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F. W. Murnau

German film director (1888–1931)

7.03body-of-work score · ranked #143 of 2631 directors · 6 films in our library

A director's score is the sum of their films' composite canon scores — methodology.

Born
December 28, 1888 · Bielefeld
Died
March 11, 1931 · Santa Barbara
Nationality
Germany
Work
film director, screenwriter, film producer, director
Reference
Wikipedia · Wikidata
Portrait of F. W. Murnau
Public domain

Films in our library, ranked

Ranked by composite canon score across 20+ authoritative lists, awards and polls — our ordering, with every placement citing its evidence on the film's page.

  1. 1
    Sunrise: A Song of Two HumansSunriseMust-See #69

    1927 · United States · drama, silent, romance

    Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 1928 #1 · Sight & Sound 2022 critics' poll #11 · Sight & Sound 2022 directors' poll #33

    3.7710 citations
  2. 2
    The Last LaughDer letzte Mann

    1924 · Germany / Weimar Republic · silent, drama

    Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 1926 #2 · Sight & Sound 2022 critics' poll #243 · Roger Ebert's Great Movies

    1.254 citations
  3. 3
    NosferatuNosferatu – Eine Symphonie des Grauens

    1922 · Germany · silent, horror, drama

    Sight & Sound 2022 critics' poll #196 · Scorsese's 39 essential foreign films · Vatican film list

    1.206 citations
  4. 4
    FaustFaust – eine deutsche Volkssage

    1926 · Germany / Weimar Republic · silent, drama, fantasy

    Roger Ebert's Great Movies · Edgar Wright's 1,000 favorite movies · Rosenbaum's Essential Cinema

    0.363 citations
  5. 5
    Tabu: A Story of the South SeasTabu

    1931 · United States · drama, romance, silent

    National Film Registry (inducted 1994) · Rosenbaum's Essential Cinema

    0.342 citations
  6. 6
    TartuffeTartüff

    1925 · Germany · drama, silent

    Rosenbaum's Essential Cinema

    0.111 citation

Complete filmography

All 22 directorial credits recorded on Wikidata, in chronological order; films in our library link to their canon-score page.