Fritz Lang | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Lang in 1969 | |
| Born | Friedrich Christian Anton Lang December 5, 1890 |
| Died | August 2, 1976 (aged 85) |
| Resting place | Forest Lawn Memorial Park |
| Citizenship |
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| Alma mater | Technical University of Vienna |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 1910–1976 |
| Spouses | Lisa Rosenthal
(m. 1919; died 1920) |
Friedrich Christian Anton Lang (Austrian German pronunciation: [ˈfriːdʁɪç ˈkrɪsti̯a(ː)n ˈantɔn ˈlaŋ]; December 5, 1890 – August 2, 1976), better known as Fritz Lang (pronounced [frɪts ˈlaŋ]), was an Austrian-American film director, screenwriter, and producer who worked in Germany and later the United States.[2] One of the best-known émigrés from Germany's school of Expressionism, he was dubbed the "Master of Darkness" by the British Film Institute.[3] He has been cited as one of the most influential filmmakers of all time.[4]
Lang's most celebrated films include the groundbreaking futuristic science-fiction film Metropolis (1927) and the influential M (1931), a film noir precursor. His 1929 film Woman in the Moon showcased the use of a multi-stage rocket, and also pioneered the concept of a rocket launch pad (a rocket standing upright against a tall building before launch having been slowly rolled into place) and the rocket-launch countdown clock.[5][6]
His other major films include Dr. Mabuse the Gambler (1922), Die Nibelungen (1924), and after moving to Hollywood in 1934, Fury (1936), You Only Live Once (1937), Hangmen Also Die! (1943), The Woman in the Window (1944), Scarlet Street (1945) and The Big Heat (1953). He became a naturalized citizen of the United States in 1939.
- ^ Kürten, Jochen (December 4, 2015). "Born 125 years ago: Celebrating the films of Fritz Lang". Deutsche Welle. Retrieved November 18, 2017.
- ^ Obituary Variety, August 4, 1976, p. 63.
- ^ "Fritz Lang: Master of Darkness". British Film Institute. Archived from the original on December 18, 2008. Retrieved January 22, 2009.
- ^ "Fritz Lang: 10 essential films". December 4, 2015.
- ^ "The Directors (Fritz Lang)". Sky Arts. Season 1, episode 6. 2018
- ^ Weide, Robert (Summer 2012). "The Outer Limits". DGA Quarterly. Los Angeles, California: Directors Guild of America, Inc.: 64–71. A gallery of behind-the-scenes shots of movies featuring space travel or aliens. Page 68, photo caption: "Directed by Fritz Lang (third from right), the silent film "Woman in the Moon" (1929) is considered one of the first serious science fiction films and invented the countdown before the launch of a rocket. Many of the basics of space travel were presented to a mass audience for the first time."