M – Eine Stadt sucht einen Mörder
English title: M
Also known as: M le maudit
Genre: crime
thriller (in black and white)
With: Gustaf
Gründgens (Schränker the Safecracker), Peter Lorre (Hans Beckert), Otto
Wernicke (Inspector Lohmann), Ellen Widmann (Frau Beckmann), Inge Landgut
(Elsie Beckmann), Theodor Loos (Inspector Groeber), Friedrich Gnaß (Franz the
burglar), Fritz Odemar (the Cheater), Paul Kemp (the Pickpocket with Six
Watches), Georg John (Heinrich,
the blind beggar), Rudolf Blümner (the defender)
Director: Fritz
Lang
Screenplay:
Thea von Harbou and Fritz Lang (based on an article by Egon Jacobson)
Release: 1931
Studio: Nero-Film
AG
Rating: -
MBiS score: 9.0/10
Maniacs Are Bad for Business
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Story-line: when
several children disappear and it becomes apparent that a serial killer is on
the loose, the government pressures the police commissioner to get results, arrests
are made willy-nilly and impatience grows among the citizenry.
Pluses: credible
acting all around, modern and active direction, an ingenious, well-written
screenplay rich in suspense, pointed dialogues and effective tos-and-fros, able
cinematography and editing, good production values and a high-impact ending.
Minuses: if
this film doesn’t click for you early on, it will once you reach the halfway
point.
Comments: teaming up with Thea von Harbou, his screenwriting partner for the great METROPOLIS, Fritz Lang (1890-1976) proves with this formidable film that inventive and captivating moviemaking already ruled a century ago. What struck me most in M is that its story-line focuses less on the killer – he is identified early on but remains in the shadows until the third act – than on the reaction to his crimes and the frantic attempts to stop him. As I reflect on this work of art, I am reminded of a comment made by Paul Schrader a few years back… that most commercial films are devoid of interest. Considering Schrader’s vast contribution to cinema, I respect his opinion and share his love for the classics. More than a movie, M is a marvel, a monument, a masterpiece.
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