Fritz Lang Fritz Lang Friedrich Christian Anton "Fritz" Lang (December 5, 1890 – August 2, 1976) was an Austrian-German-American filmmaker, screenwriter, and occasional film producer and actor. One of the best-known "émigrés" from Germany's school of Expressionism, he was dubbed the "Master of Darkness" by the British Film Institute. His most famous films include the groundbreaking futuristic "Metropolis" (1927) and the also influential "M" (1931), a film noir precursor that he made before he moved to the United States. Lang was born in Vienna as the second son of Anton Lang (1860–1940), an architect and construction company manager, and his wife Pauline
Fritz Lang greatly underappreciated by "cinema historians and critics" who "deny him any genius when he 'signs' spy movies ... war movies ... or simple thrillers." Filmmakers that were influenced by his work include Jacques Rivette and William Friedkin. The Academy Film Archive has preserved a number of Fritz Lang's films, including "Human Desire", "Man Hunt", and "The Art Director". Fritz Lang Friedrich Christian Anton "Fritz" Lang (December 5, 1890 – August 2, 1976) was an Austrian-German-American filmmaker, screenwriter, and occasional film producer and actor. One of the best-known "émigrés" from Germany's school of Expressionism, he was dubbed the "Master of Darkness"