M (1931)

1931 was a fantastic year for cinema; two great films, and one very memorable one. The great films were M and Frankenstein (directed by James Whale, featuring Boris Karloff). The memorable film was Dracula (directed by Tod Browning, starring Bela Lugosi).

When presented with these films to decide between, why choose M as the standout? Partly its because Frankenstein is that rarest of beasts; a great film with an even greater sequel (Bride of Frankenstein). Dracula, while of historical interest, is actually a bit dull, if you ask me. Lots of lovely atmosphere, but not enough substance to really hold my attention. I know these are pretty strange criteria, but there you go. I had to pick one of them, and M is the one which I like the most. Whenever I'm in the mood for Frankenstein, it's his Bride that I'm gonna watch!

Peter Lorre's performance as Hans Beckert rightly attracted the attention of Hollywood's movie producers. He is genuinely creepy (and appropriately so!) in the role of the child killer who has no choice but to commit his crimes. His eyes, always his most "prominent" feature, perfectly portray his torment, and his pathology.

What makes this film most interesting is that it is a very early example of the police procedural style of story telling. Its a bit like CSI on roofies; probably really fascinating back in 1931, but we've seen it all since, which tends to make the plodding nature of the police investigation a little obvious. Of course, the same applies to anything that's now assumed knowledge! As it is, while a little slow, it is nevertheless fascinating for some of the expositional techniques employed by Fritz Lang. One effect I particularly enjoyed was the small section of the city superimposed onto the map while the police discuss setting up a search perimeter.

The sequence where we are introduced to the leaders of the criminal underground is really entertaining; while they wait for the last of their members to turn up, they are each practicing their trades. A little later, we are treated to the juxtaposition of the police and the criminal "board of directors" discussing what to do about the unknown murderer in their midst; this is another example of the art of Lang's story-telling.

If you haven't previously seen it, try to catch it on DVD - The version I have was only $2, but is still a far better print than the one I originally saw on TV. I'm sure there are fancier/more complete/whatever versions out there, but this was certainly good enough. M is highly recommended, and a definite early masterpiece.