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4. M (Link is to archive.org for free download of the film) - re-watch
M is the very simple name for a very complex movie. Filmed in Germany in 1931 by the great director Fritz Lang, it is a brilliant study of a serial killer. There are a number of mildly interesting firsts in the techniques used in the film. One of these is the use of dialogue (in this case a mother calling out her daughter's name) with the speaker offscreen. Obviously, this is a common technique today, but it was fairly innovative back then.
However, unique cinematic techniques aside, this is a stunning and powerful film. Lang uses parallel development in some key scenes, where a meeting of the police leading the investigation to find the murderer is intercut with a meeting of the local underworld leaders who are deciding to perform the same task. This is not for altruistic reasons, but a pragmatic attempt to reduce the pressure that the police are placing on them in the manhunt. While it is clear that they are disgusted by the killings of children, they would not have taken an active part in the pursuit without the pressure.
The newly aggressively intrusive investigation of the police bears fruit at the same time that a blind beggar identifies the killer by his distinctive habit of whistling. The crooks pursue, pinning him down in an office building as it closes, while the police wait patiently in his rented room for him to return home. In a large operation, the criminals capture the killer and place him in a mock trial (featuring an impassioned plea by Lorre's character of his inability to control his urges), which is interrupted by the police at the last moment before he too is slain.
There are some strong and fascinating images in this movie. The above mentioned conferences are nearly drowned in the smoke of the participants. A mob attacks a kindly old man who simply spoke to a child, thinking him the killer. Peter Lorre, who plays the killer, seducing children with toys and candy. Roger Ebert sees a subtext in the treatment of German society that points to the growth of Nazi society...I definitely agree. Save the killer and the two groups of 'leaders', people move in mobs and grim attitudes and shadows dominate the screen. These are clear shadows, not so much the murk of the fading film, but an intentional composition dominated by darkness. Lang's shadows echo the shadows in the heart of the killer, as well as the shadow of the Nazi party.
This is a movie I have seen a few times before...and will definitely invest in a high quality DVD of eventually. The archive.org file 256kb MP4's quality is fairly decent, although it is sometimes hard to read the subtitles against the few lighter backgrounds. If you enjoy police procedurals, character studies or serial killer movies, you'll probably enjoy this one. It holds up very well against the movies of today.
M is the very simple name for a very complex movie. Filmed in Germany in 1931 by the great director Fritz Lang, it is a brilliant study of a serial killer. There are a number of mildly interesting firsts in the techniques used in the film. One of these is the use of dialogue (in this case a mother calling out her daughter's name) with the speaker offscreen. Obviously, this is a common technique today, but it was fairly innovative back then.
However, unique cinematic techniques aside, this is a stunning and powerful film. Lang uses parallel development in some key scenes, where a meeting of the police leading the investigation to find the murderer is intercut with a meeting of the local underworld leaders who are deciding to perform the same task. This is not for altruistic reasons, but a pragmatic attempt to reduce the pressure that the police are placing on them in the manhunt. While it is clear that they are disgusted by the killings of children, they would not have taken an active part in the pursuit without the pressure.
The newly aggressively intrusive investigation of the police bears fruit at the same time that a blind beggar identifies the killer by his distinctive habit of whistling. The crooks pursue, pinning him down in an office building as it closes, while the police wait patiently in his rented room for him to return home. In a large operation, the criminals capture the killer and place him in a mock trial (featuring an impassioned plea by Lorre's character of his inability to control his urges), which is interrupted by the police at the last moment before he too is slain.
There are some strong and fascinating images in this movie. The above mentioned conferences are nearly drowned in the smoke of the participants. A mob attacks a kindly old man who simply spoke to a child, thinking him the killer. Peter Lorre, who plays the killer, seducing children with toys and candy. Roger Ebert sees a subtext in the treatment of German society that points to the growth of Nazi society...I definitely agree. Save the killer and the two groups of 'leaders', people move in mobs and grim attitudes and shadows dominate the screen. These are clear shadows, not so much the murk of the fading film, but an intentional composition dominated by darkness. Lang's shadows echo the shadows in the heart of the killer, as well as the shadow of the Nazi party.
This is a movie I have seen a few times before...and will definitely invest in a high quality DVD of eventually. The archive.org file 256kb MP4's quality is fairly decent, although it is sometimes hard to read the subtitles against the few lighter backgrounds. If you enjoy police procedurals, character studies or serial killer movies, you'll probably enjoy this one. It holds up very well against the movies of today.
