It is a debate that continues to rage in every courtroom, every police station, and just about every other episode of "Law & Order." Are murderers who are mentally incapacitated responsible for their crimes?
This is the question that makes up most of the second half of Fritz Lang's motion picture M, which tells the story of a child killer (played shockingly well by Peter Lorre) and the town that rises up to persecute him. The film takes a hint from the Russian cinema by having no real protagonist. In fact, those that are successful in tracking down Lorre and capturing him are criminals themselves, angry at the police's constant raids due to the child murderer still being at-large.
This was Lang's first attempt at a sound film. Unlike the American studios that wanted to fill their films with song and dance to take advantage of this new technology, Lang keeps the sound to a bare minimum. We slowly become familiar with Lorre's unique whistle, which signifies that another murder is about to take place.
He also is subtle with his camera. There is barely any violence in the film, but there is much implied. The infamous opening scene, in which Lorre claims another victim, is told in a most unique fashion. A ball slowly rolls out of a bush, a balloon gets caught in some telephone lines, and a mother calls out for her little girl, who didn't return home when she was supposed to.
The scene that stays with you is the mock trial, put on by the criminals who abduct Lorre. Lang allows each of the people involved to deliver an impassioned speech explaining their point-of-view and, frankly, each one of them is convincing, especially Lorre who, before he became typecast in American films like Casablanca and Arsenic and Old Lace, was an exceptional German actor.
By the end of the film, it's hard not to sympathize with Peter Lorre, despite the horrible crimes he has committed. But by having the final shot in the film be of the mothers of his victims, all dressed in black, it's clear what Lang's stance is.
This is required viewing for anyone interested in seeing one of Lang's greatest motion pictures (right up there with Metropolis). It's also one of the first, and one of the best, courtroom scenes ever put to film.
You can read another excellent review of M at Not Coming to a Theater Near You. You can also learn more about the new Criterion Collection 2-disc set.
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