South Korean filmmaker Bong Joon-ho has often mentioned Alfred Hitchcock, Guillermo del Toro, Martin Scorsese and Akira Kurosawa among the directors who have had the greatest influence on his filmmaking. Yet, he never mentioned the name of Fritz Lang. What do these two authors actually have in common?
Many will remember director William Friedkin’s long and exciting interview with the great Fritz Lang, which took place in 1974 and is still today considered a precious document in film history. During this interview, then, we cannot fail to notice an enthusiastic and passionate Fritz Lang recounting some of his fundamental vicissitudes. Like, for example, when, after a meeting with Goebbels, he decided to expatriate.
Fritz Lang/Michael Haneke. Two names that – except for their country of origin (Austria) – seem to have little in common. Only in appearance, however. While the former immediately experimented with new paths and new forms of film language, it is also true that the latter benefited so much from these experiments that he made them his own, thus creating a totally personal and recognisable style.