Join me for a moody stroll thru 1930 Berlin on the trail of a child murderer in Fritz Lang’s fascinating (but not necessarily masterful) first talkie. Peter Lorre is the main attraction, supported by a cast of colorful characters.
I examine the three basic ways to view the film (character piece, procedural, and parable on the dangers of vigilanteism). I examine where Lang may be fudging or unsure of what he wants to say. I suggest little improvements like “I would have done this all differently” and “I would have cut out this whole section of the film”. And I praise Lorre’s performance and the directing in general.
I fail to note that the only music is whistling, and it’s done only by the killer (famously), the lead detective, and the lead criminal. Why? No idea. Also, I fail to note that the film was shot in 1.2:1, which is kind of weirdly skinny.
Start the commentary with the film’s title logo, on the countdown.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Dear Tysto, the commentary for M was Excellent. I would appreciate your opinion concerning a couple of Milos Forman movies, Goya’s Ghosts and Amadeus. I recently saw the former and was surprised by how much I liked it despite having read that it got terrible reviews. A lot of people also seem to have a distaste for Amadeus while I consider it to be a great film. Because I have always appreciated your attention to the great films that others ignore (The Maltese Falcon and Casablanca episodes were AWESOME) I would like to request an Amadeus commentary someday. Am I the only one who gets a kick from from these two films? If any one has the critical eye to answer this it would be Tysto! Thanks for the podcast and keep em comin.
Never seen Goya’s Ghosts, but I liked Amadeus and—at the time—it was hugely popular. Maybe it’s fame has waned these days. It would be great to revisit. Thanks!