M
07-30-99 | 10:39 PM
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M (1931 German) a Fritz Lang film
Having read much about this film on DVD review sites and newsgroups, I decided to see for myself how good this film truly is. I usually don't much care for foreign films let alone those with subtitles but since this one is considered something of a classic, I rented it and sat down to watch it with a pint of Ben & Jerrys.
This film is about the hunt for that most despicable of criminals, the child murderer. A criminal to whom other criminals cannot abide. This man, if that word even applies to such a creature, is brilliantly portrayed by a young Peter Lorre. The film begins with a woman waiting for her little girl, Elsie, to get home from school. The children in the courtyard below are playing a game and singing about the child murderer as some sort of bogeyman. We see Elsie playfully walking home when she meets a stranger who buys her candy and balloons. That's the last time Elsie will be seen by anyone. The Police are baffled, they have no clues. The public is in chaos with people accusing eachother of being the madman. The criminals are in an uproar, the madman is causing the police to harass them mercilessly. They decide to catch the murderer themselves.
The ending of the film, which i will not reveal, left me cold, it never said what finally happened to Hans.
Transfer: considering the age of this film, excellent. There are lines in certain parts of the film but nothing really distracting. The soundtrack is in German and mono, and doesn't have much for a subwoofer to do. This isn't a shootem' up film, the suspense is of a psychological nature.
Having read much about this film on DVD review sites and newsgroups, I decided to see for myself how good this film truly is. I usually don't much care for foreign films let alone those with subtitles but since this one is considered something of a classic, I rented it and sat down to watch it with a pint of Ben & Jerrys.
This film is about the hunt for that most despicable of criminals, the child murderer. A criminal to whom other criminals cannot abide. This man, if that word even applies to such a creature, is brilliantly portrayed by a young Peter Lorre. The film begins with a woman waiting for her little girl, Elsie, to get home from school. The children in the courtyard below are playing a game and singing about the child murderer as some sort of bogeyman. We see Elsie playfully walking home when she meets a stranger who buys her candy and balloons. That's the last time Elsie will be seen by anyone. The Police are baffled, they have no clues. The public is in chaos with people accusing eachother of being the madman. The criminals are in an uproar, the madman is causing the police to harass them mercilessly. They decide to catch the murderer themselves.
The ending of the film, which i will not reveal, left me cold, it never said what finally happened to Hans.
Transfer: considering the age of this film, excellent. There are lines in certain parts of the film but nothing really distracting. The soundtrack is in German and mono, and doesn't have much for a subwoofer to do. This isn't a shootem' up film, the suspense is of a psychological nature.
