M

Germany, 1931, 117 minutes, Black and white.
Peter Lorre.
Directed by Fritz Lang.

M is considered one of the classics of the German industry between the wars. Fritz Lang had emerged in the 1920s as a master director, especially with Metropolis, 1926. However, Metropolis was futuristic and did not have success in its own time as it did in later decades. This film was written by Thea Von Harbou, Lang’s wife at the time (who also wrote the novel and screenplay for Metropolis). The year later Thea Von Harbou joined the National Socialist Party. Fritz Lang divorced her and migrated to the United States where he spent twenty years making a great range of films.

M is the story of a lonely man who murders children. The film, in stark black and white, shows the character of the murderer, played with great force by Peter Lorre. However, the criminals in the city, getting a bad name and unable to do their work because of the police searching for the murderer, combine to hunt him down.

The film is interesting in terms of a presentation in the 1930s of child molestation and brutality.

The film was made in Hollywood twenty years later by veteran director Joseph Losey with David Wayne in the central role.

1. The status of this film as a cinema classic, German classic?

2. The film as a symbol of Germany of 1930? The original title of "The murderers are among us"? Nazi objections to this title and self-consciousness of an attack? The film as made by Fritz Lang and his silent film tradition?

3. The plot as based on real incidents? The research done by Lang and his assistants for making an authentic crime exploration? How well do these values stand up today?

4. The film as an example of early sound achievement: locations city streets, contrived situations such as the kangaroo court for the murderer, the Greig music etc.?

5. The contribution of Peter Lorre and his performance, his appearance, size, facial expressions, communication of the bewilderment of the murderer? His compulsions, charm, fear? Conscience, lack of it?

6. The significance of the title? M for murder, the letter M and its being applied to the murderer during the film?

7. Indications of a thriller, of something more? How important for audience atmosphere and understanding was the
atmosphere of the initial murder? How much was communicated by suggestion? An ordinary situation, a puzzle, the mother noticing the other children? The atmosphere of the children? The suggestion in view of the later showing of the murderer at work e.g. with the little girl in the street, the shop windows? Audience revulsion at a child murder, the grief with the mother, sharing the puzzle with the police?

8. The importance of the underworld attitude towards the murders, the organising the search? The fact of the murderer being presented visually only after this kind of background? Audience attitudes already formed towards him without seeing him? How much did his appearance change attitudes, strengthen them? The importance of his look, ordinariness, strengths and weaknesses of character insofar as he was portrayed in action? The outsider in the city, bewildered? in the street, with the child, with the seller in the street? The Greig theme?

9. The suggestions of violence? How well did this communicate a character, his compulsions, his feelings, murder and violence?

10. The editing to show the balance between the underworld search police search and bafflement?

11. The build-up to the pursuit of the murderer, trapping him, his hiding and his fear?

12. How did he appear during his trial? Overwhelmed by his enemies? The nature of the trial, the underworld and the various types of criminal and their banding together, an image and symbol of a society? The atmosphere and vindictiveness and wanting to lynch him, not heal him in any way? His fear, cowering before them, the explanations of his compulsions and his continued bewilderment?

13. How much insight into the man and his psychological torment?

14. The melodrama of the final intervention, the police, the kangaroo court, the eventual fate of the murderer? The parallels in retrospect with the situation in Germany in the 20's and 30's and Nazism? How did this highlight the themes of the film?