
Robby Müller
Camera
1940-04-04 - Present
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.
Credits

Paris, Texas

Mysteries

Dancer in the Dark

Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai

To Live and Die in L.A.

Dead Man

Repo Man

Breaking the Waves

Mystery Train

Barfly

Coffee and Cigarettes

24 Hour Party People

Until the End of the World

The American Friend

Down by Law

Mad Dog and Glory

The Little Devil

Alice in the Cities

The Believers

Buena Vista Social Club

Beyond the Clouds

Wrong Move

Saint Jack

The Tango Lesson

Kings of the Road

They All Laughed

Visions of Europe

Honeysuckle Rose

Finnegan Begin Again

Korczak

The Longshot

The Goalie's Anxiety at the Penalty Kick

Shattered Image

Body Rock

Coffee and Cigarettes II

Cheaters

My Brother Tom

Un dimanche de flics

The Left-Handed Woman

Class Enemy

The Glass Cell

The Scarlet Letter

Les Îles

Die Reise nach Wien

Jonathan

The Wild Duck

When Pigs Fly

Living the Light: Robby Müller

Carlos

Notebook on Cities and Clothes

Last Call

Alabama (2000 Light Years)

A Hot Summer Night

Summer in the City
Die Eltern

In for Treatment

Ashes

Prologue
Eine Rose für Jane
Pakbo
Der Fall Lena Christ

CAN: The Free Concert

Hello Fellow Man