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| Review Summary and Plot Commentary about M (the movie) |
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Shortly before escaping the gathering Nazi storm in Europe, director Fritz Lang and star Peter Lorre made this unforgettable portrait of an obsessed child killer in a society gone rotten to the core. Someone is murdering the children of Dusseldorf, and the police search is so intense that it's interfering with "normal" criminal business (as well as giving criminals a truly bad name). So the local hoods join the manhunt. Lang makes cops and criminals look very much the same in their appearance and dealings. The killer whistles Grieg's "In the Hall of the Mountain King" on his rounds, and the creepy melody becomes the signature of his killings, but it's also his undoing. Toward the end, Lorre gives an impassioned and somewhat overwrought speech in his own defense. Visually, the black-and-white film is a masterpiece of German Expressionism. Lang's delicacy in handling and communicating the disappearance of each victim contrasts beautifully with his visceral portrait of civilization gone mad.
--David Loftus, Resident Scholar
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" M " was filmed in 1931 by german director Fritz Lang. A psychotic serial killer is murdering young children in Berlin. The underworld will soon help the police to find this criminal. " M " belongs to Movie History thanks to an hypnotical Peter Lorre and the haunting musical score : Edvard Grieg's Peer Gynt suite. A must.
--Daniel Staebler, Resident Scholar
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| Analysis of M |
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Composition of Movie
Actual chase scenes or violence - 20%
Planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 80%
Time/Era of Movie:
- 1900-1920's
Murder Mystery?
Yes
Crime & Police Story?
Yes
Crime story:
- catching/stopping killer
If this is a criminal POV story...
- criminals killing each other
- bad criminals on the run
Main Character
Identity:
- Male
Profession/status:
- killer
- criminal
Age:
- 20's-30's
Eccentric:
Yes
- obsessed
- mentally ill
- emotionally unstable
- wild
Hair color?
- brunette (Black)
Hair style
- short/standard straight (man)
Body type
- fat (man)
Ethnicity/Nationality
- German
How sensitive is this character?
- soggy whimpering jelly muffin
- mean, arrogant
Sense of humor
- Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence
- Average intelligence
Physique
- average physique
Main Adversary
Identity:
- a criminal organization
Ethnicity/Nationality
- German
Setting
Europe
Yes
European country:
- Germany
City?
Yes
City:
- Dirty, grimy (like New York)
- dangerous
- rude people
Misc setting
- building
- cave
Style
Accounts of torture and death?
- non-gory references to death/punishment
Movie makes you feel...
- challenged
- concerned
How many deaths in film?
- 3-4
- 4-8
Unusual forms of death
- asphyxiation
Check here if B&W
Yes
Non-American film?
Yes
What language?
- German
Subtitles?
- Yes
If Soundtrack VERY NOTICEABLE...
- Orchestra/classical
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Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s). | |
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