Devil in the detail: 100 years on, FW Murnau’s Faust scrapbook reveals silent masterpiece secrets

By the Editorial Team · Wednesday, October 14, 2026

The centenary of FW Murnau’s 1926 film *Faust* is highlighted by the preservation and restoration of the "Faust Bible," a unique leather-bound scrapbook created from the film’s prop that offers rare insights into the movie’s production. Now housed at the Cinémathèque Française, this artifact underscores Murnau’s innovative visual style and the collaborative artistry behind one of silent cinema’s most ambitious works.

FW Murnau, a pioneering figure in silent cinema renowned for his visually striking films, marked the centenary of his 1926 release *Faust* this month, underscoring the enduring significance of the German director’s work. Celebrated for classics such as *Nosferatu* (1922) and *Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans* (1927), Murnau’s *Faust* stands out as one of his most ambitious and artistically complex silent films, adapting Goethe’s tragic tale of a scholar who bargains his soul to the devil.

*Faust* was Murnau’s final German production before moving to Hollywood and represented the most costly and elaborate project undertaken by the Ufa studio at the time. Swedish actor Gösta Ekman portrayed Faust, while Emil Jannings took on the role of Mephistopheles, the devilish figure tempting the scholar. Despite its initial commercial failure, the film later gained recognition for its innovative cinematography and special effects, influencing filmmakers and drawing praise from directors like Eric Rohmer, who used *Faust* as the subject of his doctoral thesis.

A newly published book, *The Faust Bible: The Making of FW Murnau’s Masterpiece*, illuminates the film’s production through previously unpublished photographs and materials, offering fresh perspectives on the collaborative processes behind the scenes. The book centers around a unique artifact from the production—a large leather-bound Bible used as a prop within the film. After filming concluded, art directors Robert Herlth and Walter Röhrig salvaged the prop from the set and transformed it into a scrapbook by affixing designs, stills, and behind-the-scenes photos onto its pages as a gift for Murnau.

The Bible prop's history is marked by mystery and near loss. Murnau left the scrapbook behind in Berlin when he relocated to Hollywood, unaware he would never return. Following his death in 1931, his personal effects, including the Bible, were scattered and stored in locations susceptible to wartime damage. Film scholar Lotte Eisner searched for the artifact in the 1950s without success. It resurfaced in the 1960s after a German curator acquired photo albums linked to Murnau, which contained the Bible. Subsequently, the book passed into the custody of the curator's flatmate, where it remained wrapped in brown paper for decades. Eisner, despite her lifelong dedication to Murnau’s legacy, never saw it before her death in 1983.

Today, the Faust Bible is preserved at the Cinémathèque Française, which secured the item in 2017. Undergoing careful restoration, the scrapbook remains largely intact despite signs of water damage and the loss of an original metal crucifix and corner pieces. The collection vividly illustrates Murnau’s meticulous attention to composition, lighting, and visual storytelling, showcasing how each day on set inspired a continuous push for innovation, as noted by art director Robert Herlth.

The Faust Bible serves both as a testament to Murnau’s creative genius and a reminder of the collective effort involved in crafting his enduring cinematic achievement.

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