F. W. Murnau facts for kids

Quick facts for kids F. W. Murnau
Murnau c. 1920–1930
Born	Friedrich Wilhelm Plumpe (1888-12-28)December 28, 1888 Bielefeld, Germany
Died	March 11, 1931(1931-03-11) (aged 42) Santa Barbara, California, U.S.
Burial place	Südwestkirchhof Stahnsdorf, Germany
Alma mater	University of Berlin University of Heidelberg
Occupation	Film director producer screenwriter
Years active	1919–1931
Movement	German Expressionism
Military career
Allegiance	German Empire
Service/branch	Imperial German Army Luftstreitkräfte
Battles/wars	World War I Eastern Front
Signature

Friedrich Wilhelm Murnau (born Friedrich Wilhelm Plumpe; December 28, 1888 – March 11, 1931) was a famous German film director, producer, and screenwriter. He is known for making some of the most important movies in film history.

Murnau was inspired by plays he saw as a child. He became friends with director Max Reinhardt. During World War I, he served in the German Army. He was an infantry commander and later an observer in the Flying Corps. He survived several plane crashes without serious injuries.

One of Murnau's most famous films is Nosferatu (1922). It was a scary vampire movie based on Bram Stoker's Dracula. Even though it had legal problems because of copyright, many people today think it's a classic. He also directed The Last Laugh (1924) and a film version of Faust (1926).

In 1926, Murnau moved to Hollywood. There, he made three films for Fox Studio. His movie Sunrise (1927) is often called one of the best films ever made by critics and other directors.

Murnau later traveled to Bora Bora to make the film Tabu (1931). He finished the movie by himself after some disagreements with his co-director. Sadly, a week before Tabu was released, Murnau died in a car accident near Santa Barbara, California. Out of the 21 films he directed, only 12 still exist completely today.

Early Life and Education

Friedrich Wilhelm Plumpe was born in Bielefeld, Germany. When he was seven, his family moved to Kassel. He had two brothers and two stepsisters. His father owned a cloth factory. Their home was often used as a stage for small plays that young Friedrich directed. He loved reading books by famous writers like Shakespeare and Ibsen from a young age.

Friedrich later chose the name "Murnau" as his professional name. He took it from a town called Murnau am Staffelsee near Munich, where he lived for a while. He was said to be very tall, about 6 feet 4 inches (193 cm).

Murnau studied languages at the University of Berlin. He also studied art history and literature in Heidelberg. There, a famous director named Max Reinhardt saw him in a student play. Reinhardt invited him to his acting school. During World War I, Murnau served as a company commander on the Eastern Front. He then joined the German Flying Corps. He flew missions in northern France and survived eight crashes. After landing in Switzerland, he was held as a POW until the war ended. While a prisoner, he joined a theater group and wrote a film script.

Film Career

Murnau shooting a film in 1920

After World War I, Murnau returned to Germany. He started his own film studio with actor Conrad Veidt. His first full-length film was The Boy in Blue (1919). It was a drama inspired by a painting. He also explored themes of different personalities in Der Janus-Kopf (1920).

Silent Film Masterpieces

Murnau's most famous film is Nosferatu (1922). It was a scary movie about a vampire, based on Bram Stoker's book Dracula. The film company went bankrupt because of a copyright lawsuit from Stoker's family. The court even ordered all copies of the film to be destroyed. However, one copy had already been sent out. This copy was duplicated many times, making Nosferatu an early example of a cult film (a film that gains a devoted following).

Murnau also directed The Last Laugh (1924). This film was special because it used a "subjective point of view" camera. This means the camera showed things from a character's eyes. It also used an "unchained camera technique," which involved moving the camera freely. This was new and exciting for filmmaking.

Murnau's last German film was Faust (1926). This was a big-budget movie based on the old legend and Goethe's classic story. The film is famous for a scene where the devil, Mephisto, flies over a town, spreading a plague. Both Nosferatu and Faust were among the first films to have original music scores.

Moving to Hollywood

Murnau with Henri Matisse in Tahiti in 1930

In 1926, Murnau moved to Hollywood and joined Fox Studio. There, he made Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans (1927). Many experts consider this one of the greatest films ever made. Sunrise won several awards at the very first Academy Awards ceremony in 1929. It shared the award for "Unique and Artistic Production," which is similar to today's Best Picture award.

Murnau's next two films, 4 Devils (1928) and City Girl (1930), were changed to fit the new era of "talkie" films (movies with sound). They were not as popular. This made Murnau feel disappointed, so he left Fox. He decided to travel to the South Pacific.

While in Bora Bora, Murnau worked with documentary filmmaker Robert J. Flaherty to make Tabu (1931). Flaherty left the project due to creative differences, and Murnau finished the film himself. The movie was originally made as a silent film, which Murnau preferred.

Death and Legacy

Grave and bust by Ludwig Manzel in Stahnsdorf Southwestern Cemetery

Murnau's memorial plaque in Berlin

On March 10, 1931, just a week before his film Tabu was set to open, Murnau was in a car accident. His car swerved to avoid a truck and overturned. Murnau suffered a head injury and died the next day in a hospital in Santa Barbara, California.

His body was sent back to Germany, where he was buried in the Southwest Cemetery in Stahnsdorf, near Berlin. Famous people like Robert J. Flaherty, Emil Jannings, and Fritz Lang attended his funeral. Actress Greta Garbo even had a special mask made of his face, which she kept on her desk.

In 2015, Murnau's grave was disturbed, and his skull was taken. This was not the first time something like this had happened at the cemetery. The skull has not been found since.

Murnau's life and films have inspired many artists. The author Jim Shepard wrote a novel called Nosferatu (1998) based on Murnau. In 2000, a film called Shadow of the Vampire was made about the making of Nosferatu. In this movie, Murnau is played by John Malkovich. The film imagines that Murnau hired a real vampire to play the main role! Murnau has also been mentioned in TV shows and other movies, showing how much his work continues to influence popular culture.

Filmography

See also

In Spanish: Friedrich Wilhelm Murnau para niños