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Carl Mayer

Writer · Died July 1, 1944, aged 49 · Graz, Styria, Austria-Hungary [now Austria]

Carl Mayer (20 November 1894 – 1 July 1944) was an Austrian screenwriter who wrote or co-wrote the screenplays to The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920), The Head of Janus (1920), The Haunted Castle (1921), Der Letzte Mann (1924), Tartuffe (1926), Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans (1927), and 4 Devils (1928), most of them being films directed by F. W. Murnau. Mayer was a fundamental figure in the dramatic and narrative establishment of both German Expressionist cinema and Kammerspielfilm.

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
November 20, 1894
Died
July 1, 1944 (aged 49)
From
Graz, Styria, Austria-Hungary [now Austria]
Works as
Writer
Titles
8 on MovieCove · 34 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 38 days to Oct 27Down 3% in 30 days

What are Carl Mayer's films like?

Across their 7 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Society and Self.

Themes

share of theme weight
Society
32%
Self
21%
Morality
20%
Ideas
18%
Bonds
9%
Community3 titles, browse their movies with this themeIdentity2 titles, browse their movies with this themeTruth2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 7 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Serious: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their serious movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

A split, not a type: Light 3 · Serious 1 · Dark 3

Heightened: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their heightened movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

Grounded 1 · Stylized 1 · Heightened 5

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 2 · Charged 3 · Intense 2

Shifting: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their shifting movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 2 · Shifting 4 · Whiplash 1

Straight-faced: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their straight-faced movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 6 · Some laughs 1 · Funny 0

Slow burn: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their slow burn movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 4 · Even-paced 3 · Relentless 0

Engaged: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their engaged movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 0 · Engaged 4 · Full focus 3

Affecting: How much it costs you emotionally; whether you need recovery time. Browse their affecting movies.
Demand · Emotional cost
easyheavy

A split, not a type: Easy watch 3 · Affecting 2 · Heavy 2

Open-ended: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their open-ended movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 2 · Open-ended 4 · Ambiguous 1

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
4
Dread
3
Melancholic
3
Romantic
2
Bittersweet
1
Other
3

How their films linger

Bittersweet3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 3 with a twist

  • Happy1
  • Bittersweet1
  • Tragic1
  • Ambiguous3
  • Cyclical1

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Carl Mayer's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 7 of their 8 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (4).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Carl Mayer's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

34 credits, 8 with a MovieCove page.

  • The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2005)

    Story

  • Pygmalion(1938)

    Script Consultant

    Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all films

  • Dreaming Lips (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1937)

    Writer

  • As You Like It(1936)

    Adaptation

    Midcredits score: 37th percentile of all films

  • The Dreamy Mouth (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1932)

    Writer

  • Dreaming Lips (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1932)

    Writer

  • The Blue Light(1932)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all films

  • Ariane, Russian Maid (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1932)

    Screenplay

  • Ariane (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1931)

    Writer

  • The Man Who Committed the Murder (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1931)

    Dialogue

  • Storm Over Mont Blanc (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1930)

    Writer

  • Fräulein Else (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1929)

    Writer

  • 4 Devils (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1928)

    Scenario Writer

  • Sunrise(1927)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films

  • Berlin: Symphony of Metropolis(1927)

    Idea

    Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all films

  • Tartuffe (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1926)

    Writer

  • The Last Laugh(1924)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all films

  • New Year's Eve (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1924)

    Writer

  • The Doll Maker of Kiang-Ning (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1923)

    Writer

  • Earth Spirit (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1923)

    Writer

  • Vanina (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1922)

    Writer

  • Backstairs (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1921)

    Writer

  • Torgus (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1921)

    Screenplay

  • Nights of Terror (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1921)

    Screenplay

  • Shattered (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1921)

    Writer

  • Danton (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1921)

    Dramaturgy · Screenplay

  • The Haunted Castle(1921)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 44th percentile of all films

  • Journey into the Night (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1921)

    Writer

  • Der Dummkopf (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1921)

    Screenplay

  • Genuine: The Tragedy of a Vampire (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1920)

    Writer

  • The Hunchback and the Dancer (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1920)

    Screenplay

  • Johannes Goth (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1920)

    Writer

  • The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari(1920)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films

  • Die Frau im Käfig (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1919)

    Writer

Career shape

A full career of 34 titles from 1919 to 2005.

Biggest box office

Sunrise (1927)

$123K worldwide

Highest rated

The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920)

Midcredits 97th

By role

only this rolewith another role
Writing34 of 34: 33 only writing, 1 with another role · typical Midcredits score93rdOther crew1 of 34: 0 only other crew, 1 with another role

By decade

1910s1 · crew1920s22 · crew1930s10 · crew2000s1 · crew

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.

How do Carl Mayer's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 93rd percentile, the median of all 8; across their 7 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 91st percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

91stpercentile
Typical film, the median of 7

Approval · how many liked their films

92ndpercentile
Typical film, the median of 7

Reach · how many have seen their films

65thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 7

Midcredits score across 8 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up5
  • 50th to 74th1
  • 25th to 49th2

Shape of the crowd

None of their 8 titles divides audiences: 5 are Universally Loved.

  • Universally Loved5
  • Crowd Pleaser1
  • Broadly Agreed1
  • Mixed1

Most loved · writer

The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920)

Midcredits 97th · 85% liked

Reviewers score the dialogue 36/100 and the plot and story 48/100 in their films, across 7 reviewed titles. The element that speaks to their work as a writer.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Is Carl Mayer's work okay for kids?

Across a limited sample of up to 3 MovieCove titles with content scores.

Their medianMedian of all films
Sex & Nudity3 titlesmedian 5 · minimalMedian of all films: 32
Alcohol & Drugs3 titlesmedian 21 · mildMedian of all films: 33

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted.

Who does Carl Mayer work with?

People who share at least 2 of Carl Mayer's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; F.W. Murnau shares the most, 3.

Directors

Actors

Composers and cinematographers

Producers