---
name: "Fritz Lang"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/fritz-lang"
fi1m_id: "fritz-lang"
imdb_id: "nm0000485"
tmdb_id: 68
wikidata_id: "Q19504"
roles: ["Director","Writer"]
born: "5 December 1890"
died: "2 August 1976"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 6
average_fi1m_score: 81
average_as: "director"
average_over: 5
updated: "2026-09-26T15:07:01.752619+00:00"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Fritz Lang

## Identity

Fritz Lang

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/person/fritz-lang
- **Type:** Person
- **Fi1m ID:** fritz-lang
- **IMDb ID:** nm0000485
- **TMDB ID:** 68
- **Wikidata ID:** Q19504
- **Same entity:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fritz_Lang, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q19504, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000485/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/68

Director and writer. Born 5 December 1890 in Vienna, Austria. Died 2 August 1976.

## Details

- **Work:** Director, Writer
- **Born:** 5 December 1890, Vienna, Austria
- **Died:** 2 August 1976
- **Active:** 1922–1963
- **Titles on Fi1m:** 6: 1 acting, 5 directing
- **Frequently works with:** [Thea von Harbou](https://film.one/person/thea-von-harbou.md), [Alfred Abel](https://film.one/person/alfred-abel.md), [Erich Pommer](https://film.one/person/erich-pommer.md), [Rudolf Klein-Rogge](https://film.one/person/rudolf-klein-rogge.md), [Theodor Loos](https://film.one/person/theodor-loos.md)
- **Average Fi1m score:** 81, as director, over 5 titles
- **Fi1m score by decade:** 1920s 82 (2), 1930s 94 (1), 1940s 60 (1), 1950s 86 (1), 1960s 86 (1)
- **Fi1m against the critics:** 82 to 74 across 4 titles
- **Score spread:** 3 at 80+, 2 at 60–79, 0 under 60
- **Genres:** Thriller 4, Crime 3, Drama 3, Mystery 1, Romance 1, Science Fiction 1
- **Screen time:** 12 hours of reviewed films
- **Box office:** $1m across 2 films with figures
- **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fritz_Lang, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q19504, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000485/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/68

## Streaming the US now

- **The Roku Channel:** [*Metropolis*](https://film.one/film/metropolis.md) (87), [*Contempt*](https://film.one/film/contempt.md) (86)
- **HBO Max:** [*M*](https://film.one/film/m.md) (94)
- **Amazon Prime Video:** [*The Big Heat*](https://film.one/film/the-big-heat.md) (86)

For United States; add `?region=XX` for another country.

## Fi1m on Fritz Lang

> Fritz Lang makes the pursuit of criminals frightening partly by making us watch the pursuers. We rate him highest when his precision leaves room for pity; in *M*, Peter Lorre makes that pity difficult to bear.

In *M* (1931), the police and the criminals are hunting the same child murderer, and neither group earns our trust simply by joining the search. Lang makes the practical work of tracking him absorbing. He also watches the suspicion spreading through the city, until the people surrounding the killer become frightening in their own right. This is the Lang we value most: patient about what people do, unwilling to accept their account of why.

An interest in master criminals was already evident in *Dr. Mabuse, the Gambler* (1922), before the silent science fiction of *Metropolis* (1927). The German films use geometric compositions, sharp contrasts of light and dark, and stylised sets to make people look trapped. His Hollywood films of 1936–1956 return to crime and punishment, notably mob violence in *Fury* (1936) and vengeance in *The Big Heat* (1953). That work is uneven, sometimes too dependent on melodrama and pulp plotting. His final return to Germany brought further melodrama in *The Indian Tomb* (1959).

For *M*, his first sound film, Lang uses what we hear to build dread around violence he largely keeps out of sight. Objects hold our attention without making us inspect the damage done to children. The restraint matters: he gives us enough to understand the horror, then lets the pursuit occupy us instead. The screenplay, by Lang and Thea von Harbou, gives the police work a methodical interest and keeps us questioning the motives of police and criminals alike.

We found Peter Lorre's murderer disturbingly pitiable; his distress makes it hard to feel only revulsion. Some of Lang's surrounding figures are less persuasive, drawn so grotesquely that we can feel him insisting on our disgust. They make the city less convincing as a place where ordinary people live. The film is humane enough to allow pity without asking us to forget what the hunt is for. Start with *M*, provided its subject is one you can face.

## Biography

Fritz Lang was an Austrian film director and screenwriter. He was born in Vienna on 5 December 1890 and died in Los Angeles on 2 August 1976.

Lang directed and co-wrote the screenplays for *Metropolis* (1927) and *M* (1931). He also edited *Metropolis*. Other films he directed include *The Big Heat* (1953), *Scarlet Street* (1945), *The Woman in the Window* (1944) and *Fury* (1936).

*Sources: britannica.com, en.m.wikipedia.org, imdb.com.*

## On Fi1m (6)

### Performed in (1)

- *Contempt* (1963), Fi1m 86, as Fritz Lang — [page](https://film.one/film/contempt.md)

### Directed (5) — the average rests on these

- *The Big Heat* (1953), Fi1m 86, Director — [page](https://film.one/film/the-big-heat.md)
- *Secret Beyond the Door* (1947), Fi1m 60, Producer, Director — [page](https://film.one/film/secret-beyond-the-door.md)
- *M* (1931), Fi1m 94, Director, Screenplay — [page](https://film.one/film/m.md)
- *Metropolis* (1927), Fi1m 87, Screenplay, Editor, Director — [page](https://film.one/film/metropolis.md)
- *Dr. Mabuse, the Gambler* (1922), Fi1m 77, Screenplay, Director — [page](https://film.one/film/dr-mabuse-the-gambler.md)

## Complete filmography (67)

Every credit, newest first. Titles without a page can be requested for review on the HTML page.

- *Sibyl* (2025), as (Archive footage)
- *The Word According to Whoopi* (2007), series, Sound Mixer
- *Fritz Lang* (1990), Actor
- *M the Damned* (1982), Original Film Writer
- *For Example Fritz Lang* (1968), Actor
- *Contempt* (1963), as Fritz Lang — Fi1m 86, [page](https://film.one/film/contempt.md)
- *Journey to the Lost City* (1960), Screenplay, Director
- *The Thousand Eyes of Dr. Mabuse* (1960), Director, Screenplay, Producer
- *The Indian Tomb* (1959), Writer, Director
- *The Tiger of Eschnapur* (1959), Director, Writer
- *Beyond a Reasonable Doubt* (1956), Director
- *While the City Sleeps* (1956), Director
- *Moonfleet* (1955), Director
- *Human Desire* (1954), Director
- *The Big Heat* (1953), Director — Fi1m 86, [page](https://film.one/film/the-big-heat.md)
- *The Black Vampire* (1953), Original Film Writer
- *The Blue Gardenia* (1953), Director
- *Clash by Night* (1952), Director
- *Rancho Notorious* (1952), Director
- *M* (1951), Original Story
- *American Guerrilla in the Philippines* (1950), Director
- *House by the River* (1950), Director
- *Secret Beyond the Door* (1947), Director, Producer — Fi1m 60, [page](https://film.one/film/secret-beyond-the-door.md)
- *Cloak and Dagger* (1946), Director
- *Scarlet Street* (1945), Director, Producer
- *The Woman in the Window* (1944), Director
- *Ministry of Fear* (1944), Director
- *Hangmen Also Die!* (1943), Original Story, Producer, Adaptation, Director
- *Moontide* (1942), Co-Director
- *Confirm or Deny* (1941), Co-Director
- *Man Hunt* (1941), Director
- *Western Union* (1941), Director
- *The Return of Frank James* (1940), Director
- *You and Me* (1938), Director, Producer
- *You Only Live Once* (1937), Director
- *Fury* (1936), Screenplay, Director
- *Liliom* (1934), Director, Writer
- *The Testament of Dr. Mabuse* (1933), Director, Screenplay, Producer
- *The Testament of Dr. Mabuse* (1933), Director
- *M* (1931), Director, Screenplay — Fi1m 94, [page](https://film.one/film/m.md)
- *Woman in the Moon* (1929), Director, Screenplay, Producer
- *Spies* (1928), Director, Writer
- *Metropolis* (1927), Director, Editor, Screenplay — Fi1m 87, [page](https://film.one/film/metropolis.md)
- *Die Nibelungen: Kriemhild's Revenge* (1924), Director
- *Die Nibelungen: Siegfried* (1924), Director, Screenplay
- *Dr. Mabuse, the Gambler* (1922), Screenplay, Director — Fi1m 77, [page](https://film.one/film/dr-mabuse-the-gambler.md)
- *The Indian Tomb, Part II: The Tiger of Eschnapur* (1921), Writer
- *The Indian Tomb, Part I: The Mission of the Yoghi* (1921), Writer
- *Destiny* (1921), Writer, Director
- *Four Around the Woman* (1921), Director, Screenplay
- *The Wandering Image* (1920), Director, Writer
- *The Spiders: Part 2 - The Diamond Ship* (1920), Director, Writer
- *The Mistress of the World, Part VIII: The Revenge of Maud Fergusson* (1920), Writer
- *Harakiri* (1919), Director
- *The Dance of Death* (1919), Screenplay
- *The Plague in Florence* (1919), Screenplay
- *The Spiders: Part 1 - The Golden Sea* (1919), Writer, Director
- *Master of Love* (1919), Director
- *Half-Blood* (1919), Director, Screenplay
- *Lilith and Ly* (1919), Writer
- *Die Frau mit den Orchideen* (1919), Writer
- *Die Rache ist mein* (1919), Writer
- *Wolkenbau und Flimmerstern* (1919), Writer
- *Bettler GmbH* (1919), Writer
- *Hilde Warren and Death* (1917), Writer
- *Die Hochzeit im Excentricclub* (1917), Screenplay
- *Die Peitsche* (1916), Screenplay

## Gallery

- ![Fritz Lang](https://film.one/media/person/103455/gallery-4661328a59fb.jpg) Fritz Lang — Joost Evers / Anefo, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/20/Fritz_Lang_%281969%29.jpg/1280px-Fritz_Lang_%281969%29.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Exhibit at Film Museum Potsdam: Fritz Lang's director's chair (2026)](https://film.one/media/person/103455/gallery-75dd1dcba186.jpg) Exhibit at Film Museum Potsdam: Fritz Lang's director's chair (2026) — Roy Zuo, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/51/%2820260327%29_Filmmuseum_Potsdam_28.jpg/1280px-%2820260327%29_Filmmuseum_Potsdam_28.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Collectie / Archief : Fotocollectie Anefo Reportage / Serie : [ onbekend ] Beschrijving : Aankomst Fritz Lang op Schiphol Datum : 18 december 1959 Trefwoorden :](https://film.one/media/person/103455/gallery-113754f16ec7.jpg) Collectie / Archief : Fotocollectie Anefo Reportage / Serie : [ onbekend ] Beschrijving : Aankomst Fritz Lang op Schiphol Datum : 18 december 1959 Trefwoorden : — Wim van Rossem for Anefo, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/91/Aankomst_Fritz_Lang_op_Schiphol%2C_Bestanddeelnr_910-8870.jpg/1280px-Aankomst_Fritz_Lang_op_Schiphol%2C_Bestanddeelnr_910-8870.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Collectie / Archief : Fotocollectie Anefo Reportage / Serie : [ onbekend ] Beschrijving : Aankomst Fritz Lang op Schiphol, Fritz Lang tijdens d persconferentie  (1959)](https://film.one/media/person/103455/gallery-8337cc34cc5b.jpg) Collectie / Archief : Fotocollectie Anefo Reportage / Serie : [ onbekend ] Beschrijving : Aankomst Fritz Lang op Schiphol, Fritz Lang tijdens d persconferentie  (1959) — Wim van Rossem for Anefo, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c1/Aankomst_Fritz_Lang_op_Schiphol%2C_Fritz_Lang_tijdens_d_persconferentie%2C_Bestanddeelnr_910-8872.jpg/1280px-Aankomst_Fritz_Lang_op_Schiphol%2C_Fritz_Lang_tijdens_d_persconferentie%2C_Bestanddeelnr_910-8872.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Fritz Lang](https://film.one/media/person/103455/gallery-326a4c8e1f35.jpg) Fritz Lang — Image via TMDB
- ![Fritz Lang](https://film.one/media/person/103455/gallery-c236d8ccda4b.jpg) Fritz Lang — Image via TMDB
- ![Fritz Lang](https://film.one/media/person/103455/gallery-51244c0726a7.jpg) Fritz Lang — Image via TMDB
- ![Collectie / Archief : Fotocollectie Anefo Reportage / Serie : [ onbekend ] Beschrijving : Aankomst Fritz Lang op Schiphol, op weg naar het stationsgebouw Datum  (1959)](https://film.one/media/person/103455/gallery-b64e25b82f01.jpg) Collectie / Archief : Fotocollectie Anefo Reportage / Serie : [ onbekend ] Beschrijving : Aankomst Fritz Lang op Schiphol, op weg naar het stationsgebouw Datum  (1959) — Wim van Rossem for Anefo, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/2c/Aankomst_Fritz_Lang_op_Schiphol%2C_op_weg_naar_het_stationsgebouw%2C_Bestanddeelnr_910-8871.jpg/1280px-Aankomst_Fritz_Lang_op_Schiphol%2C_op_weg_naar_het_stationsgebouw%2C_Bestanddeelnr_910-8871.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Fritz Lang, Filmregisseur und Thea von Harbou, Autorin; Berlin Schmargendorf, Hohenzollerndamm 52, Arbeits- und Billardzimmer mit Bibliothek (1924)](https://film.one/media/person/103455/gallery-a1284308307e.jpg) Fritz Lang, Filmregisseur und Thea von Harbou, Autorin; Berlin Schmargendorf, Hohenzollerndamm 52, Arbeits- und Billardzimmer mit Bibliothek (1924) — Waldemar Franz Hermann Titzenthaler, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d4/Berlin-Schmargendorf%2C_Hohenzollerndamm_52%2C_Arbeits-_und_Billardzimmer_mit_Bibliothek.jpg/1280px-Berlin-Schmargendorf%2C_Hohenzollerndamm_52%2C_Arbeits-_und_Billardzimmer_mit_Bibliothek.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)

## Awards

### Other awards — 1 won

- The Life Career Award 1976: The Life Career Award (won)

*From Wikidata, which records wins more completely than nominations.*

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/fritz-lang