Rediscovered scrapbook reveals collaborative making of Murnau’s Faust film
A rediscovered scrapbook of drawings, stills and behind-the-scenes photographs sheds light on how FW Murnau and his crew made Faust, his 1926 silent adaptation of Goethe’s tragedy. Published as The Faust Bible, the book offers rare evidence of the production and shows the collaborative work behind a film whose effects and methods Murnau kept closely guarded.
The scrapbook began as a prop Bible used by Faust, then art directors Robert Herlth and Walter Röhrig filled its blank pages with material from the shoot as a gift for Murnau. He left it in Berlin when he moved to Hollywood; after his death, it passed through unknown hands before being acquired in the 1960s by curator Engelbert von Mallinckrodt. Faust was Ufa’s most expensive and complex film at the time, initially a commercial failure but later acclaimed as a classic.
- A rediscovered scrapbook reveals how Murnau’s Faust was made.
- The production record includes designs, stills and set photographs.
- Faust was a costly flop that later became a celebrated classic.
New here? Start with this
FW Murnau was a German filmmaker who made Faust in 1926, an adaptation of Goethe's celebrated tragedy. The film was expensive and complex for the studio Ufa to produce, though it initially failed commercially and only later became recognised as a cinema classic.
A scrapbook was created during the film's production, containing drawings, stills and behind-the-scenes photographs. Art directors Robert Herlth and Walter Röhrig filled the blank pages of a prop Bible used in the film with this collection as a gift for Murnau. The scrapbook provides rare evidence of the collaborative work behind a production whose methods Murnau usually kept secret.
Murnau left the scrapbook in Berlin when he relocated to Hollywood. Following his death, it passed through various unknown hands and ended up with curator Engelbert von Mallinckrodt, who acquired it in the 1960s. The scrapbook represents a unique record of the filmmaking process at Ufa during this period.
Read the full article at the source →
Originally published by The Guardian as “Devil in the detail: 100 years on, FW Murnau’s Faust scrapbook reveals the secrets of his silent masterpiece”.