This week, continue your film history viewing with the films of F.W. Murnau. F.W. Murnau is best known for his masterpiece films Nosferatu (1922) and Sunrise (1927). He made 21 feature films, many of which he stole the rights to by making slight changes to the books or stories he adapted. He was influenced by Ibsen and Shakespeare, but also the German philosophers Nietzsche and Schopenhauer.
Murnau emigrated to Hollywood in 1926, joining Fox Studio. There he made Sunrise (1927), as well as 4 Devils (1928), and City Girl (1930). None of these are "horror films", although Sunrise is considered now to be one of the greatest films of all time.
Murnau worked on the film Tabu (1931) with documentary filmmaker Robert Flaherty (Nanook of the North) but died in an automobile accident in California just 1 week prior to the film's opening premiere. The friends/people who attended his funeral included Flaherty, Greta Garbo, and Fritz Lang. Today, of the 21 films Murnau made, 8 are lost. He will be remembered, however, for his 3 biggest and influential films of the silent film decade of the 1920s. These films are linked below. Choose 1 to watch and complete a film analysis for that film.
Last note: Murnau's grave was broken into in 2015--perhaps Count Orlock had finally exacted his revenge!
F.W. Murnau: director spotlight
The Horror Films of F.W. Murnau
F.W. Murnau's films: (choose one of the following to view and complete a film analysis form--forms can be found on our Google Classroom site!)
Murnau emigrated to Hollywood in 1926, joining Fox Studio. There he made Sunrise (1927), as well as 4 Devils (1928), and City Girl (1930). None of these are "horror films", although Sunrise is considered now to be one of the greatest films of all time.
Murnau worked on the film Tabu (1931) with documentary filmmaker Robert Flaherty (Nanook of the North) but died in an automobile accident in California just 1 week prior to the film's opening premiere. The friends/people who attended his funeral included Flaherty, Greta Garbo, and Fritz Lang. Today, of the 21 films Murnau made, 8 are lost. He will be remembered, however, for his 3 biggest and influential films of the silent film decade of the 1920s. These films are linked below. Choose 1 to watch and complete a film analysis for that film.
Last note: Murnau's grave was broken into in 2015--perhaps Count Orlock had finally exacted his revenge!
F.W. Murnau: director spotlight
The Horror Films of F.W. Murnau
F.W. Murnau's films: (choose one of the following to view and complete a film analysis form--forms can be found on our Google Classroom site!)
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