SCFZ

Polling the films of director FW Murnau

The rules:

- your list can include no more than half of the Murnau films you've seen, up to a maximum of 5. So if you've seen seven of his films, for example, you can list only a top 3. It's only if you've seen ten or more of his films than you can list the maximum of five.

- i'll assume ballots are ranked unless you tell me otherwise. unranked ballots are fine.

- deadline for ballots: next Friday, in seven days, whatever day that is

- if anyone is watching films for these polls, then i'll extend the deadline three days, if someone requests an extension

- next poll: whoever posts the first ballot in this thread is free to nominate the director we poll next, unless you've nominated in this round already (everyone should get a chance). Already nominated this round: brian d, greennui, ofrene, kanafani, bure, greg x, oscarwerner, silga, dt, umbugbene, roscoe, rischka, wba, thoxans, mesnalty, caracortada, joks, zulawski, nrh, evelyn, st gloede, mauries, mysterious dude

umbugbene created an index on letterboxd of all of our previous polls here: letterboxd.com/umbugbene/list/index-of-all-scfz-director-polls/

one rule for nominees: at least 3 scfzers need to have seen 10+ of a nominee's films, or at least 4 scfzers need to have seen at least 8 of the nom's films, so if it isn't clear if that will be the case, we'll confirm that's true before moving forward

if 24 hours pass after a poll opens, and no one eligible to nominate has posted a ballot, then i'll nominate someone, and then we'll start over, and everyone will be able to nominate again

seen five

The Last Laugh
Nosferatu

THE LAST LAUGH
NOSFERATU
FAUST -- despite one of the dullest love stories ever to hit the screen.

Seen 9

1. Sunrise
2. Tabu
3. City Girl
4. Faust

Nosferatu
City Girl
Sunrise
Tabu

easily the worst director by which I've watched several films, so:

01. -----

Murnau seen: 5

Along with Lang, likely the best director of the 20s (though judging by his two oldest surviving films it may be good for his memory that the rest didn't).

Seen 12/12 (surviving)

Faust
Sunrise
Tabu
The Last Laugh
The Burning Soil

seen 4

The Last Laugh
Sunrise

generally love adaptations of the faust legend but that's my least fav FWM

Seen 6

1. Nosferatu
2. Faust
3. Tabu

I still hold out hope for a print of 4 Devils hidden in some archive. There's a pretty good essay on the lost film (directed between Sunrise and City Girl) by Janet Bergstrom here: https://www.academia.edu/8678287/Murnau ... City_Girl_

Seen 6:

1. Sunrise
2. Faust
3. City Girl

Faust
Nosferatu
City Girl
Tartuffe

Only 9 seen so far, almost any of which could have taken the last two spots, so I might change something later.

seen 12

city girl
nosferatu
faust
the burning soil
journey in the night

john ryan wrote: ↑Fri Jun 21, 2019 2:45 pm Seen 9

you can pick our next director if you want!

Seen 12.

1. Nosferatu
2. Sunrise
3. Tabu
4. Faust
5. Tartüff

the last laugh
tabu
city girl
sunrise

I've seen ten.

1. Sunrise
2. Nosferatu
3. Faust
4. The Last Laugh
5. City Girl

I hope a print of 4 Devils is discovered some day.

I love Murnau but don't love Sunrise. How does that work? To me he worked better in a 'darker register', yet I like City Girl and prefer it to Sunrise. I've seen Sunrise 3 times and still haven't flipped over it. I'm hanging onto my blu-ray with the hope that one day its greatness will finally hit me.

The middle section of Faust dragged ass the first time I watched it, but it all clicked the second time. An incredible achievement for its time.

The Last Laugh is just a brilliant piece of visual storytelling. The camera work is incredible, and the 'happy ending' is ballsy as hell. Jannings is amazing.

Seen 9

1.The Last Laugh
2.Nosferatu
3.Faust
4.City Girl
5.Tabu

It's a shame he died in his early 40's, but at least he didn't have a chance to go the way of Sternberg or Lang.

Joks Trois wrote: ↑Sat Jun 22, 2019 1:11 pm It's a shame he died in his early 40's, but at least he didn't have a chance to go the way of Lang.

You mean directing better films as he grew older?
Lang's 20s work is basically as shitty as Murnau's, so who knows, maybe Murnau would have started making great films in the sound era.

wba wrote: ↑Sat Jun 22, 2019 5:27 pm

Joks Trois wrote: ↑Sat Jun 22, 2019 1:11 pm It's a shame he died in his early 40's, but at least he didn't have a chance to go the way of Lang.

You mean directing better films as he grew older?
Lang's 20s work is basically as shitty as Murnau's, so who knows, maybe Murnau would have started making great films in the sound era.

Do you like like any silent films?

St. Gloede wrote: ↑Sat Jun 22, 2019 6:36 pm
Do you like like any silent films?

I adore silent cinema.
Watching silent movies is actually my favorite thing when it comes to watching film.
And I'm a huge fan of German films from the 20th century.

Seen 7.
1-Sunrise (1927)
2-Nosferatu (1922)
3- Tabu: A Story of the South Seas (1931)

Seen 7

1. The Last Laugh
2. Sunrise
3. Tabu

I've never been a fan of SUNRISE, which I like a good deal as long as it's about a guy who wants to murder his wife. That simpering subtitle "A Song Of Two Humans" I mean really. The whole Country Mice In The Big City section falls flat for me, and the holy santification of Janet Gaynor at film's end is a real stomach turner. I've wondered on occasion if it isn't all a big joke, a la the final twist in LAST LAUGH -- Murnau's Big Laugh at Hollywood.

but it’s so pretty! (in its depiction of spousal abuse and desires to kill one’s wife). it does have the drunk pig, but otherwise... yeah...

OMG, righhhht, that's why I hated Sunrise! I didn't remember why. Glad to know my adolescent objection to it was morally grounded and not mere philistinism!

Seen 3 Murnaus (Sunrise, Last Laugh, Nosferatu) and disliked them all, I must confess, so no votes this time round. I do have hopes that I may like Nosferatu on rewatch one day, and some of his other titles (City Girl, Finances of Grand Duke) look interesting.

Seen 7

1. Faust
2. Tabu
3. Nosferatu

seen 3

City Girl

arkheia wrote: ↑Fri Jun 21, 2019 3:51 pm Seen 6

I haven't heard yet from john, so i'll open up the nominations - arkheia if you'd like to pick the director we poll next, feel free! but if john posts a suggestion first, i'll go with that.

edit - heard from john after all, so no need for another nomination!

Whoops!

If I can still nominate, I'll go Masaki Kobayashi. (Backup option: Carol Reed)

Nice, kobes was gonna be my next pick. I have 10