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F. W. Murnau
Life Time
28 December 1888 - 11 March 1931
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Friedrich Murnau is a German director, screenwriter and producer. His real name is Friedrich Wilhelm Plumpe. Born on December 28, 1888 in the German city of Bielefeld, in the family of a teacher and cloth manufacturer. After school, he studied French and German philology and art history at the University of Berlin, and later transferred to Heidelberg. During his studies, he took the pseudonym "Murnau" in honor of the German city. He began his career as a theater actor, when he studied acting at
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Friedrich Murnau is a German director, screenwriter and producer. His real name is Friedrich Wilhelm Plumpe. Born on December 28, 1888 in the German city of Bielefeld, in the family of a teacher and cloth manufacturer.
After school, he studied French and German philology and art history at the University of Berlin, and later transferred to Heidelberg. During his studies, he took the pseudonym "Murnau" in honor of the German city.
He began his career as a theater actor, when he studied acting at the Max Reinhardt Theatre School, and since 1914 he began working as an assistant director.
He made his film debut in 1919 with The Boy in Blue. This was followed by such works as “The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” and “Janus’ Head is a Tragedy on the Verge of Reality.”
World fame for the young director brought the film
"Nosferatu: Symphony of Horror" . The film became a breakthrough in the world of cinema and was a success all over the world. The plot of the film was inspired by Bram Stoker’s famous novel Dracula. The main role in the film was played by the famous German actor Max Schreck. The film was released in 1922.
The next work of the talented director was the film “Ghost”, which was shot based on the work of Gerhart Hauptman in 1922. In this film, Friedrich first used a new kind of shooting called the subjective camera.
In 1924, Murnau released his next film.
"The Last Man" . The film immediately receives recognition from critics and viewers. To this day, the film is called the deepest work of the author.
In 1926, the talented director was invited to work in Hollywood, and in 1927 the film “Sunrise” was released. The film immediately receives several awards from the American Film Academy. However, the following works “City Girl” and “Four Devils” were not popular.
Murnau's last film was a documentary
Taboo It was filmed in 1931 with Robert Flaherty. The movie never came out. On March 11, 1931, the director tragically died in a car accident.