M

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M (1931)
Original title: M – Eine Stadt sucht einen Mörder
German Crime Mystery Thriller.

When the police in a German city are unable to catch a child-murderer, others within the criminal underworld join in the manhunt.

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.

M was Director Fritz Lang’s first sound film and he experimented with the new technology. It has a dense and complex soundtrack, as opposed to the more theatrical “talkies” being released at the time. The soundtrack includes a narrator, sounds occurring off-camera, sounds motivating action and suspenseful moments of silence before sudden noise. Lang was also able to make fewer cuts in the film’s editing, since sound effects could now be used to inform the narrative.

Peter Lorre’s character is introduced by the musical cue “In the Hall of the Mountain King” from Edvard Grieg’s “Peer Gynt Suite No. 1“. This was one of the very first times that a musical theme was used to signify a character, a technique known as a ‘leitmotif’ borrowed from the world of opera that is now a staple of filmmaking.

The film has appeared on multiple lists as one of the greatest films ever made.

Film Critics Consensus:

“A landmark psychological thriller with arresting images, deep thoughts on modern society, and Peter Lorre in his finest performance.”

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