---
name: "Günther Rittau"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/gunther-rittau"
fi1m_id: "gunther-rittau"
imdb_id: "nm0005844"
tmdb_id: 71
wikidata_id: "Q74117"
roles: ["Cinematographer"]
born: "7 August 1893"
died: "6 August 1971"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 3
average_fi1m_score: 84
average_over: 3
updated: "2026-09-25T05:59:01.550192+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."
---

# Günther Rittau

## Identity

Günther Rittau

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/person/gunther-rittau
- **Type:** Person
- **Fi1m ID:** gunther-rittau
- **IMDb ID:** nm0005844
- **TMDB ID:** 71
- **Wikidata ID:** Q74117
- **Same entity:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G%C3%BCnther_Rittau, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q74117, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005844/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/71

Cinematographer. Born 7 August 1893 in Königshütte, Upper Silesia, Germany [now Chorzów, Slaskie, Poland]. Died 6 August 1971.

## Details

- **Work:** Cinematographer
- **Born:** 7 August 1893, Königshütte, Upper Silesia, Germany [now Chorzów, Slaskie, Poland]
- **Died:** 6 August 1971
- **Active:** 1924–1930
- **Frequently works with:** [Erich Pommer](https://film.one/person/erich-pommer.md)
- **Fi1m score by decade:** 1920s 86 (2), 1930s 81 (1)
- **Fi1m against the critics:** 84 to 73 across 3 titles
- **Score spread:** 3 at 80+, 0 at 60–79, 0 under 60
- **Genres:** Drama 3, Science Fiction 1
- **Screen time:** 6 hours of reviewed films
- **Box office:** $1m across 1 films with figures
- **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G%C3%BCnther_Rittau, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q74117, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005844/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/71

## Streaming the US now

- **The Roku Channel:** [*Metropolis*](https://film.one/film/metropolis.md) (87)
- **Amazon Prime Video:** [*The Blue Angel*](https://film.one/film/the-blue-angel.md) (81)

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

## Biography

Günther Rittau was a German cinematographer and film director. Born on 7 August 1893 in Königshütte, Upper Silesia (now Chorzów, Poland), he studied natural sciences in Berlin before joining the documentary film department at Decla-Bioscop in 1919, where he developed techniques for trick photography and trained as a camera operator.

From the mid-1920s he worked on major silent films, serving as second cameraman on Fritz Lang’s *Die Nibelungen* (1924) alongside Carl Hoffmann and contributing to the innovative special effects photography on *Metropolis* (1927) with Karl Freund and Eugen Schüfftan. He was cinematographer on further Weimar-era productions including *Asphalt* (1929) and *The Blue Angel* (1930). Rittau later directed several features, notably the 1941 propaganda film *U-Boote westwärts!*, and received the Filmband in Gold award in 1967. He died on 6 August 1971 in Munich.

*Sources: filmportal.de, en.wikipedia.org, imdb.com.*

## On Fi1m (3)

- *The Blue Angel* (1930), Fi1m 81, Cinematography, Director of Photography — [page](https://film.one/film/the-blue-angel.md)
- *Metropolis* (1927), Fi1m 87, Director of Photography, Camera Operator, Cinematography — [page](https://film.one/film/metropolis.md)
- *The Last Laugh* (1924), Fi1m 84, Camera Operator — [page](https://film.one/film/the-last-laugh.md)

## Complete filmography (58)

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

- *Die fidelen Detektive* (1957), Director of Photography
- *Frauen sind für die Liebe da* (1957), Director of Photography
- *Wenn wir alle Engel wären* (1956), Director of Photography
- *Die fröhliche Wallfahrt* (1956), Director of Photography
- *Das Erbe vom Pruggerhof* (1956), Director of Photography
- *Das Forsthaus in Tirol* (1955), Director of Photography
- *Der Fischer vom Heiligensee* (1955), Director of Photography
- *Children, Mother, and the General* (1955), Director of Photography
- *Das Kreuz am Jägersteig* (1954), Director of Photography
- *Laßt uns auch leben* (1952), Director
- *Life Lies Ahead of Us* (1948), Director, Writer
- *Eine alltägliche Geschichte* (1948), Director
- *The Years Pass* (1945), Director
- *Der Scheiterhaufen* (1945), Director
- *Meine vier Jungens* (1944), Director
- *Der ewige Klang* (1943), Director
- *Wenn du noch eine Heimat hast* (1942), Director
- *U-Boat, Course West!* (1941), Director
- *Fire on the Ocean* (1939), Director
- *The Curtain Falls* (1939), Director of Photography
- *Nightclub Hostess* (1939), Director of Photography
- *Nordlicht* (1938), Director of Photography
- *Faded Melody* (1938), Director of Photography
- *Lady Killer* (1937), Director of Photography
- *Ride to Freedom* (1937), Director of Photography
- *Winter in the Woods* (1936), Director of Photography
- *The Green Domino* (1935), Director of Photography
- *Queen of Love* (1935), Director of Photography
- *Der grüne Domino* (1935), Director of Photography
- *The Gypsy Baron* (1935), Director of Photography
- *Prince Woronzeff* (1934), Director of Photography
- *Gold* (1934), Director of Photography
- *Abel mit der Mundharmonika* (1933), Director of Photography
- *Child, I'm Happy on Your Coming* (1933), Director of Photography
- *F.P.1 Doesn't Answer* (1932), Director of Photography
- *A Blonde Dream* (1932), Director of Photography
- *Happy Ever After* (1932), Director of Photography
- *Quick* (1932), Director of Photography
- *Quick* (1932), Director of Photography
- *Tumultes* (1932), Director of Photography
- *The Tempest* (1932), Director of Photography
- *Bombs Over Monte Carlo* (1931), Director of Photography
- *Princess, At Your Orders!* (1931), Director of Photography
- *Her Grace Commands* (1931), Director of Photography
- *In the act* (1931), Director of Photography
- *Burglars* (1930), Director of Photography
- *Darling of the Gods* (1930), Director of Photography
- *The Blue Angel* (1930), Director of Photography — Fi1m 81, [page](https://film.one/film/the-blue-angel.md)
- *Melody of the Heart* (1929), Director of Photography
- *Asphalt* (1929), Director of Photography
- *Homecoming* (1928), Director of Photography
- *Prince or Clown* (1928), Director of Photography
- *Metropolis* (1927), Director of Photography, Camera Operator — Fi1m 87, [page](https://film.one/film/metropolis.md)
- *The Tower of Silence* (1925), Director of Photography
- *The Last Laugh* (1924), Camera Operator — Fi1m 84, [page](https://film.one/film/the-last-laugh.md)
- *Die Nibelungen: Kriemhild's Revenge* (1924), Director of Photography
- *Die Nibelungen: Siegfried* (1924), Director of Photography
- *The Stone Rider* (1923), Director of Photography

---
© 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/gunther-rittau