Review of M (1931) by Adam S — 12 Feb 2012

Peter Lorre is only on screen in this Fritz Lang early sound masterpiece for less than 30 minutes, but his performance, as a tormented child murderer who is hunted and tried by a gang of underworld criminals, is so riveting and complex that he all but steals the show.

But that is impossible with Lang and cinematographer Fritz Arno Wagner working full steam to create a visual equivalent to the social jail Lorre feels closing in around him, with high angles, mirrors, reflections, and virtual bars (wood slags, hedges, curtains) suggesting this man's imminent physical and moral collapse.

Not only does Lang create a fluid mise-en-scene that, possibly for the first time, feels unbound by cumbersome audio equipment, but one that brilliantly utilizes sound for all its effect, capturing the murderer's haunting whistle as the ultimate red herring in his ultimate downfall.

This is one of a handful of early 30's sound films that belongs on any list of the greatest films of all time, and Criterion's recent Blu-ray pays it tribute with a glorious roster of extras, including an old interview with the master himself, a commentary track, a rare inclusion of the simultaneously made English language version, and a short film by Claude Chabrol.