{"id":71661,"date":"2021-04-25T17:28:18","date_gmt":"2021-04-26T00:28:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=71661"},"modified":"2021-04-25T17:33:01","modified_gmt":"2021-04-26T00:33:01","slug":"m-1931","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=71661","title":{"rendered":"M (1931)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>&#8220;But I can&#8217;t help it!&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n<table>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/M-Poster.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/M-Poster-205x300.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"205\" height=\"300\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-71689\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/M-Poster-205x300.png 205w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/M-Poster-701x1024.png 701w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/M-Poster-88x128.png 88w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/M-Poster-768x1121.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/M-Poster-185x270.png 185w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/M-Poster.png 800w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 205px) 100vw, 205px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Synopsis:<\/strong><br \/>\nWhen a serial child murderer (Peter Lorre) in Berlin kills yet another young girl (Inge Landgut), Inspector Lohmann (Otto Wernicke) intensifies his search, leading the head of the criminal underground (Gustaf Gr\u00fcndgens) to rally his own men &#8212; including local beggars &#8212; in helping to identify, capture, and try Lorre.\n<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p>\n<strong>Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Amateur Sleuths<\/li>\n<li>Fritz Lang Films<\/li>\n<li>German Films<\/li>\n<li>Pedophiles<\/li>\n<li>Peter Lorre Films<\/li>\n<li>Serial Killers<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Response to Peary\u2019s Review: <\/strong><br \/>\nPeary opens his review of Fritz Lang&#8217;s &#8220;first sound film&#8221; &#8212; based &#8220;on the real-life <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Peter_K%C3%BCrten\">Dusseldorf murderer<\/a>&#8221; &#8212; by stating, &#8220;Exciting filmmaking!&#8221; and ends by referring to it as &#8220;a masterpiece.&#8221; He reminds us that &#8220;Lang&#8217;s films are about paranoia, where a single figure walks through a city in which everybody seems to be his enemy&#8221; &#8212; and &#8220;in this case everyone <em>is<\/em> after Lorre.&#8221; Despite playing a &#8220;sweaty, plump murderer of little girls,&#8221; Lorre still manages to move us with his &#8220;pathetic, screeching plea for mercy&#8221; when he claims, &#8220;I can&#8217;t help myself!&#8221; Peary writes that &#8220;Lorre&#8217;s delivery of the guilt-ridden speech&#8221; during &#8220;the criminals&#8217; kangaroo court&#8221; is &#8220;one of the truly great performances in cinema history.&#8221; <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/M-Speech.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/M-Speech.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"864\" height=\"720\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-71698\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/M-Speech.png 864w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/M-Speech-300x250.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/M-Speech-128x107.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/M-Speech-768x640.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/M-Speech-324x270.png 324w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&#8230; and argues that the &#8220;picture is tasteful, considering its subject matter; yet it is uncompromising.&#8221; He points out that &#8220;suspense is heightened by the imaginative use of props (a balloon floating away in the sky and a rolling ball indicate children have been killed): <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/M-Balloon.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/M-Balloon.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"864\" height=\"720\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-71699\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/M-Balloon.png 864w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/M-Balloon-300x250.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/M-Balloon-128x107.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/M-Balloon-768x640.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/M-Balloon-324x270.png 324w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px\" \/><\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/M-Ball.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/M-Ball.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"864\" height=\"720\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-71700\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/M-Ball.png 864w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/M-Ball-300x250.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/M-Ball-128x107.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/M-Ball-768x640.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/M-Ball-324x270.png 324w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&#8230; and Lorre&#8217;s eerie whistling of [a] tune from Grieg&#8217;s <em>Peer Gynt<\/em>&#8221; (<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/In_the_Hall_of_the_Mountain_King\">&#8220;In the Hall of the Mountain King&#8221;<\/a>). Finally, he highlights the &#8220;expressionistic style&#8221; of cinematography &#8220;by Fritz Arno Wagner.&#8221; Peary is right in his assessment of this classic thriller &#8212; not an easy film to watch by a long stretch, but critical to all film fanatics&#8217; understanding of Lang&#8217;s cinematic genius. Check out <a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/sYWD4-jlxJ0\">this video entitled &#8220;M: The First Serial Killer Film&#8221;<\/a> for a nice overview of how and why this movie remains so significant.   <\/p>\n<p><strong>Redeeming Qualities and Moments: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Peter Lorre as Hans Beckert<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/M-Lorre.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/M-Lorre.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"864\" height=\"720\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-71695\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/M-Lorre.png 864w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/M-Lorre-300x250.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/M-Lorre-128x107.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/M-Lorre-768x640.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/M-Lorre-324x270.png 324w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Highly atmospheric cinematography and sets<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/M-Cinematography.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/M-Cinematography.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"864\" height=\"720\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-71691\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/M-Cinematography.png 864w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/M-Cinematography-300x250.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/M-Cinematography-128x107.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/M-Cinematography-768x640.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/M-Cinematography-324x270.png 324w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px\" \/><\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/M-Cinematography2.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/M-Cinematography2.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"864\" height=\"720\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-71692\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/M-Cinematography2.png 864w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/M-Cinematography2-300x250.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/M-Cinematography2-128x107.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/M-Cinematography2-768x640.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/M-Cinematography2-324x270.png 324w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px\" \/><\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/M-Cinematography4.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/M-Cinematography4.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"864\" height=\"720\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-71696\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/M-Cinematography4.png 864w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/M-Cinematography4-300x250.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/M-Cinematography4-128x107.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/M-Cinematography4-768x640.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/M-Cinematography4-324x270.png 324w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>The masterful &#8220;kangaroo court&#8221; sequence<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/M-Cinematography3.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/M-Cinematography3.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"864\" height=\"720\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-71693\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/M-Cinematography3.png 864w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/M-Cinematography3-300x250.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/M-Cinematography3-128x107.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/M-Cinematography3-768x640.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/M-Cinematography3-324x270.png 324w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Expert use of sound<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Must See? <\/strong><br \/>\nYes, as a masterpiece of early sound cinema. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Categories<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Genuine Classic<\/li>\n<li>Important Director<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p> (<span style=\"color:red;font-weight:bold;\">Listed in <a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?page_id=1458\"><em>1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die<\/em><\/a><\/span>) <\/p>\n<p><strong>Links: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0022100\/\">IMDb entry<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/1933\/04\/03\/archives\/the-daesseldorf-murders.html\">NY Times Original Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tcm.com\/tcmdb\/title\/82216\/m#articles-reviews?articleId=38694\">TCM Article<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.moriareviews.com\/horror\/m-1931.htm\">Moria Review<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;But I can&#8217;t help it!&#8221; Synopsis: When a serial child murderer (Peter Lorre) in Berlin kills yet another young girl (Inge Landgut), Inspector Lohmann (Otto Wernicke) intensifies his search, leading the head of the criminal underground (Gustaf Gr\u00fcndgens) to rally his own men &#8212; including local beggars &#8212; in helping to identify, capture, and try Lorre. Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors: Amateur Sleuths Fritz Lang Films German Films Pedophiles Peter Lorre Films Serial Killers Response to Peary\u2019s Review: Peary opens&#8230;<\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more\"><a class=\"btn btn-default\" href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=71661\"> Read More<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">  Read More<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-71661","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-responses-to-peary"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/71661","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=71661"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/71661\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":71709,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/71661\/revisions\/71709"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=71661"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=71661"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=71661"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}