M
As I continue my quest of quenching my thirst of world cinema, I come across German cinema and one name that kept coming up was ofc the infamous, Fritz Lang. With enough hype and a poster that looks sick, I head first in this movie without a second wasted.
M by Fritz Lang is honestly such a amazing mystery thriller movie that builds its world so hauntingly real and yet keeps the suspense intact throughout. The city in which the movie takes place feels like an extension of a character. The fact that this movie was finally the first movie the director takes his first step towards a movie with a sound is crazy. Despite the freedom, he doesn't randomly use bgm and mostly enhances scenes with music motifs. The silence in some scenes also add to how much hollow the whole city has become. It adds more character to the city and its people. The cinematophography here is solid with great slow pans and the over head shots. The investigation sequences takes a cake here as you see how detailed and meticulous the sequences feel and you can see the influence of these sequences in the whole detective/crime genre.
The themes here are still shockingly relevant for a 30's movie. The mob mentality and a plea towards parents to be aware of the danger surrounding thier children, this movie despite losing some of its scenes, still pack such a punch. Especially the last line which just breaks the 4th wall.
Peter Lorre is phenomenal, his bulging eyes and irratic mannerism shows a person who truly derranged and someone who needs help but still there is more to this character than meets eye. Surprisingly his screentime is much shorter than I anticipated but Lang makes his deeds speak much louder than his presence. It is not shown but the way the movie let us imply these incidents creates even more morbid imagination in my head and I hate it. As he gets cornered and with no place to run to, he thrives and takes this character way further than I imagined. Just love it.
Other residents of the city in this movie also has a vital role here. As paranoia and hysteria reaches its peak, you see the city crumbling apart and how the action of some people changes how the society functions and how easily people accepts it is bone chilling. The first scene with kids singing lullaby heavily influenced by the child kidnapper is too surreal and just rubbed me in a very baaad way. The acting of the mob is very convincing.
The movie is not perfect in any case, there are few scenes which feel incomplete solely because apparently the movie was severely damaged, lost and heavily censored. The ending does feel abrupt but despite the abruptness of it, Lang still delivers what he preaches and it is still very very amazing.