RE-RELEASE: M (1931, Dir. Fritz Lang, Germany) (Cert: PG/NR) **** Starring: Peter Lorre, Gustaf Gründgens, Otto Wernicke Panic has gripped the streets of an unknown German city as a child killer (Lorre) is lurking around. With the police desperately trying to apprehend the murderer, criminal organisations around the city are bearing the brunt of the disturbances by the police. Wanting an end to the harassment and having their own disgust at the killer’s deeds, the criminals go on their own manhunt to find the child killer. In the early years of cinema, Germany’s influence over the new art form was one of the greatest in the world and few in Germany ranked as high a film-maker as Austrian-born director Fritz Lang. However, by 1931, fortunes had changed for German cinema and for Lang. The economic depression of 1929 meant that Germany (in the process of breaking free from World War I reparation induced austerity) was again a poor nation and Lang’s career was troubled with the financial failure of his hugely ambitious previous film, the science-fiction epic, Metropolis. Fortune has smiled on Lang however in the long run. His reputation has helped his legacy survive this rough patch and now both Metropolis and M are ranked among Lang’s most famous and beloved films. They may stand as odd comparisons as films go. Metropolis is a lavish, gleaming and fantastical escapist film. M is far more subdued, darker and seemingly lacks the innocence of Metropolis. However, M stands up because however grim the subject matter is, in both films, Lang (and, in fairness, his then wife and screenwriter/producer Thea Von Harbou) have ideals that they push earnestly and for all its darkness, M is a moral tale. M is also an early adopter of elements that film lovers will be all too aware of. The killer signals his arrival with a whistled refrain of Grieg’s “Hall Of The Mountain King” a highly effective early use of musical leitmotif fitting both a non-chalant innocence and monstrous dread..The lead in the film is Hungarian actor, Peter Lorre. Lorre is now probably best known for his later work in the US, with his credits for Casablanca and The Maltese Falcon. Even those unaware of his name or who haven’t seen his pictures will probably notice his features (his short and stocky frame, bulging bug eyes and tickly-accented and rasping voice almost perpetually on the edge of hysteria). When he got the lead of Hans Beckert in M, Lorre was a comedy actor and M is clearly no comedy (well, it has a few gags, but its darker themes do away with any notions of levity) but Lorre’s wild performance stands out brilliantly, rivalling only Anthony Perkins’ Norman Bates in Psycho for best screen psychopath. Gustaf Gründgens also stands out as a criminal king pin on Lorre’s tail. Speaking of Psycho, Lang’s direction has ideas that would become akin to Alfred Hitchcock in later years. This is little surprise as much has been made of the influence of German cinema on Hitchcock (who, early in his career, briefly worked in Germany) but the skilled use of panning, beautiful shot compositions and affecting music often come with a Hitchcockian air, showing the strength and influence of Lang as a director. So, why only four stars and not five? Well, I tousled with the idea of a five star review, especially given this film’s reputation. I really like M, but there are a few minor problems, mainly in the pacing. The film is simple. It has a simple premise, a clear way to begin and end. It’s a film that would’ve probably been expected to last an hour back in 1931, but it lasts two. Some of the additional detail works (the criminal gang are entertaining at times, even if they are bloodthirsty) but it slows up the tension. Metropolis is even longer, but it had a much grander story to tell (also, unlike a fair number of people including Lang himself, I just prefer Metropolis as a film) but with another viewing there’s every chance I could push this to a five rating. As a coda to the film, in a story that’s been aired countless times, M (and Metropolis) were noticed by the Nazis when they rose to power in 1933, with Josef Goebbels offering Lang a high position with the film studio, UFA. Lang (who was half-Jewish) fled Germany for America soon after. Is M a pro-Nazi film? No. My theory has always been that Lang was offered the job so that the Nazis could keep a close eye on him (tellingly, Lang’s clearly anti-Nazi film The Testament of Dr. Mabuse was banned by the Nazis, as was M, eventually) although Thea Von Harbou did support them. Goebbels praised the film for its lack of humanity, but its overpowering message of tolerance and understanding as well as vigilance makes any claims of this to be fascist, completely nonsensical. In fact this is a film profoundly affected by a sense of humanity and given its dark and even controversial message, that’s the film’s greatest strength.
Posted on: Sat, 18 Oct 2014 22:25:00 +0000
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