M (1931)

Director:

Fritz Lang

Writers:

Thea von Harbou (script) and
Fritz Lang (script)
(more)

Release Date:

31 August 1931 (Sweden)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Film-Noir | Thriller

Plot:

When the police in a German city are unable to catch a child-murderer, other criminals join in the manhunt.

Plot Keywords:

Police | Criminal | Murder | Killer | Beggar

Awards:

1 win

Cast

Peter Lorre	...	Hans Beckert
Ellen Widmann	...	Frau Beckmann
Inge Landgut	...	Elsie Beckmann
Otto Wernicke	...	Inspector Karl Lohmann
Theodor Loos	...	Inspector Groeber
Gustaf Gründgens	...	Schränker
Friedrich Gnaß	...	Franz, the burglar
Fritz Odemar	...	The cheater
Paul Kemp	...	Pickpocket with six watches
Theo Lingen	...	Bauernfänger
Rudolf Blümner	...	Beckert's defender
Georg John	...	Blind panhandler
Franz Stein	...	Minister
Ernst Stahl-Nachbaur	...	Police chief
Gerhard Bienert	...	Criminal secretary
Karl Platen	...	Damowitz, night watchman
Rosa Valetti	...	Elisabeth Winkler, Beckert's landlady
Hertha von Walther	...	Prostitute
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Behal Carrell	...	(uncredited)
Josef Dahmen	...	(uncredited)
J.A. Eckhoff	...	(uncredited)
Else Ehser	...	Woman (uncredited)
Karl Elzer	...	(uncredited)
Ilse Fürstenberg	...	(uncredited)
Anna Goltz	...	Woman (uncredited)
Heinrich Gotho	...	(uncredited)
Heinrich Gretler	...	Man (uncredited)
Günther Hadank	...	(uncredited)
Albert Hoermann	...	(uncredited)
Ellen Isenta	...	Woman (uncredited)
Karl Junge-Swinburne	...	Man (uncredited)
Albert Karchow	...	(uncredited)
Werner Kepich	...	(uncredited)
Hermann Krehan	...	(uncredited)
Kurth Leeser	...	(uncredited)
Rose Lichtenstein	...	(uncredited)
Lotte Loebinger	...	Woman (uncredited)
Sigurd Lohde	...	(uncredited)
Alfred Loretto	...	Man (uncredited)
Hanna Maron	...	Girl in circle at the beginning (uncredited)
Paul Mederow	...	(uncredited)
Margarete Melzer	...	(uncredited)
Trude Moos	...	(uncredited)
Hadrian Maria Netto	...	(uncredited)
Günter Neumann	...	Man (uncredited)
Neumann-Schüler	...	Bit Role (uncredited)
Katharina Nied	...	Women (uncredited)
Maya Norden	...	(uncredited)
Fred Nurney	...	Man (uncredited)
Edgar Pauly	...	Man (uncredited)
Klaus Pohl	...	Witness / one-eyed man (uncredited)
Franz Poland	...	(uncredited)
Eduard Rebane	...	Man (uncredited)
Paul Rehkopf	...	(uncredited)
Bertold Reissig	...	Man (uncredited)
Ernst Rhaden	...	Man (uncredited)
Hans Ritter	...	(uncredited)
Max Sablotzki	...	Man (uncredited)
Agnes Schulz-Lichterfeld	...	(uncredited)
Leonard Steckel	...	Man (uncredited)
Wolf Trutz	...	(uncredited)
Otto Waldis	...	(uncredited)
Borwin Walth	...	(uncredited)
Rolf Wanka	...	Man (uncredited)
Bruno Ziener	...	(uncredited)

Directed by
Fritz Lang

Writing credits
Egon Jacobson		(article) uncredited
Thea von Harbou		(script) and
Fritz Lang		(script)

Produced by
Seymour Nebenzal	....	producer (uncredited)

Cinematography by
Fritz Arno Wagner

Film Editing by
Paul Falkenberg

Art Direction by
Emil Hasler
Karl Vollbrecht

Makeup Department
Wilhelm Weber	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Ernst Wolff	....	production manager
Gustav Rathje	....	unit manager (uncredited)

Art Department
Edgar G. Ulmer	....	set designer (uncredited)

Sound Department
Paul Falkenberg	....	sound editor
Adolf Jansen	....	sound

Camera and Electrical Department
Robert Baberske	....	second camera operator
Horst von Harbou	....	still photographer
Erwin Hillier	....	assistant camera (uncredited)
Károly Vass	....	assistant camera (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Nero-Film AG

Distributors

• Vereinigte Star-Film GmbH (1931) (Germany) (theatrical)
• City Film (1931) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• Foremco Pictures Corp. (1933) (USA) (theatrical) (subtitled)
• Paramount Pictures (1933) (USA) (theatrical) (English dubbed)
• Jerand Film Distributors (1965) (USA) (theatrical) (re-issue)
• Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) (1972) (USA) (TV) (network premiere)
• Home Vision Entertainment (HVE) (1998) (USA) (DVD)
• Hollywood Home Theatre (1980) (USA) (video) (Betamax) (subtitled)
• New Cinema Enterprises (1983) (Canada) (theatrical) (re-release)
• Kino International Films (1997) (USA) (theatrical) (restored 117-minute version)
• Janus Films (1997) (USA) (TV)
• Criterion Collection, The (1998) (USA) (DVD)
• Eureka Video (1999) (UK) (VHS)
• Filmmuseum Distributie (2006) (Netherlands) (theatrical) (re-release)
• BFI Films (1998) (UK) (VHS)
• BMG Video (2002) (Germany) (DVD)
• Criterion Collection, The (2004) (USA) (DVD)
• Divisa Home Video (2004) (Spain) (DVD)
• Aquarius TV (2005) (Greece) (DVD)
• A-Film Home Entertainment (2006) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Better Television Distribution (2006) (worldwide) (TV)
• UFA Video (1996) (Germany) (VHS)
• Kinokuniya (2007) (Japan) (DVD)
• New Star (2011) (Greece) (theatrical) (re-release)
• Criterion Collection, The (2010) (USA) (DVD) (Blu-ray)
• Eureka Entertainment (2010) (UK) (DVD)
• Eureka Entertainment (2010) (UK) (DVD) (Blu-ray)
• Anton E. Dietz-Filmverleih GmbH (????) (West Germany) (theatrical) (re-release)
• Die Lupe (????) (West Germany) (theatrical) (re-release)
• Goodwill Productions (????) (USA) (theatrical) (re-release)
• Barr Entertainment (????) (USA) (VHS)
• Crown Video (????) (USA) (VHS)
• Embassy Home Entertainment (????) (USA) (VHS)
• F.J. Lucas (????) (Brazil) (VHS)
• Kartes Video (????) (USA) (VHS)
• LS Video (????) (USA) (VHS)
• Nostalgia Video (????) (USA) (VHS)

Also Known As:

Runtime:

117 min | 110 min (2004 Criterion DVD edition) | France:118 min | Germany:105 min (2000 restored version) | Germany:108 min (re-release) | USA:99 min

Country:

Germany

Language:

German

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.20 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Argentina:13 | Australia:M (original rating) | Australia:PG (DVD rating) | Finland:(Banned) (1933) | Portugal:17 | Spain:13 | Sweden:15 | UK:PG | USA:Not Rated | Norway:15 (1995) | Portugal:M/12 (re-rating) | Finland:K-12 (1995) | Finland:K-16 (1960) | Germany:(Banned) (1933-1945) | USA:TV-14 (TV rating) | Germany:12 (re-rating 2006) | South Korea:15 (DVD rating) | West Germany:16 (bw) (nf) | Germany:16 (video rating) | Germany:12 (re-rating) | Netherlands:18 (original rating) (1931) | Netherlands:18 (re-rating) (1959) | Netherlands:12 (2006) | Norway:16 (original rating) (1931)

Filming Locations:

Staaken, Spandau, Berlin, Germany

Company:

Nero-Film AG

Trivia:

Two-thirds of the film was shot with sound, the remaining third was shot silent. At the time the license fees for sound equipment were quite prohibitive, so this was a move to try to keep costs down. However, Fritz Lang liked the eerie, unnerving quality that arose from going from a sound world to one where there is no noise at all.

Quotes:

Inspector Karl Lohmann:In the name of the law.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Encounter with Fritz Lang (1964)

Soundtrack:

Le Halle du Roi de la Montagne

A masterpiece of visual drama; brilliantly acted by Peter Lorre. **** out of ****.

M / (1931) ****

"M" is a cinematic masterpiece of visual drama. The stunning performances define the careers of exceptional actors such as Peter Lorre and Gustaf Grundgens. Director Fritz Lang gives depth and dimension to his production by distinctly capturing the ecstasy of the film's many characters and focusing accurately on individual situations. This is an intriguing journey into the mind of a psychotic child murderer, blending terror, complexity, and malignity in one amazing motion picture.

Screenwriters Paul Falkenburg and Adlof Jansen construct the characters of "M" with distinctive personalities and three dimensional emotions. Many lesser filmmakers give their characters no creativity outside the confines of the script. In this movie each individual character has a mind of their own; they are free to roam the landscape of a inviting atmosphere.

Fabricating such an impressive atmosphere is some of the best cinematography and lighting effects that I can remember watching. This resplendent component creates the film's terrific moody ambiance. Suspense is one thing "M" contains in full context. The movie's third act is sheer peak-high tension.

Shot in black and white, "M" stars Peter Lorre as Peter-Hans Beckert, an extremely disturbed child murderer in the process of wreaking havoc on a neighborhood. Parents everywhere are living in fear of their children being kidnapped and abruptly annihilated.

This picture contains a brilliantly crafted setup. The visual setting creates a strongly developed opening. Every scene works to either complicate the initial problem or propels the story through a firm narrative through line.

The film captures the chaos of the town in terror perfectly. "M" is more about the results of a serial killer than an actual serial killer. Never do we directly witness a murder; the violent encounters are implied. This method of film making perhaps makes the movie's impact even greater. With an creative perspective through a third person point of view, the filmmakers repeatedly give us examples of a solid structure through characters and occurrences.

"M" offers a unforgettable, challenging performance by Peter Lorre. This extraordinary actor is tormenting and disturbing without embracing in extreme violent conduct. He perspires with momentum and rapture. This productions closing scenes are so deeply penetrating they entirely captivate the viewer. Isn't this what movies are supposed to do?