This shiny new 1080p print of Faust from Eureka offers the first chance many will have to see the original version of Murnau’s final German film. Whilst it lacks the capacity to haunt the nightmares of viewers in the same way as his other silent classic Nosferatu, it still shows the power and artistry of this brilliant filmmaker.

The demon Mephisto, played with gleeful hammery by Emil Jannings, makes a bet with an angel (Werner Fuetterer) that he can corrupt the soul of the decent but obsessive alchemist, Faust (Gösta Ekman). In order to do so, he brings down a plague upon Faust’s hometown – unable to cure the townsfolk, his victim soon moves from despair, to cursing God, to making an unholy bargain.

In these days of CGI, where any monster or magic can be conjured in pixels, it’s wonderful to watch the in-camera effects, models, and use of shadows and angles Murnau deploys to create the atmosphere and render Mephisto’s satanic power. They may no longer have the ability to ‘convince’, but it’s easy to imagine the spine-tingling effect they would have had on their original audiences.

The weakest part of the film is the transformation of Faust from old man to handsome lover. His wooing of the pure village girl Gretchen (Camilla Horn) is wearisome. Without this saccharine interlude, however, the weight of what follows would be diminished. Cast out by the town as a harlot, Gretchen wanders through the snow with her newborn child, looking for shelter. Even 88 years later this sequence retains its emotional power, reminding you of how completely in control of his art Murnau was.

With two separate scores available, commentary track and a 20 minute documentary, there are plenty of extras in this dual format disc to add to your viewing pleasure, but it is the artistry that stands out. With the exception of 1927’s Sunrise, Murnau’s films post-Germany never quite reached the same heights, but Faust alone would more than justify his presence alongside other greats in Eureka’s Masters of Cinema collection.