7. F.W. Murnau
Along with Fritz Lang, Murnau was one of the leading figures in German Expressionism in the 1920's. He is mostly remembered now for Nosferatu and Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans. Nosferatu is one of the first films that could be classified as a horror film as it was an adaption of Bram Stoker's Dracula, but because of legal reasons the name was changed to Nosferatu. The film's depiction of vampires and its use of gothic architecture became staples of later horror films. Sunrise is generally considered among the greatest films ever made and probably the most revered silent film of all time. Dealing with two lovers who begin to plan a murder, Sunrise was the winner of Best Unique and Artistic Production at the inaugural Academy Awards and more recently, Sunrise ranked in the top 10 on Sight and Sound's 2012 poll of Greatest Films. Murnau was killed in a car accident in 1931 while he was still very much active in the film world, but he still left behind a filmography that ranks among the all time greats.
Defining Films: Nosferatu (1922), The Last Laugh (1924), Faust (1926), Sunrise (1927), Tabu (1931)