F.W. Murnau Films

One of the great directors of the silent era, it is only to be wondered at what else Murnau could have gone on to film had his life not been cut short at the age of 43 by a car crash.

As it is the realisation, invention and technical innovation in his extant films is enough to ensure his reputation as one of the very greatest directors... show more >

One of the great directors of the silent era, it is only to be wondered at what else Murnau could have gone on to film had his life not been cut short at the age of 43 by a car crash.

As it is the realisation, invention and technical innovation in his extant films is enough to ensure his reputation as one of the very greatest directors and utterly belie any thoughts of silent cinema being in any way artistically crude.

Nosferatu (1922) is still one of the most unsettling adaptations of the Dracula story ever filmed, The Last Laugh is an exercise in 'pure' cinema, designed and filmed almost entirely without the use of intertitles, while Sunrise (1927), his glorious film of reconciliation made in America where Fox studios gave him absolute freedom of creation was awarded an Oscar for 'Unique and Artistic Picture', the only time such an award has been given. < show less