M - 1931 - Fritz Lang

There is something always intriguing about villains in films and books. And one of the most unknown, yet omnipresent villains in a single film has to be Hans Beckert, from Fritz Lang's M.

'Wer ist der Kindermörder?' is the question repeated on everybody's lips; the citizens, the police, the underworld, even the audience can't help but gaze helplessly at the screen, waiting for an answer. The suspense is in the absence of a lead. This is the main character - the central figure, but who is he? The only clue we can get is the opening scene, which imprints itself indefinately onto the minds of all those who see it.

A young girl, on her way home from school, bouncing a ball along the pavement, carefree, a simple routine. But it is interrupted by a voice, which belongs only to a shadow cast onto a poster, which implores for information about a recent murder of a child.

"Du hast aber einen schönen Ball!... Wie heißt du denn?" "Elsie Beckmann!"

("You have a very pretty ball!... What's your name, then?")

We then see this man buy a balloon for the girl, and takes her away, side-by-side, like father and daughter. Nothing more is seen of the girl, or of the murderer (until much later), except for a few artistic camera shots. An anxious mother, a place set at the table, where is she? ... an empty stairwell, an empty street, and then a bush - Elsie's ball rolls out from behind the bush, and we see the balloon, given to her, struggle against some telephone wires. Fade to black.

Why should you see this film? It is impressive in every single way. Everything is done purposefully, not just that the shot 'looked good' just by chance. We're dealing with Fritz Lang, one of the most famous directors in Germany, if not, the world. He brought us Metropolis four years before M. Metropolis was a flop at the time; it was expensive, long, and there were several other different complaints. M was Fritz Lang's first sound film and it was his saviour, and consequently, it became his favourite film which he had directed.

The best scene in this film, and undoubtably the best scene in cinematic history, is the last scene, the 'Kangaroo court' scene. Peter Lorre takes on the strenuous role of psychotic killer, and plead to an audience, why he must kill, how he must kill... There is no over-acting, and there is no 'talentless' acting; Peter Lorre executes the part perfectly, flooding his words and actions with emotion.

And to make the film even more perfect, there is no background music, at all. Some may claim this is a bad thing, but I do not agree; it gets rid of the barrier between fiction and truth; you are IN the film. Is this reality, what I see on the screen before me? And yet the actions are so real, how can it be fiction?

I highly recommend this film to anyone who enjoys complex storylines, within an overall basic plot. Fritz Lang's style is inimitable, yet sadly it has been re-made since, in 1951, which was not rated highly. Yet the original, rated highly by many, is something to be seen.