Fritz Lang's great 1931 film M is an important film, and for anyone who collects classic films, a necessary addition. Criterion's 2 CD set is simply wonderful, with the complete 110 minute Lang approved version of M on disc 1, and a William Friedkin interview with Fritz Lang made a year before his death, among other goodies on disc 2.

M was Fritz Lang's 1st movie made with sound, although a few sequences were actually silent. This film is one of the last great examples of German Expressionism, as well as a precursor in terms of visual style and plot to the classic film noir of a decade later. This film is about a serial child murderer, played by Peter Lorre, and the efforts of both the police, and organized crime, to catch him. This was Lorre's first screen role, and it not only typecast him as a villian for years to come, but was used by Goebbels in the vile propaganda film "The Eternal Jew" as an example of Jewish immorality and corruption.

The visual elements in the film are particularly striking and memorable. The children playing a morbid game of "next victim"; a little girl bouncing a ball off the murderer's wanted poster while his shadow suddenly appears; the dirty deed done, signified by her ball rolling away and her balloon flying off; a potential new innocent victim framed in a mirror by knives; the mark of "M" applied to the murderer which can't be erased. There is also that ominous leitmotif of the murderer constantly whistling "In the Hall of the Mountain King".

Lorre is riveting in this movie. It really is the only great acting done here, but it makes up for everything else. He becomes a human rat, scurrying to escape, trapped in a cage, frantic, and in the end, pitiful and almost pitiable. The fact that his final tormentors are sane career criminals, while Lorre's character has sanity issues, gives the film a final moral ambiguity that almost overshadows the repugnance we feel toward him.

This movie is the perfect example of what Fritz Lang is capable of. His technique is extrodinary.

Purchase Scarlett Street also. It is another fantastic Fritz Lang Film Noir title.

Of course, Edvard Grieg was the composer of the "Peer Gynt Suite" which included "Hall of the Mountain King". In this film, Peter Lorre's character whistles this little ditty whenever he gets a "Jones" for murder; so much for my title. As far as "M" goes; if you haven't heard, it's an incredibly good film. I could go on and on about its historical significance, its artistic merit or Fritz Lang, but you've all heard that before. All I have to say is that I highly recommend this movie to anyone who likes movies.


What, you need more?

Here we go...

-PUTTING IT IN MODERN PERSPECTIVE
You might think that since this film was made in 1931, that you will need to turn back your expectations to 1931 levels. Think again. If you remade this film shot for shot with today's actors and with today's technology you would never figure out that this film was conceived 77 years ago. The story could have happened yesterday and the execution is timeless. When you consider that this was Lang's first sound film, it's astounding how many sound techniques he pioneered that are still in use today (or not used enough). Adding to the realism and preservation of "M's" timelessness is the complete lack of a dated musical score. This is better than you can imagine.

-CHARACTERS, CHARACRERS
This film is packed with great characters. Another tribute to Lang's talent is his ability to establish characters with just a few words, a simple but telling action or even a look. The dialogue is very real and powerful (even though it's all in German). Not one line is wasted. The characters run the gambit from strong and forceful to meek and poignant. Peter Lorre is the main character despite his limited screen time. But, when he's on screen he is loathsome, heartbreaking, pitiful and human all at the same time. I've never seen anything better from him. Other characters make their presence strongly felt but be warned; Herr Lohman gets in your face in a very unpleasant, yet funny way.

-THE FIRST SERIAL KILLER FILM
Of course, it's not simply just about a serial killer. It's about society's response to him. It's about the underbelly of society's response to him. It's about the institutions of society's response to him. It's about all of those things in great detail. I was amazed at how advanced police techniques were at the time of this film as well as the depth of psychological profiling. The only thing missing was infrared and DNA mapping. Lang used all of these devices as a means to establish great frustration at failure to solve the mystery; who is the murderer? Particularly interesting is Lang's apparently well researched depiction of the inner working of the German underworld. Even the beggars had a union with member ID numbers and log books.

-OK, LANG WAS A GENIUS!
There, I said it. Are you happy now? Lang made this film for the explicit purpose of warning parents to watch their children more closely. In the years leading to this film, Germany had a rash of serial killers haunting its cities. So, this was a timely yet somewhat reviled film. It was reviled for the perception that it was exploiting the actual killings for the sake of ticket sales. Of course, Lang insisted "M' was a cautionary tale and nothing else. Despite its reviled status and raw subject matter, "M" limits its depictions of violence to a few punches. The rest of the violence is simply implied for one simple reason; the audience can imagine more horrible acts than the Director could or would depict. Fritz Lang thought showing violence against children would be tasteless. It was this kind of thinking that motivated many of Lang's best devices that carried the story in the viewers mind, which is more powerful than anything on the screen; a lesson for today's film makers.

-THE DVD
This is what you would expect from a Criterion release; an informative booklet, a film restored as completely as possible and an extra disk chocked full of rare and informative material. I managed to get this new for under $17 so I am very pleased with my purchase. In retrospect, I would probably pay more.

-VERDICT OF THE KANGEROO COURT
This is a film for anyone who likes crime dramas done well. But, if you aren't a fan of crime dramas, don't turn away; it's more than that. You don't need to be a film snob to enjoy this film; it is so well made that it's easy to enjoy. I would recommend that you pay close attention though; you don't want to miss the beautiful details of which there are many. The worst thing that could happen is that you'll learn a few cuss words auf Deutche (in German).

P.S.; the whistling was actually done by Fritz Lang's Wife since Lorre could not whistle.

-Acting...5 Stars
-Story....5 Stars
-Visuals..5 Stars
-DVD......5 Stars

This is a very interesting film on so many levels, and very well presented by Criterion. The commentary is well-done and stays on topic, and the video is so crisp and clear you can't believe it was filmed in 1931. It's interesting to see just how far ahead German cinema was of its American counterpart at this point in time. Although there is not that much talking in this early German talking picture - Fritz Lang resisted going to sound in the first place - what conversation that does take place is well done and natural sounding. Compare it with any American film from 1931 and you can't help but see the difference.

The murderer, artfully played by Peter Lorre, has been killing children that have no link to him personally for months. The police, despite all of their efforts, are unable to catch him, mainly because there is no rhyme or reason in his choice of victims. At first there is a focus on the victims and the hole left in their families by their killing. Then, the film shifts to two normally opposed groups - the police and the underworld. After several months of no results by the authorities, the police are unhappy because it reflects badly upon them, and the underworld is unhappy because their activities are being disrupted because of the police doing constant raids in their efforts to capture the killer.

In a particularly well-done part of the film the scene shifts back and forth between a conference of police and one of the underworld. They discuss how they are going to catch the killer. The police settle upon the idea of looking for people with a history of past mental problems that were pronounced cured and released. The underworld decides to enlist an invisible group - the beggars - to follow every child at all times and therefore catch the killer. Both groups focus on the right suspect, the question is - who gets there first?

M is a fascinating film that raises many topics - the death penalty, a group of criminals that are criminals by choice causing less stress on society than a lone criminal that acts out of an uncontrollable compulsion, and the motivations of the authorities often being their own bureaucratic survival rather than the larger issue of ending a series of horrible acts against humanity.

Criterion has done it right again by presenting "M" the classic Fritz Lang masterpiece film in an outstanding 2 disc collection. This edition is worth owning in your film library. I enjoyed the bonuses especially the Fritz Lang interview along with the informative film commentary. This was Lang's first sound film. Let's not forget Peter Lorre's groundbreaking role as Beckert, the child killer. This edition is a must have!!!