Fritz Lang: The Life and Legacy of the Influential German-American Film Legend

“I was something that is always hated in Hollywood - a perfectionist; nobody likes a perfectionist, you know.” – Fritz Lang. While it’s easily forgotten today, during the early 20th century, various European countries had vibrant film industries, and even though Hollywood had already staked its claim as the forerunner of the international cinematic landscape by the 1920s, national cinemas in Sweden, Germany, and elsewhere throughout Western Europe enjoyed great power during this period. During that time, Germany's most renowned film directors were pioneering the genre known as Expressionism, and within it, Fritz Lang was known as the "Master of Darkness." Together with his eventual wife, Thea von Harbou, Lang wrote a number of acclaimed movies, including "Dr. Mabuse the Gambler" (1922), "Die Nibelungen" (1924), "Metropolis" (1927), and "Woman in the Moon" (1929). Introduction Lang’s Early Life and Work An Expressionist Charting a New Course Hollywood Online Resources Further Reading