When it unspooled back in 1924, this German silent had Hollywood eyes a-poppin' with its groundbreaking dramatic dazzle. The story follows an ageing hotel doorman (Emil Jannings) who wears his pride on the sleeve of his grand uniform. But when relegated to a lowly toilet attendant, he tries to steal back his uniform and his dignity - with tragic consequences.

Nowadays, despite feeling like an eerie anticipation of the Nazis' rise, the tale is less interesting than the telling. Bolstered by Jannings' screen-filling theatrical bustle, director FW Murnau and DoP Karl Freund add new chapters to cinema's grammar-book, their camera shimmying through an eatery, fogging into dream sequences and tracking clean through a glass window. They needed just one title-card - to mock the studio's enforced happy ending. This `unchained camera' would soon hoist the pair across The Pond to start making films on Tinseltown turf. But after helming his masterpiece Sunrise, Murnau was lost in a fatal car crash at the age of 42. Few of his movies remain, so make the most of 'em.

DVD Extras:

The subtitled, 40-minute Making Of documentary gets off to a dry start, but it's worth sticking with. Production sketches and plans show how Murnau mapped his camera work, as do vintage photos taken during filming. Freund's brilliant, innovative camerawork - tying the camera to his chest, bunging it in a wheelchair, running it along rails - get plenty of time and we're also shown how to spot the cunning perspective tricks (involving children, cut-out figurines and remote-controlled cars) Murnau used to give his shots depth.Unfortunately, the good stuff's anchored by some tedious comparisons between the film's different release prints and it's topped off by a laborious explanation of the restoration. Still, with biogs and some facts'n'figures, it's a well-informed effort.