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M (1931)

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User Rating: 8.6/10 (27,535 votes)
Photos (see all 25 | slideshow)

Overview

Director:
Fritz Lang
Writers:
Thea von Harbou (script) and
Fritz Lang (script)
(more)
Release Date:
31 August 1931 (Sweden) more
Plot:
When the police in a German city are unable to catch a child-murderer, other criminals join in the manhunt. full summary | full synopsis (warning! may contain spoilers)
User Comments:
German Expressionism at its cinematic best more

Cast

  (in credits order) (verified as complete)

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)
Paul Mederow ... (uncredited)
Margarete Melzer ... (uncredited)
Hanna Meron ... Girl in circle at the beginning (uncredited)
Trude Moos ... (uncredited)
Hadrian Maria Netto ... (uncredited)
Günter Neumann ... Man (uncredited)
Neumann-Schüler ... Bit Role (uncredited)
Maya Norden ... (uncredited)
Fred Nurney ... Man (uncredited)
Edgar Pauly ... Man (uncredited)
Klaus Pohl ... Witness / one-eyed man (uncredited)
Franz Poland ... (uncredited)
Paul Rehkopf ... (uncredited)
Hans Ritter ... (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)
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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 
 
Production Management
Gustav Rathje .... production manager (uncredited)
 
Art Department
Edgar G. Ulmer .... set designer (uncredited)
 
Sound Department
Adolf Jansen .... sound
 
Camera and Electrical Department
Erwin Hillier .... assistant camera (uncredited)
Karl Vash .... assistant camera (uncredited)
 
Crew believed to be complete



Production CompaniesDistributors
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Additional Details

Also Known As:
Fritz Lang's M (Australia)
M - Eine Stadt sucht einen Mörder (Germany)
M - Mörder unter uns (Germany) (working title)
Murderers Among Us
more
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
Aspect Ratio:
1.20 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Mono
Certification:
Finland:K-16 (1960) | South Korea:15 (DVD rating) | Germany:(Banned) (1933-1945) | USA:TV-14 (TV rating) | Finland:K-12 (1995) | Germany:12 (re-rating 2006) | Argentina:13 | Australia:M (original rating) | Australia:PG (DVD rating) | Finland:(Banned) (1933) | Germany:16 (bw) (nf) | Portugal:17 | Spain:13 | Sweden:15 | UK:PG | USA:Not Rated | Norway:15 (1995) | Portugal:M/12 (re-rating)
MOVIEmeter: ?
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Company:
Nero-Film AG more

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
The use of voiceover narration was a groundbreaking new technique at the time. more
Quotes:
Elisabeth Winkler, Beckert's landlady: Could you speak louder please, I'm a bit hard of hearing.
Policeman: As if I couldn't tell.
more
Movie Connections:
Referenced in Children of Wax (2005) more
Soundtrack:
Le Halle du Roi de la Montagne more

FAQ

A NOTE REGARDING SPOILERS
Is this movie based on a real person?
Is it true that there is a comic book based on "M"?
more
44 out of 57 people found the following comment useful:-
German Expressionism at its cinematic best, 2 May 2003
8/10
Author: FilmOtaku (ssampon@hotmail.com) from Milwaukee, WI

Being a huge fan of German Expressionist art, I'm naturally drawn to the films of Fritz Lang. I recently was able to see the restored version of "Metropolis" on the big screen, and was delighted to see "M" on the Sundance channel - especially since it was the uncut version. M follows the trail of a child killer (Peter Lorre), sought both by the police and the members of the underworld whose businesses are being effected by the investigation.

This film is ground-breaking for many reasons: It is Fritz Lang's first talking picture, it is one of the first in the serial killer genre and it was overtly anti-Nazi. This film was banned in Germany shortly after it premiered, and Fritz Lang and Peter Lorre, both Jews, soon fled the country. It has superb acting (most notably, Peter Lorre's trial scene in the catacombs) and very stark yet at times gritty cinematography. The story is indeed suspenseful and at times, very creepy (what whistling child killer isn't?). The entire movie, however is extremely thought-provoking and challenging, much like the German Expressionist movement itself.

This is not a movie for everyone; some may find it boring, some may find it too abstract. It also has one of the most bizarre shots I've ever seen in film - essentially it's a 30 second shot of the police inspector talking on the phone, but you're under his desk and looking up his pants leg. It actually kind of baffled me and made me chuckle for a second, but it was avant garde if anything.

To those who appreciate early cinema that truly makes you think, both about the film and the subtext with which it was written and filmed, it is a must-see.

--Shelly

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the start of a cliche soccr4lfez
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