IEC
#1: From interview [2009]
#2: [Right] with dir Lars von Trier
#3: [Right] with dir Wim Wenders [1976]
Born: 4 April 1940, Willemstad, Curaçao, Netherlands Antilles, as Robert Müller. His father was an engineer working for Shell. Raised in Indonesia [until 1954].
Died: 3 July 2018, Amsterdam, Netherlands.
Education: Nederlandse Film Academie [NFA] [1962-64, camera/editing dept.], Amsterdam.
Career: After his study he stayed for a short period in Holland, then went to Germany with doph Gerard Vandenberg.
Ph commercials dir by Hans Jonkers, Maarten Treurniet, Jonathan David [for Coca Cola], Zoran Bihac, Carl Erik Rinsch, a.o.
Directed [+ ph; for Outcast Pictures] his first commercial, 'Radio 1', in 2002.
Was co-adv on the short film 'Night Shift' [2007, Gaëlle Denis; ph: Jefrim Rothuizen; 10m] prod during the Rutger Hauer Film Factory Masterclass.
Was a member of the BVK and [later honorary member] the NSC.
In 2020 the International Film Festival Rotterdam, the NSC and Andrea Müller-Schirmer, his widow, introduced a new cinematography award, the 'Robby Müller Award'.
Appeared in the doc's 'Kamera klaar... Aktie - Geluiden van achter de kamera' [1987, Ruud van Gessel; ph: Jan de Bont], 'Motion & Emotion' [1990, Paul Joyce; ph: Ken Morse; 90m], 'De domeinen Ditvoorst/Ditvoorst - Solitary Genius' [1993, Thom Hoffman; ph: Peter de Bont; 112m], 'Foot on the Moon' [1999; dir/ph: Marie-Claire Pijman], 'Robby Müller on Down by Law' [2009; ph: Claire Pijman; 23m] & 'Robby Müller - Living The Light' [2018, Claire Pijman (+ cph); 87m].
Book: 'Die lyrische Leinwand' [2006, Schüren Presseverlag].
Awards: Bundesfilmpreis [1975] for 'Falsche Bewegung'; Bundesfilmpreis [1983] for 'Klassenfeind'; DKP Spielfilm [1984] & Bayerischer Filmpreis [1985] for 'Paris, Texas'; Independent Spirit Award nom [1987, 1988, 1990 & 1997]; Bundesfilmpreis [1991] for 'Korczak'; NYFCC Award [1996; + for 'Dead Man'], Camerimage 'Golden Frog' nom [1996] & 'Robert' Award [1997] for 'Breaking the Waves'; Camerimage 'Special Award for Best Independent Duo' [1998; shared with Jim Jarmusch]; Camerimage 'Golden Frog' nom [1999] for 'Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai'; Camerimage 'Golden Frog' nom [2000] & 'Robert' Award nom [2001] for 'Dancer in the Dark'; Brothers Manaki IFF 'Special Golden Camera 300' [2002] for exceptional contribution to the world film art; Marburger Kamerapreis [2003]; DKP Ehrenkameramann [2005]; Camerimage Lifetime Achievement Award [2006]; Nederlands FF 'Gouden Kalf Cultuurprijs' [2007]; Bert Haanstra Oeuvreprijs [2008]; ASC International Achievement Award [2012].
Robby
Müller: 'There are many films made today where the color is not really
necessary, but you don't have a choice because the distributor wants color so he
can sell it. But I always have a kind of 'thinking exercise' with the director,
'Why not in b&w?' or 'Why not in color?' So if we explain it to ourselves we
know where we have to pay attention because, if you make the kind of films I
generally make, color could give you too much information. 'Alice in the
Cities' [1973], for instance, would have been very bad in color. The same with 'Down
by Law' [1985]. You would have had so much information around you that it would
distract you from what you are telling. 'Alice' was originally planned
for color. We even had a sponsor, Polaroid, who was bringing out that same year
the SX-70 [a compact, reflex-viewing camera for Polaroid film] on a trial market
in Florida and they agreed to sponsor us. But when Wim and I discussed it I said
this will be no good in color; this little girl will be totally lost in this
loud, exotic New York. Polaroid later agreed but they didn't withdraw their
sponsorship.' [From interview with Lindsay Amos in Sydney, Australia, June
1993.]
FILMS | |
---|---|
1963 |
Megalopolis 1 [Pim de la Parra] b&w; short/?m |
1963 |
Vogel [Miroslav Sebestik] b&w; short/?m; prod NFA |
1964 |
De lengte van een ster [Fred van Doorn] b&w; short/?m; prod NFA |
1966 |
Norwegian Wood [Barbara Meter] 16mm/b&w-c; short/10m |
1966 |
Eiland/Island [Erik Terpstra] b&w; short/19m; cph: Gerard Vandenberg |
1967 |
Now I Found That the World Was Round [Anton Kothuys] 16mm/c; doc/?m |
1967 |
Don't Miss, Miss Pizz Italian Flavored Pizza [Anton Kothuys] c; short/10m |
1967 |
Objectief gezien [Fred van Doorn] 16mm/b&w; short/18m |
1967 |
Bacher [Tom Tholen] c; doc/20m; cph: Anton van Munster; addph: Jan de Bont, Jan Oonk, a.o.; uwph: Bob Smith |
1967 |
Toets/Touch [Tom Tholen] scope/c; doc/17m; cph: Eduard van der Enden & Anton van Munster |
1968 |
She Is Like a Rainbow [Anton Kothuys] c; short/18m; cph: Gerard Vandenberg & Karsten Krüger |
1968 |
Alabama: 2000 Light Years [Wim Wenders] b&w; short/22m; cph: Wim Wenders; prod HFFM |
1969 |
Jonathan [Hans W. Geissendörfer] c |
1969 |
Frankenstein cum cannabis [Nico Paape] ?; short/18m; cph: ? |
1969 |
Summer in the City [Wim Wenders] 16mm/b&w; 125m; prod HFFM |
1970 |
Het bezoek [Frans van der Staak] 16mm/b&w; short/21m |
1971 |
Overload/Geen statiegeld [Mel Clay] 16mm/b&w; cph: Mel Clay, a.o. |
1971 |
Die Angst des Tormanns beim Elfmeter/The Goalkeeper's Fear of the Penalty [Wim Wenders] c |
1972 |
Can Free Concert [Peter Przygodda] 16mm/c; concert film/51m; cph: Martin Schäfer & Egon Mann |
1972 |
Der scharlachrote Buchstabe/The Scarlet Letter [Wim Wenders] c |
1973 |
Die Reise nach Wien [Edgar Reitz] c |
1973 |
Alice in den Städten/Alice in the Cities [Wim Wenders] 16mm-35bu/b&w |
1974 |
Ein bißchen Liebe [Veith von Fürstenberg] 16mm/b&w |
1974 |
Falsche Bewegung/Wrong Movement/Wrong Move [Wim Wenders] c |
1975 |
Es herrscht Ruhe im Land [Peter Lilienthal] 16mm-35bu/c; cph: Abel Alboim |
1975 |
Im Lauf der Zeit/Kings of the Road [Wim Wenders] b&w |
1975 |
Nathalie [Gila von Weitershausen] ?; short/?m |
1976 |
Atavar, the Return of the Wolf [Meino Zeillemaker] c; short/53m |
1976 |
Die Wildente/The Wild Duck [Hans W. Geissendörfer] c |
1976 |
Der amerikanische Freund/The American Friend [Wim Wenders] c; spec ph efx: Theo Nischwitz |
With dir Peter Handke [right] - "Die linkshändige Frau"
1977 |
Die linkshändige Frau/The Left-Handed Woman [Peter Handke] c |
1977 |
De gevoelens van een rode patrijs door hemzelf verteld [Frans van der Staak] 16mm/b&w; short/16m; cph: Karel Dibbets & F. van der Staak |
1977 |
Die gläserne Zelle/The Glass Cell [Hans W. Geissendörfer] c |
1978 |
Mysteries [Paul de Lussanet] c |
1979 |
Saint Jack [Peter Bogdanovich] c |
1979 |
Opname/In for Treatment [Erik van Zuylen & Marja Kok] 16mm/c |
1979 |
Honeysuckle Rose/On the Road Again [Jerry Schatzberg] p/c |
1980 |
Hammett [Wim Wenders] scheduled as doph, but replaced by Joseph Biroc because of union restrictions |
1980 |
They All Laughed... [Peter Bogdanovich] c |
1981 |
Der Zauberberg [Hans W. Geissendörfer] started the film, but left after an argument with the producer; was replaced by Walter Lassally, who was replaced by Michael Ballhaus |
1981 |
Les îles/The Islands/Die Inseln [Iradj Azimi] c; cph: Willy Kurant |
1981 |
Een zwoele zomeravond/A Hot Summer Night [Frans Weisz & Shireen Strooker] 16mm-35bu/c |
1982 |
Klassen-Feind/Class Enemy [Peter Stein] c |
1982 |
Un dimanche de flic/Zwei Profis steigen aus/A Cop's Sunday [Michel Vianey] c |
1983 |
Tricheurs/Cheaters/Die Spieler [Barbet Schroeder] c; + small part |
1983 |
Paris, Texas [Wim Wenders] c; add 2uc: Martin Schär |
1984 |
Repo Man [Alex Cox] c; addph: Robert Richardson, Tom Richmond & Mike Little; 2uc: Stephen Posey |
1984 |
Body Rock [Marcelo Epstein] c; addph: Ed Lachman & Burleigh Wartes |
1984 |
To Live and Die in L.A. [William Friedkin] c; 2uc: Robert Yeoman (+ ph 1st unit to replace R. Müller who could not finish the prod) |
1985 |
Fool for Love [Robert Altman] started the prod, but was replaced by doph Pierre Mignot |
1985 |
The Longshot [Paul Bartel] c; 2uc (+ c.op): Paul Edwards |
1985 |
Down by Law [Jim Jarmusch] b&w |
1986 |
The Believers [John Schlesinger] c; 2uc: Peter R. Norman |
1987 |
Barfly [Barbet Schroeder] c |
1987 |
Il piccolo diavolo/The Little Devil [Roberto Benigni] c |
"Mystery Train"
1988 |
Mystery Train [Jim Jarmusch] c |
1989 |
Coffee and Cigarettes II/Coffee and Cigarettes: Memphis Version [Jim Jarmusch] b&w; short/8m; ed into 'Coffee and Cigarettes' as 'Twins' (see Films, 2003) |
1989 |
Aufzeichnungen zu Kleidern und Städten/Notebook on Cities and Clothes [Wim Wenders] v+16mm+35mm-to-35mm/c; doc/81m; cph: Muriel Edelstein, Wim Wenders, Masatoshi Nakajima, a.o. |
1989 |
Korczak [Andrzej Wajda] b&w |
1990 |
Bis ans Ende der Welt/Until the End of the World [Wim Wenders] c; 2uc: Benedict Neuenfels; 2uc France: Theo Bierkens; addph: Joel Peterson |
1990 |
Red Hot + Blue [seg #17 (5m16s) 'Night and Day' dir by Wim Wenders; a: U2] b&w-c/V; mus comp/111m; other ph: Tom Sigel, Ed Lachman, Declan Quinn, a.o.; this film (18 music videos + art breaks) accompanied the comp album (20 tracks) from the Red Hot Organization (an AIDS Benefit project); also an ABC-tv special |
1991 |
Mad Dog and Glory [John McNaughton] c; addph: Jeffrey Jur |
1992 |
When Pigs Fly [Sara Driver] c |
1993 |
Three Years After My Death [Alejandro Agresti] ? |
1994 |
Hoogste tijd/Last Call [Frans Weisz] c |
1994 |
Jenseits der Wolken/Par-delà les nuages/Al di là delle nuvole/Beyond the Clouds [prologue/interludes/epilogue dir by Wim Wenders] c; scenes dir by Michelangelo Antonioni were ph by Alfio Contini |
1994 |
Dead Man [Jim Jarmusch] b&w; 2uc: Chris Lombardi |
1995 |
Breaking the Waves [Lars von Trier] s35/c; 2uc: Eric Kress; sfx ph: Jan Weincke |
With dir Sally Potter [seated] - "The Tango Lesson"
1996 |
The Tango Lesson [Sally Potter] b&w-c |
1997 |
Shattered Image [Raúl Ruiz] c |
1998 |
Buena Vista Social Club [Wim Wenders] DigiBeta-to-35mm/c; doc/101m; cph Amsterdam: Jörg Widmer; ph New York: Lisa Rinzler; ph Cuba: Jörg Widmer |
1998 |
Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai [Jim Jarmusch] c; 2uc: Chaim Kantor |
1999 |
Dancer in the Dark [Lars von Trier] dv (Sony DSR-1P, PD100P, PD150 & D30WSP)-to-35mm scope/c; 2uc: Eric Kress; dance seq ph: Anthony Dod Mantle, Jan Weincke, a.o. |
2000 |
My Brother Tom [Dom Rotheroe] dv (Sony DSR-PD150)-to-35mm/c; 2u c.op: Dirk Nel |
2001 |
24 Hour Party People [Michael Winterbottom] dv (Sony DSR-PD150)-to-35mm/c |
2001 |
Caribs' Leap [ Steve McQueen] (1) s8-to-video/c; 29m (continuous play) + (2) 35mm-to-video/c; 12m (continuous play); This film journeys into the historical interior of the Caribbean island of Grenada. In 1651, rather than surrendering to French soldiers, a large number of Caribbeans threw themselves over the cliffs onto the rocks below. This ultimate act of resistance is one focus of the film which was largely shot on location in Sauteurs in Grenada, where this act of collective sacrifice took place. Intended to be shown together with 'Western Deep' (ph: Sean Bobbitt) in a two screen presentation; prod for Documenta XI, Kassel, Germany (2002). |
2002 |
Poem - Ich setzte den Fuß in die Luft, und sie trug/Poem - I Set My Foot Upon the Air and It Carried Me [Ralf Schmerberg] b&w-c; 19 seg; ph seg #6 (3m/b&w) 'Gesang der Geister über den Wassern', #9 (6m/c) 'Nach grauen Tagen' & #15 (6m/b&w) 'Der Schiffbrüchige'; other ph: Darius Khondji, Jörg Schmidt-Reitwein, Nicola Pecorini, a.o.; filmed April 2000-April 2002 |
2003 |
Coffee and Cigarettes [Jim Jarmusch] b&w; 96m; cph: Tom DiCillo (1986), Fred Elmes (1993) & Ellen Kuras; ed from 3 'Coffee and Cigarettes'-films (1986, 1989 & 1993) and other shorts |
2004 |
A Londoni férfi/The Man from London [Béla Tarr] announced as ph, but prod was shut down in February 2005 after the producer committed suicide; ph in 2006-07 by Fred Kelemen |
2014 |
Ashes [Steve McQueen] s8-to-HD/c; film installation/10m; 'Ashes' is installed as an immersive projection with sound. It was shot on Super8 film with a haunting verbal soundtrack, recorded in Grenada. Much of the footage dates from 2001. The deceptively simple film was commissioned by Espace Louis Vuitton, Tokyo; filmed in 2001 |
TELEVISION | |
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1967 |
Der Fall Lena Christ [Hans W. Geissendörfer] tvm/b&w/16mm |
1969 |
Die Anpassung [Christian Rischert] tvm/b&w/16mm |
1970 |
Eine Rose für Jane [Hans W. Geissendörfer] tvm |
1970 |
Pakbo [Volker Koch] tvm |
1971 |
Carlos [Hans W. Geissendörfer] tvm |
1972 |
Marie [Hans W. Geissendörfer] tvm |
1973 |
Die Eltern [Hans W. Geissendörfer] tvm |
1973 |
Perahim - die zweite Chance [Hans W. Geissendörfer] tvm |
1974 |
Wandas Paradies [Christa Maar] tvm |
1975 |
[Das] Double [Christa Maar] tvm |
1977 |
Das Ende einer Karriere [Christa Maar] tvm/16mm |
1979 |
Striptease [Frans Weisz] tvm/22m/16mm |
1984 |
Finnegan Begin Again [Joan Micklin Silver] tvm |
2004 |
Visions of Europe [seg (6m/b&w) 'Prologue' dir by Béla Tarr & (co-dir) Ágnes Hranitzky] tvm/b&w-c/140m (25 seg) |
FILMS AS CAMERA ASSISTANT [with doph Gerard Vandenberg] | |
---|---|
1964 |
Aah... Tamara [Pim de la Parra Jr.; short/28m] co-c.asst (+ co-stills ph) |
1964 |
Een zondag op het eiland van de Grande-Jatte [Frans Weisz; short] |
1965 |
Een ochtend van zes weken/Un printemps en Hollande/A Morning of Six Weeks [Nikolai van der Heyde] |
1966 |
Het gangstermeisje/Illusion Is a Gangstergirl [Frans Weisz] |
1966 |
Der Beginn [Peter Lilienthal; tvm] |
1966 |
Bächlein räuschen [Peter Lilienthal] |
1966 |
To Grab the Ring [Nikolai van der Heyde] co-c.asst |
1967 |
Liebe und so weiter [George Moorse; tvm] |
1968 |
Ich bin ein Elefant, Madame [Peter Zadek] co-c.asst |
1969 |
11.50 from Zürich [Nikolai van der Heyde; short] |