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Fritz Lang

Director

Fritz Lang

Born December 5, 1890 in Vienna, AustriaDied August 2, 197644 films

Friedrich Christian Anton "Fritz" Lang (December 5, 1890 – August 2, 1976) was an Austrian-German film director, screenwriter, and occasional film producer and actor. One of the best known émigrés from Germany's school of Expressionism, he was dubbed the "Master of Darkness" by the British Film Institute. Andrew Sarris in his influential book of film criticism The American Cinema: Directors and Directions 1929–1968 included him in the "pantheon" of the 14 greatest film directors who had worked in the United States.

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Lang's most famous films are the groundbreaking science-fiction film Metropolis (1927) - the world's most expensive silent film at the time of its release - and the influential thriller film M (1931), made before he moved to the United States. Lang's work had a significant influence on the film noir genre and in Hollywood, he made some classics himself, such as Scarlet Street (1945) and The Big Heat (1953).

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The best way into Fritz Lang's work
Metropolis posterFirst watchMetropolis19278.1In a futuristic city sharply divided between the rich and the poor, the son of the city's mastermind meets a prophet who predicts the coming of a savior to mediate their differences.View film

Essential films

Ranked by acclaim and reach
M poster8.1M1931The Big Heat poster7.7The Big Heat1953Scarlet Street poster7.6Scarlet Street1945The Woman in the Window poster7.4The Woman in the Window1944The Testament of Dr. Mabuse poster7.6The Testament of Dr. Mabuse1933Fury poster7.5Fury1936Dr. Mabuse, the Gambler poster7.7Dr. Mabuse, the Gambler1922Die Nibelungen: Siegfried poster7.7Die Nibelungen: Siegfried1924

Filmography

44 films as director
  1. 1960Journey to the Lost CityDirector
  2. 1960The Thousand Eyes of Dr. MabuseDirector
  3. 1959The Indian TombDirector
  4. 1959The Tiger of EschnapurDirector
  5. 1956Beyond a Reasonable DoubtDirector
  6. 1956While the City SleepsDirector
  7. 1955MoonfleetDirector
  8. 1954Human DesireDirector
  9. 1953The Big HeatDirector
  10. 1953The Blue GardeniaDirector
  11. 1952Clash by NightDirector
  12. 1952Rancho NotoriousDirector
  13. 1950American Guerrilla in the PhilippinesDirector
  14. 1950House by the RiverDirector
  15. 1947Secret Beyond the DoorDirector
  16. 1946Cloak and DaggerDirector
  17. 1945Scarlet StreetDirector
  18. 1944The Woman in the WindowDirector
  19. 1944Ministry of FearDirector
  20. 1943Hangmen Also Die!Director
  21. 1941Man HuntDirector
  22. 1941Western UnionDirector
  23. 1940The Return of Frank JamesDirector
  24. 1938You and MeDirector
  25. 1937You Only Live OnceDirector
  26. 1936FuryDirector
  27. 1934LiliomDirector
  28. 1933The Testament of Dr. MabuseDirector
  29. 1933The Testament of Dr. MabuseDirector
  30. 1931MDirector
  31. 1929Woman in the MoonDirector
  32. 1928SpiesDirector
  33. 1927MetropolisDirector
  34. 1924Die Nibelungen: Kriemhild's RevengeDirector
  35. 1924Die Nibelungen: SiegfriedDirector
  36. 1922Dr. Mabuse, the GamblerDirector
  37. 1921DestinyDirector
  38. 1921Four Around the WomanDirector
  39. 1920The Wandering ImageDirector
  40. 1920The Spiders: Part 2 - The Diamond ShipDirector
  41. 1919HarakiriDirector
  42. 1919The Spiders: Part 1 - The Golden SeaDirector
  43. 1919Master of LoveDirector
  44. 1919Half-BloodDirector