M (1951)

In this Americanization of the 1931 German thriller, both the police and the criminal underworld stalk a mysterious killer who preys on small children.

Director:

Joseph Losey

Writers:

Leo Katcher (scenario revisions), Norman Reilly Raine (scenario revisions),

Stars:

David Wayne, Howard Da Silva, Martin Gabel

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
David Wayne	...	Martin W. Harrow
Howard Da Silva	...	Inspector Carney
Martin Gabel	...	Charlie Marshall, crime boss
Luther Adler	...	Dan Langley
Steve Brodie	...	Lt. Becker
Raymond Burr	...	Pottsy
Glenn Anders	...	Riggert
Norman Lloyd	...	Sutro
Walter Burke	...	MacMahan
John Miljan	...	Blind Baloon Vendor
Roy Engel	...	Police Chief Regan
Janine Perreau	...	The Last Little Girl
Leonard Bremen	...	Lemke, thug left behind in Bradbury Bldg. (as Lennie Bremen)
Benny Burt	...	Jansen, drunk thug outside Bradbury Bldg.
Bernard Szold	...	Bradbury Bldg. Watchman

Storyline

Remake of the 1931 original. Someone is murdering children in a German city. The Police search is so intense, it is disturbing the 'normal' criminals, and the local hoods decide to help find the murderer as quickly as possible.

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Plot Keywords:

underworld | remake | disbarred lawyer | crime detection | clay model | 

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Genres:

Drama | Film-Noir | Thriller

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

March 1951 (USA)

Also Known As:

M le maudit

Filming Locations:

Alta Vista Apartments - 255 S. Bunker Hill Avenue, Bunker Hill, Downtown, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Superior Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

88 min 86 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Connections

Remake of M (1931)

User Reviews

Creepy Parallel Universe!

This most unusual remake of Lang's seminal expressionist masterwork evokes a profound sense of deja vu, as if we were watching Lang's film filtered through some parallel aesthetic universe. This is due perhaps to both films having the same producer, thus being filmed from the same screenplay, as many scenes unfold in almost shot-for-shot fashion. But Losey's camera studies rather than prowls, and paints an atmospheric yet aloof panorama, rather than carving the nightmarish psychological landscape of Lang's opus. Losey's "M" is, if anything, a handsome, detached noir piece, not an emotional treatise on rage and justice. The most exciting revelation of all here is David Wayne as the haunted killer. Eschewing a mimic of Peter Lorre's possessed histrionics, Wayne's performance is pure method acting. Specifically, his capture and trial by the collective underworld, is one of the most unusual performances in all '50s cinema, an edgy, downright avant-garde exhibition one might easily call "Beat", predicting such restless '50s giants as Dean, Clift and Brando. On the downside, Jim Backus and Raymond Burr offer virtually comedic sketches of cliched degenerate characters, and the killer's signature tune used here, in place of Grieg's indelible soundbite from "Peer Gynt", is a nondescript melody, far less affecting. But all in all, Joseph Losey's "M" is a most fascinating and daring, if not wholly successful, attempt to outdo a classic.