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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