M

Karsten4.0

man those are some big eyeballs

Jonathan White5.0

You can’t watch M and not see dozens of other films standing on its broad shoulders. I shouldn’t have been surprised at its ground breaking visual magnificence, as it was after Lang’s stunning Metropolis, but dolly, crane, and single long shot techniques that I had thought were pioneered much later by the likes of Wells and Hitchcock were demonstrated here in an effortless way that didn’t scream 'look at me!', but rather enhanced the viewer’s sense of unease and moved the story along smartly. Likewise with sound, in its infancy at the time, Lang contrasts sound and silence in way that puts the audience on edge without relying on a single note of score … except for the haunting whistle.Pioneering cinematography and sound are matched by the innovations in storytelling. The obfuscation of the killer when we first meet him, his only identifying trait being his whistling of In the Hall of the Mountain King, and using this symbolic moniker through the early part of the film as the surrogate for Hans Beckett was brilliant. Just as accomplished was the parallel meetings by the police and criminals; intercut so fluidly that you think they are finishing each other’s sentences. It sure took balls of brass to bring a film about child killing, and presumably molestation, to the screen in the early 30’s and Lang did it unflinchingly. He tears at our most primal fears, and plays the initial ‘late coming home’ scene with a type of slow horror that is every parents ultimate nightmare. The drifting balloon and wandering ball completely heartbreaking, and completely effective in their visual compactness.Equally bold as the central premise of a child killer is Lang’s exploration of mob justice, the rule of law, and criminal culpability of the mentally infirm. All of these difficult themes could never have been pulled off if it wasn’t for the singular performance of a young Peter Lore. In only his 3rd feature film, he evokes a kind of creepy menace, but still with vulnerability and fear that keep us, the audience, from despising him despite his crimes. His deer in the headlights frightened cowering in the attic and his speech at the kangaroo court was one of the most evincing and heart rendering portrayals I’ve ever seen. It’s no mean feat to garner sympathy for a child molester.Aside from a rather unfortunate and inexplicable low angle shot of Inspector Karl Lohmann’s crotch that lasts for far too long, M is a perfect film. M is for Masterpiece.

russman4.0

Man murders munchkins. Massive manhunt. Man mutters musical musings. M Marked. Mad mob marauds masonry. Meeting makes man monologue mental meltdown. Mothers mourn.