M
1931 Directed by Fritz Lang
Synopsis
M is German director Fritz Lang’s masterpiece and is often recognized as the best German movie of all time. It illustrates the portrait of a child murderer that has caused an entire city to begin rioting. The film is based on actual events. A psychotic child murderer stalks a city, and despite an exhaustive investigation fueled by public hysteria and outcry, the police have been unable to find him. But the police crackdown does have one side-affect, it makes it nearly impossible for the organized criminal underground to operate. So they decide that the only way to get the police off their backs is to catch the murderer themselves. Besides, he is giving them a bad name.
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M, a 1931 German film about the hunt for a serial killer of children, is one of the most thrilling and unsettling films I've seen. At first it's like a normal police procedural, then it kind of reminded me of a horror film, and then I have no idea where that ending fits in with other genres. It explores themes around the cult of celebrity, criminal responsibility, and mob justice. I was really floored by how the filmmakers left so much up to interpretation and didn't insult the intelligence of the audience. It feels authentic and manages to say a lot about society, even without knowledge of the context the film is grounded in.
The fascinating story is supported with…
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Just you wait, it won't be long. The man in black will soon be here. With his cleaver's blade so true. He'll make mincemeat out of YOU!
-Singing ChildrenAfter watching Fritz Lang's first "talkie" I'm taken aback by how haunting and disturbing this film is. It's not done through disturbing imagery, but actually very innocent imagery that suggest something disturbing. Like a child's empty chair at the dinner table.
What really got me though is the acting. Specifically Peter Lorre's performance gave me a shiver up my spine. There's a scene early in the film where Hans Beckert (Lorre) notices a young girl while he's window shopping and he's suddenly struggling with himself to suppress his disturbing urges. This…
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There's nothing I can possibly add to the conversation on M. It is meticulously perfect. I'm hard pressed to find a single fault in the execution of this story. I can admit the moments of silence are more piercing than any thunderous score they could have hit me over the head with. It's just a treasure, a landmark time capsule, and one the most influential films made. That about sums it up.
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Ranking amongst the greatest of films ever made, Lang uses M as a means to explore the very state in which he resided for the majority of his early film-making career. Amidst swirling and mysterious shadows, the reflective nature of a glass pane and the oneiric, ethereal, brooding atmosphere lies something of the utmost importance: the implicit nature of humanity and moral ambiguity.
Unintentionally drawing on a similar real life serial killer in Peter Kurten, M describes the furore surrounding a child murderer, played with boggly-eyed precision by Peter Lorre. His shrill whistling of In the Hall of the Mountain King indicates his early ominous presence; truly a character that gives credence to convincing your children to stay away from…
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#30 in my 'Foreign Films Season' and a recommendation from Mr. DuLac.
M may be 83 years old tomorrow, but it doesn't matter. It still manages to do everything and more than modern thrillers these days and which such style and finesse. Lorre's crazy eyes and over exaggerated facial expressions, the mysterious whistling of 'In the Hall of the Mountain King and the creepy sound editing blend together to create a tense atmosphere modern film-makers couldn't hope to achieve.
This will likely gain a final half star on a rewatch
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Ridiculously ahead if it's time. I can't believe this is almost 82 years old.
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weird resolution but great stalking
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I've seen the Daily Mail. M is as relevant today as it ever was.
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As a child, the haunting melody "In the Hall of the Mountain King" by Edward Krieg made me cry the first time I heard it. For a long while after, I couldn't listen to Peer Gynt without remembering the terror I'd felt. Funny, that is, when the melody is constantly whistled by the murderer in M, almost like a replacement for the pied piper's wooden flute in the classic german urban folklore.
The movie is spectacular in many ways; the cinematography is astounding and extremely creative considering its time, Peter Lorre's performance is chill-invoking and horrific, and it's just plain scary. Dark shadows, completely silent montages, children chanting about the murderer. The movie M is, after all this time, still…
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Strangely "Metropolis" is the best-known movie of Fritz Lang and therefore considered by many to be his masterpiece. But "M" starring the magnificent Peter Lorre as the child killer is his true masterpiece. The first movie about a serial killer and one of the most influential ones of all time. Unforgettable how the killing of little Elsie was filmed - the mother waiting for her at home sitting at the table, her ball rolling from the bushes, her balloon flying away. That's all. Nothing is shown, and yet everyone knows what terrible thing just happened. Other memorable scenes: The shadow of Peter Lorre falling on his "Wanted" sign as he approaches Elsie, the dual conference of gangsters and policemen, nicely interwoven by cutting from one conference to the other and back, the chasing of the killer inside the old factory and last but not least the "I can't help it" speech of Peter Lorre.
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Spine 30 of "Criterion Collection".
Spine #9 of "Masters Of Cinema".
Movie #380 of "1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die". -
M is a pretty fantastic film, the story of a murderer of children on the loose and the manhunt to apprehend him before he could kill again.
I debated with myself for a while after it was over whether or not I felt this was a 4.5 or a 5 star film. It was never going to be lower than that, it is just too good. I ended up landing on 4.5, just...well...because, I guess. I can't explain it fully, but it lacked that connection I feel whenever I can confidently award a film 5 stars.
I felt at times there were slight pacing issues, like a little bit of bloat on a couple of scenes that didn't seem like…
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"M" es una increíble obra que nos adentra en la histeria colectiva causada por un asesino de niños (interpretado por el gran Peter Lorre, cuyos ojos tan expresivos proveen un acceso a la locura de su personaje). La cinta se enfoca en los intentos de policias y civiles por capturar a este monstruo y darle un castigo apropiado (la muchedumbre, justificadamente, quiere matarlo).
"M" esta brillantemente dirigida por Fritz Lang, quien observa el impacto de este personaje atroz manteniendo su distancia. Es una gran joya del cine. Muy recomendable. -
#30 in my 'Foreign Films Season' and a recommendation from Mr. DuLac.
M may be 83 years old tomorrow, but it doesn't matter. It still manages to do everything and more than modern thrillers these days and which such style and finesse. Lorre's crazy eyes and over exaggerated facial expressions, the mysterious whistling of 'In the Hall of the Mountain King and the creepy sound editing blend together to create a tense atmosphere modern film-makers couldn't hope to achieve.
This will likely gain a final half star on a rewatch
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whistling