M Reviews

[Highly rated reviewer]

Fantastic

This is truly a fantastic film.

The plot meanders along giving you the sense of a spectre haunting sets as the story slowly unravels itself.

The acting is very strong making particular note to the opposing parts of the police chief and mob boss who through there own ways are both after similar goals.

the only complaints i have are with the production of the DVD its self:

1. the print is in clear need of restoration with it even braking up in parts and the contrast has be hugely lost. It amazes me that a film of such significance has been left to reach such a condition.

2. Who the hell thought it was a good idea to put white subtitles over the screen on a black and white film, it renders about half the script unreadable making the viewer more or less having to guess the ends of sentences.

3. What is with the menu screen being full of female vampires and bare breasts??? not right for a PG DVD or anything to do with the plot.

M for Masterly-in no way dated

If you are in no way interested in history and you like your thrills cheap and visceral, please avoid this cracking film. The fearful, doomed atmosphere of Weimar Germany is vividly brought to life.The vengeful hateful mob seem even worse than the perpetrator of abhorrent crimes-pretty damn prescient with the Nazis three years away.Creepy sad-eyed Lorre is superb,no wonder he went on to such a successful career in Hollywood.Admittedly it would be better if the subtitles were in black rather than white but the painstaking print restoration has preserved a masterpiece.(less dated, in theme, than the better-known Metropolis.)

Creepy Stuff ...

Honestly, I'm still kind of surprised that a film like this actually existed back in 1931. Because of the extremely dark subject matter, even today the project would have plenty of difficulty getting off the ground. But the important thing is that it DOES exist, and even back then it's clear that at least somebody out there knew how innovative and brilliant cinema can be, which leaves no excuse for all those bloody awful films the studios churned out at the time.

Fritz Lang as usual allows things to unfold at a leisurely pace, which is fine although he does linger too long on some aspects particularly in the middle section of the film, which means that it very nearly suffers from that age-old disease whereby a film has a great opening and a great ending, but is ruined by the fact that it lags heavily in the middle. But there are enough to great scenes and original ideas in there to ensure that this is among the greatest films of all the time.

I'm sure today's directors must envy Fritz Lang in that back then he had pretty much a blank slate, and so was free to experiment without fear of borrowing from other places, so ultimately you have to admit that this is not a film about other films -- it's a film about life, inspired by real life and shot in a way that truly tries to memorably capture everyday life.

The highlight of the film as far as the acting is concerned is of course Peter Lorre's haunting, creepy little performance as the child murderer himself. There is one point in the film where the killer is standing in front of a shop window, and his reflection in the glass is dark and murky except for his eyes when he looks over at a little girl, which glow like those of a demon -- almost certainly an accident, but a great-looking accident nonetheless.

The missing link between Expressionism and Film Noir

Fritz Lang's 'M' is one of the most powerful yet frightening films ever made. The plot, focusing around a community's attempts to capture a child murderer, is a strong metaphor which allows Lang to indulge in morbid social satire. All the while he creates dark scenes steeped in realism, which go hand in hand with the unsettling sounds of a divided society.

The sinister whistling of the murderer, as well as his ever-present shadow, follows a society unable to work together. The civilians, for a start, become possessed by paranoia and suspicion. The police are also useless, and the criminal underworld only want to get their hands on the killer to protect their own interests. The only man able to identify 'M' is ironically the least powerful: he is an elderly, blind balloon seller.

The final set-piece, which was cut from the original version, is a masterful trial in which a courtroom of criminals is confronted with a disturbing insight into the mind of a social outcast. Brimming with beautiful photography which led the jagged madness of German expressionism into the shady world of crime cinema, 'M' is a cinematic masterpiece.

Balsa

Apart from the dramatic last part of the film where Lorre does a fantastic cameo scene the film was as uninteresting as the wooden type acting and more wooden type sets. Even in 1931the lighting could have been more of a contast .

I expected Charlie Chaplin to make an appearance.

One of the finest European films ever!

This was Fritz Lang's first talking picture and on seeing it you would think he had been making them for years.

A truly terrifying film that scares you by what you don't see. A child killer is constantly eluding capture and in their desperation turn to the underwold in their search. The underworld cannot live with the interference, so decide to find the killer themselves. Peter Lorre as the killer is absolutely mesmerizing. The use of shadow and sound technique is again Lang at his finest. Lang uses sound by not using sound.

This is widely regarded as one of the best European films ever made. And is regularly listed as one of the best films ever made. The subject matter is still as relevent today as it was back then.

This film's importance in setting the blueprints for future filmmakers cannot be underestimated. A film that demands to be seen.

Incredible !

Starts of a little ropey although extremely sophisticated for its time, dealing with multiple ideas and themes of human nature. Once the courtroom scene begins it is like a different film, tense and atmospheric.Absolutely brilliant. Fritz Lang was a brilliant and influential film maker. Check out his other work which includes Metropolis

[Highly rated reviewer]

Two very different DVD releases

It seems that there are two different releases of this movie and which one you watch will greatly affect your enjoyment.

When I selected just the feature disc on its own, I was sent the Redemption release. This is the disc with the gun-toting topless vampire menu. It also has a poor quality transfer, picture glare and unfocused white subtitles that are impossible to read. I sent this unwatchable disc back with a complaint, as I had to give up after 20 minutes.

When I selected both the feature and the bonus discs, I was sent the Eureka release of the movie. (I deselected the bonus disc, once the feature had been posted.)

The Eureka release is the 2 DVD set and has the cover you see advertised. The menu is animated and features the shadow of Peter Lorre and the bouncing ball. The print is vastly improved and there is an accompanying documentary, 'The Restoration Of M'. The subtitles are still white, but in a clearer font and on a grey box background. There is room for improvement, but they are clearly legible without any struggle.

If you want to watch this iconic movie, make sure they send you the right release.

Hope this helps.

Unwatchable due to poor subtitles

Although the images are vert engaging, it was impossible to follow the story due to the very poor quality of the subtitles.

They are the 'burned in' kind, and white, which meant that in many shots, you just can't read them against a light background.

A real shame as I was looking forward to checking out this classic.

[Highly rated reviewer]

Everyone should watch it!

This is an incredible film that, I think, everyone could relate to especially in contemporary society where such a profound reaction in the way we keep our children 'safe' has, sadly, resulted in a restriction of their movement in society. Of course, the child abduction/murder is an allegory for the unacceptable in society - as the child murderer is hounded down, even the underworld joins in to seek his capture and the point is made clearly. In short it is a witch hunt and an impromptu 'trial' ensues where we hearfrom the 'monster' himself what it is to be such a man. The images suggesting the abductions/murders themselves are unforgettable as is the whistling by the murderer of Grieg's 'In the Hall of the Mountain King' - when you've watched this film the tune will stay embedded in the pysche as the announcement of the boogeyman. It's strange that when you watch this film after seeing other films such as 'Red Dragon', 'Manhunter', 'Silence of the Lambs' or, even, 'Psycho' this film seems to evoke a much stronger, more palable examination of the terrors man can stoop to and yet there is a folklorish quality which reminds us of every fairy tale we have ever read as children.