Brief
New book unveils unseen material from F.W. Murnau’s 1926 silent film Faust
The book offers rare insight into the making of Murnau’s final German film, released a century ago.
By Felo News Desk · Published
F.W. Murnau’s silent film Faust, released in 1926, is the subject of a newly published volume titled The Faust Bible: The Making of FW Murnau’s Masterpiece. The Guardian reported that the book contains previously unseen photographs and documents from the production, shedding light on the film’s elaborate sets, special effects and collaborative process.
What happened
The book, released to coincide with the film’s 100th anniversary, reproduces a scrapbook compiled during the shoot. It includes images taken by cinematographer Hans Natge, production sketches, and notes that illustrate how Murnau achieved complex visual sequences. The volume also details the scale of the project: Faust was the most expensive and technically demanding film ever produced by the German studio UFA at the time, and it was Murnau’s last German work before moving to Hollywood.
What the reports add
The Guardian notes that the book not only presents visual material but also serves as an artefact of the film’s production, offering a “rare insight into the collaborative way it was made.” It highlights Murnau’s secretive reputation, citing contemporary Edgar G. Ulmer who described the director as a “great purist who worked under a sort of hypnosis.” The outlet also points out that Murnau barred producers and studio executives from viewing rushes, limiting on‑set photography to preserve the mystery of his techniques.
What was said
According to the Guardian, early collaborator Edgar G. Ulmer called Murnau “a great purist who worked under a sort of hypnosis.” The article also quotes the book’s description of Murnau’s practice of banning producers from his sets and restricting executives from watching his rushes.
How it came about
Murnau’s career, as outlined by the Guardian, spanned iconic silent films such as Nosferatu (1922) and Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans (1927). Faust, starring Swedish actor Gösta Ekman as the scholar and German star Emil Jannings as Mephistopheles, was a commercial failure on release but has since been re‑evaluated as a classic. The new book builds on decades of scholarly interest, including French New Wave director Éric Rohmer’s doctoral dissertation on the film.
Key facts
- The book "The Faust Bible" contains previously unseen photographs and production documents from the 1926 film Faust. (theguardian.com)
- Faust was the most expensive and complex film produced by UFA at the time of its making. (theguardian.com)
- Murnau prohibited producers and executives from viewing rushes and limited on‑set photography. (theguardian.com)
- Edgar G. Ulmer described Murnau as "a great purist who worked under a sort of hypnosis." (theguardian.com)
- Faust starred Gösta Ekman as Faust and Emil Jannings as Mephistopheles. (theguardian.com)
Sources
- [1] theguardian.com — originally reported as “Devil in the detail: 100 years on, FW Murnau’s Faust scrapbook reveals the secrets of his silent masterpiece”
