Tartuffe (1926)

Perhaps the most dull of F.W. Murnau's films is this adaptation of Moliere's play of the same name. When an aging miser decides to leave his fortune to his underhanded housekeeper, his grandson shows up in disguise and shows them a film version of the Moliere play. The play itself is about a similar situation and the grandson hopes to use his film to expose the housekeepers plot to his grandfather. The film within the film takes up most of the running time, and seems largely uninspired, at least compared to the grandeur of Faust or the passion of The Last Laugh. It is interesting, however, to watch as Murnau uses cinema and his images to literally expose the truth, perhaps this has something to say about his feelings towards art. But one does have to wonder why adapt a play for a silent film?