Robby Müller, Cinematographer of Paris, Texas and Down by Law, Dies at 78

Dutch cinematographer Robby Müller, whose work helped define the look of films including Paris, Texas and Down by Law, died in Amsterdam in July 2018, aged 78. The Guardian reported his death on July 4; the American Society of Cinematographers (ASC) records the date as July 3. The Guardian also reported that he had lived with vascular dementia for several years.

What films did Robby Müller shoot?

Müller worked across decades and with directors including Wim Wenders, Jim Jarmusch, Alex Cox, Lars von Trier and Michael Winterbottom. The following is a selective, non-exhaustive list of notable credits reported by the Guardian, the Robby Müller Archive and the ASC.

#	Preview	Product	Price
1		Paris, Texas (The Criterion Collection) [Blu-ray]	$32.28	Buy on Amazon
2		PARIS, TEXAS - BLU-RAY	$14.81	Buy on Amazon
3		Paris, Texas - 40th Anniversary Edition [Blu-ray]	$27.78	Buy on Amazon
4		Paris, Texas [Blu-ray] [1984]	$162.00	Buy on Amazon
5		Paris, Texas: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack	$9.99	Buy on Amazon

The Guardian described 24 Hour Party People as Müller’s final full-feature credit. Its account says he and Wenders made ten films together; that is the Guardian’s count, not a definitive total across every kind of work or filmography boundary.

Why Paris, Texas and Down by Law stand out

Paris, Texas: a landmark Wenders collaboration

Wenders and Müller began working together on the director’s first feature, Summer in the City, according to the Guardian. Their later collaboration included The American Friend, which the paper described as an important step in their international reputation, and Paris, Texas. The 1984 film won the Cannes Palme d’Or. For viewers starting with Müller’s work, it offers a clear example of how his cinematography serves a director-led film without drawing attention away from its story.

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Paris, Texas (The Criterion Collection) [Blu-ray]

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Down by Law: the first of four Jarmusch films

The ASC describes Down by Law (1986) as the first of four films Müller made with Jarmusch. The Archive also names Mystery Train (1989) and Dead Man (1995), while the Guardian includes Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai (1999). The Archive contrasts the monochrome look of Down by Law and Dead Man with the bold color of Mystery Train, making the trio a useful way to see the range within that collaboration.

How Müller’s cinematography evolved

Müller was born in Curaçao in 1940, studied at the Netherlands Film Academy and began his working career as a camera assistant before moving into cinematography. The Guardian characterizes his work as observational and atmospheric, and notes the light-footed handheld approach he brought to von Trier’s Breaking the Waves.

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PARIS, TEXAS - BLU-RAY

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The Guardian also calls Müller a pioneer of digital cinematography, citing Dancer in the Dark, which won the Cannes Palme d’Or in 2000. That description reflects the Guardian’s assessment; it should not be read as a formal ranking of cinematographers or a claim that Müller was the first to use digital methods.

His range extended well beyond Wenders and Jarmusch. Alongside Repo Man and Friedkin’s To Live and Die in L.A., his credits included von Trier’s Breaking the Waves and Dancer in the Dark, as well as Winterbottom’s 24 Hour Party People.

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Paris, Texas - 40th Anniversary Edition [Blu-ray]

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What Müller said about the camera

In an interview excerpt reproduced by the ASC, Müller explained his approach to Down by Law: “You should not feel the camera.” He continued: “The story should be well told without interruption from camera acrobatics, which is one of the reasons I like to film in black-and-white, which is like a poem.” The ASC page reproduces these lines from an interview excerpt, rather than presenting a complete interview transcript.

Jarmusch’s tribute, quoted in the Guardian’s July 4, 2018 report, conveyed the personal as well as professional loss: “We have lost the remarkable, brilliant & irreplaceable Robby Müller. I love him so very much. He taught me so many things, & without him, I don’t think I would know anything about filmmaking.”

Rank #4

Paris, Texas [Blu-ray] [1984]

• Polish Release, cover may contain Polish text/markings. The disk DOES NOT have English audio and subtitles.

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How to revisit Müller’s work

Paris, Texas is a natural starting point; viewers interested in Müller speaking about his craft can look for Criterion’s official Paris, Texas 4K UHD and Blu-ray editions. Criterion lists an archival interview with Müller among the editions’ special features. The page also lists a separate Blu-ray; format and listing details may change.

The Robby Müller Award was established in 2020 by the Netherlands Society of Cinematographers, International Film Festival Rotterdam and Andrea Müller-Schirmer. Its creation gives the cinematographer’s name a continuing place in the film community he helped shape.

Quick Recap

SaleBestseller No. 1

Paris, Texas (The Criterion Collection) [Blu-ray]

$32.28

Bestseller No. 2

PARIS, TEXAS - BLU-RAY

$14.81

Bestseller No. 3

Paris, Texas - 40th Anniversary Edition [Blu-ray]

$27.78

Bestseller No. 4

Paris, Texas [Blu-ray] [1984]

$162.00

Bestseller No. 5

Paris, Texas: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack

Paris, Texas - Movie Soundtrack Brazil Import

$9.99

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Paris, Texas: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack

• Paris, Texas - Movie Soundtrack Brazil Import

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