M - Morderca

A famous plaything on the edge between documenting the disintegration of a society in danger, a thrilling detective story and an existential drama about guilt and the irresistible power of instinct. Peter Lorre leads his character from an unsympathetic slimy deviant into a tortured wreck that arouses participation in front of a cruel Kafkaesque tribunal. Lang's traditionally refined visual is propelled mainly by the brilliant work of the camera, the incredibly modern editing, and the innovative soundtrack, which is ahead of its time with its progressiveness, also provides a new helping hand. In M, withdrawn descriptive moments alternate with absolutely captivating falls into the depths of darkness, moments of comedy with moments of tragedy, moments of theatrical expression with moments of a raw film "reflection" of reality. M can be interpreted in various ways - as a drama about guilt, a thrilling hunt for a murderer and as a disillusioning portrait of German society. I dare say that we would be hard pressed to find a better study of a mass murderer and his surroundings even after more than 70 years. (16.02.2009)

One of the early film-noirs, which cinematically fulfils perhaps all the prerequisites that made this classic genre so beautiful and distinctive. The atmosphere is so thick you can't even cut it, the story is chilling and meticulously detailed, the killer is convincingly played, and of course there is an marked political overlay that in this case targets the criticism in such a way that the film's message is still relevant today (and unfortunately probably will be for a long time). M should be a mandatory watch for every high-ranking politician, so they can think about it for a long time. 4.5* (09.08.2013)

Lang's classic masterpiece M brought the famous director to sound film for the first time. In Weimar, he was then allowed to only make The Testament of Dr. Mabuse, and after Liliom in France he headed straight to Hollywood. M also made Peter Lorre a similar star. Personally, I really can't imagine the roles he would have been entrusted with post-1933 by Germany because one look at his young character in The Trunks of Mr. O.F. or F.P.1 Doesn't Answer doesn’t fit and it's clear that Lorre was a natural for Hollywood trash. ;) Among the other actors in M, those who stand out are the great Rosa Valetti, known as Gusta from The Blue Angel, and investigator Paul Kemp, a veteran of German cinema from the 1930s to the 1950s. Possibly the universal Theo Lingen and the next idol Rolf Wanka, unidentified among the extras (his family refutes this, of course). The film itself is a sensational study of underworld-police collaboration, with the asynchronous sound work conforming to a contemporary standard that was widely used by more discerning directors. For example, Machatý in From Saturday to Sunday expressed himself in this way. (12.08.2010)