are a once happily married couple of some considerable wealth. Herr Orgon returns home after an extended trip a changed man. It seems he has fallen under the spell of a religious fanatic whom we'll call Tartuff (Emil Jannings). Tartuff has convinced Orgon to rid himself of all of his luxuries and to live a more modest existence. Tartuff, nose stuck in a prayer book arrives at Orgon's home.

Tartuff appears to be a pious religious fanatic who is controlling Orgon through some sort of hypnosis. Frau Elmire see through his scheme. She gets her husband to consent to having her trap Tartuff into revealing his true intentions. Unfortunately, Tartuff spots Orgon hiding behind the curtains and begs off. Not to be discouraged, the voluptuous Elmire invites Tartuff to her bedroom for "some tea" where Tartuff reveals his true self guzzling down glass after glass of wine. She tries to get Tartuff to seduce her but stops short when it is revealed that the whole scam is to have Orgon sign over his fortune to the hypocrite. Tartuff leaves in disgrace.

The story reverts to the original trio, the grandson removes his disguise and..............................................................................

The performances are excellent all round but it is the great Emil Jannings steals the film as usual. Lil Dagover is really sexy as the wife. It's a better film than it is often given credit for but after all it IS a Murneau film.

I really enjoyed it and recommend it to those who have not yet seen it.

Mixed Thoughts

[overtradeiron · 5/10 · 19 April 2023]

This is a difficult film to decide on whether I liked it or not.

The technical aspect and the fairly abstract narrative are something to appreciate. It's not a standard silent film, in fact it may be the first film to do a fourth wall break as a darker twisted sense of humor, which might have gotten a great reaction from the audience way back when 100 years ago. Or perhaps not and could have seen it as pretentious or even a bore.

It's pacing might be its biggest flaw. I appreciate the score and visuals. But sometimes it's too much and overbearing that it becomes a distraction.

Watch it if you'd like, I won't again.

5/10.