
'What do you know about it? Who are you anyway? Who are you? Criminals? Are you proud of yourselves? Proud of breaking safes or cheating at cards? Things you could just as well keep your fingers off.
M, the Fritz Lang film from 1931 has gone through so many changes in its life that it should be showing its age. But it doesn't. This film was banned for more than 30 years by the Nazi's (1934 it was banned and the original film was kept away until 1966) and when it was re-released it was cut down from 117 minutes to 98, it has also had several changes to the sound with music being played over scenes that were meant to be silent. Yet still it is clear and amazing. I have the 105 minutes DVD released in 2003 and I am not sure how much of the sound is accurate to the original but it has all been put right for the 2009 blu-ray disk.
The film is set in Germany and the story follows a community who have found out they have a child murderer living amongst them. The film follows the community as they try to find the killer and and the pursuing panic when another child goes missing. Things get so bad that the criminal bosses of Berlin come together to create a hunting party from the beggars and use them to try and track him down. From that point the film becomes a lot busier with more actors in each scene. It is also at that point the film really starts to show its genius.
I would love to see the original 177 minute film as there are a few moments which cause confusion which I put down to the 12 minutes of footage being cut, but the story line is clear and precise. This film was actually one of the earliest films to use any form of music to show a characters arrival, and it is done so well. Instead of having a whole music score, it is a simple whistle. Such a simple idea yet it caught on so massively.
The script for this film is phenomenal. The quote up top is my favourite line from the whole film and when you watch it you will see why. Each line is delivered so well throughout this film and even the bits which are over acted seem to fit in well with what is being said. Instead of it sticking out, the script and filming help most of it merge in seamlessly and show it off as hysteria. The camera angles, although out dated at times, are chosen splendidly with everything in the shot being there on purpose. The use of reflections in this film are also important as well as clever.
This film shows us the sheer chaos Berlin is going through and the terror of a serial killer perfectly. M is more about the results and effects of having a serial killer around than the actual killer or the murders. We never directly watch a murder take place, instead all the violence normally shown in films these days, it is simply implied that it has happened. This gives the audience a chance to create their own murder scenes and gory details. It is, without a doubt, this exact method of film making makes the films impact even greater.
During an interview, Fritz Lang stated he considered M to be the favorite of his own films, simply because of the criticism the film received. In 1937, he told a reporter that the film was made 'to warn mothers about neglecting children' and this is definitely shown well with the script and actors/actresses reminding us of that in simple, and often subtle, ways.
To summarise this film is cleaver on so many levels. It shows reactions to scary events that are believable. Which are neither over played or understated. It shows fear and love perfectly. It also doesn't just show the killer, but dives into the mind of a killer as well. For anyone looking for an old classic which has stood the test of time, or someone who is looking for a clever film about killers that doesn't involve all this Hollywood gory, M will be the perfect film for you.
I love this film. It is one of the best I have seen in a long time and I high recommend trying it. I own the German version, but it was re-done in English (Not by Fritz Lang) for those who are strictly against watching films in another language.
Rating; 9.1/10
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