CINEFILER

Robby Müller

Born
April 4, 1940
Died
July 3, 2018
Robby Müller (4 April 1940 - 4 July 2018) was a Dutch cinematographer. Known both for his use of natural light and minimalist imagery, as well as expressionistic use of colors, Müller first gained recognition for his contributions to West German Cinema through his acclaimed collaborations with Wim Wenders. Müller's first work as a cinematographer was also Wim Wenders' first as director, Alabama: 2000 Light Years. They went on making many more films together such as Summer in the City, The Goalie's Anxiety at the Penalty Kick, The Scarlet Letter, Alice in the Cities, Wrong Move, Kings of the Road, The American Friend, Wings of Desire, Until the End of the World and Paris, Texas. Throughout the course of his career, he also worked closely with directors Jim Jarmusch (Down by Law, Mystery Train, Dead Man, Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai), Lars Von Trier (Breaking the Waves, Dancer in the Dark), Peter Bogdanovich (Saint Jack, They All Laughed), Barbet Schroeder (Barfly, Tricheurs) and Hans W. Geissendörfer (Jonathan, The Glass Cell, Carlos, The Wild Duck, Der Fall Lena Christ, Die Eltern). Müller's other work has been on both mainstream productions and independent films, including the hazy, yellow-tinted cinematography of William Friedkin's To Live and Die in LA, Alex Cox's Repo Man, Michael Winterbottom's 24 Hour Party People, Andrzej Wajda's Korczak, Jerry Schatzberg's Honeysuckle Rose, Peter Handke's The Left Handed Woman, Sally Potter's The Tango Lesson, Dom Rotheroe's My Brother Tom and Steve McQueen's Carib’s Leap. Paul Thomas Anderson referred to Müller as "The master of night exteriors. Like a chef with a secret sauce. I can't quite figure it out." Barry Sonnenfeld recalls the first thing he and the Coen Brothers bonded over was Müller's The American Friend cinematography, which convinced the brothers that Sonnenfeld had good enough taste to shoot their first film (Blood Simple). Müller died on 3 July 2018, aged 78, having suffered from vascular dementia for several years.
Known For
Paris, Texas
(1984)
Director of Photography
Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai
(1999)
Director of Photography
Dancer in the Dark
(2000)
Director of Photography
To Live and Die in L.A.
(1985)
Director of Photography
Breaking the Waves
(1996)
Director of Photography
Repo Man
(1984)
Director of Photography
The American Friend
(1977)
Director of Photography
24 Hour Party People
(2002)
Director of Photography
Mad Dog and Glory
(1993)
Director of Photography
Until the End of the World
(1991)
Director of Photography
Down by Law
(1986)
Director of Photography
Dead Man
(1995)
Director of Photography
Coffee and Cigarettes
(2004)
Director of Photography
Beyond the Clouds
(1995)
Director of Photography
Barfly
(1987)
Director of Photography
The Believers
(1987)
Director of Photography
Full Filmography
Camera
Love and So Forth
(1968)
Assistant Camera
Der Fall Lena Christ
(1969)
Director of Photography
Alabama (2000 Light Years)
(1969)
Director of Photography
Jonathan
(1970)
Director of Photography
Eine Rose für Jane
(1970)
Director of Photography
Pakbo
(1970)
Director of Photography
Summer in the City
(1971)
Director of Photography
Carlos
(1971)
Director of Photography
CAN: The Free Concert
(1972)
Director of Photography
The Scarlet Letter
(1973)
Director of Photography
Die Reise nach Wien
(1973)
Director of Photography
Alice in the Cities
(1974)
Director of Photography
Die Eltern
(1974)
Director of Photography
Wrong Move
(1975)
Director of Photography and Camera Operator
The Goalie's Anxiety at the Penalty Kick
(1975)
Director of Photography
Kings of the Road
(1976)
Director of Photography and Camera Operator
The Wild Duck
(1976)
Director of Photography
The American Friend
(1977)
Director of Photography
The Left-Handed Woman
(1977)
Director of Photography
Mysteries
(1978)
Director of Photography
The Glass Cell
(1978)
Director of Photography
Saint Jack
(1979)
Director of Photography
In for Treatment
(1979)
Director of Photography
Honeysuckle Rose
(1980)
Director of Photography
Hello Fellow Man
(1980)
Director of Photography
They All Laughed
(1981)
Director of Photography
A Hot Summer Night
(1982)
Director of Photography
Les Îles
(1983)
Director of Photography
Un dimanche de flics
(1983)
Director of Photography
Class Enemy
(1983)
Director of Photography
Paris, Texas
(1984)
Director of Photography
Repo Man
(1984)
Director of Photography
Cheaters
(1984)
Director of Photography
Body Rock
(1984)
Director of Photography
To Live and Die in L.A.
(1985)
Director of Photography
Finnegan Begin Again
(1985)
Director of Photography
Down by Law
(1986)
Director of Photography
The Longshot
(1986)
Director of Photography
Barfly
(1987)
Director of Photography
The Believers
(1987)
Director of Photography
The Little Devil
(1988)
Director of Photography
Mystery Train
(1989)
Director of Photography
Coffee and Cigarettes II
(1989)
Director of Photography
Notebook on Cities and Clothes
(1989)
Director of Photography
Korczak
(1990)
Director of Photography
Until the End of the World
(1991)
Director of Photography
Mad Dog and Glory
(1993)
Director of Photography
When Pigs Fly
(1993)
Director of Photography
Dead Man
(1995)
Director of Photography
Beyond the Clouds
(1995)
Director of Photography
Last Call
(1995)
Director of Photography
Breaking the Waves
(1996)
Director of Photography
The Tango Lesson
(1997)
Director of Photography
Shattered Image
(1998)
Director of Photography
Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai
(1999)
Director of Photography
Buena Vista Social Club
(1999)
Director of Photography
Dancer in the Dark
(2000)
Director of Photography
My Brother Tom
(2001)
Director of Photography
24 Hour Party People
(2002)
Director of Photography
Coffee and Cigarettes
(2004)
Director of Photography
Visions of Europe
(2004)
Director of Photography
Ashes
(2014)
Director of Photography
Living the Light: Robby Müller
(2018)
Director of Photography
Acting
Art
Data provided by TMDB