M [Masters of Cinema] [DVD]

Fritz Lang, probably better known for the masterful `Metropolis', is responsible for this rather disturbing and thought provoking study of a serial child killer in mid war Germany. The story has been compellingly constructed by a master craftsman. From the earliest scenes of a mother waiting for her child to come home, through the police hunt for the killer, then the trial at the end, with Peter Lorre's defence, this is gripping stuff.

The story centres around Peter Lorre as the disturbed and disturbing killer. I was more familiar with his later, more comedic roles in America, and was totally blown away by this incredible performance. His performance is perfectly nuanced, playing the frightened man to a tee.

The story is shown in a series of set pieces. The film starts with images of a child playing in a street, and her mother waiting for her to come home. The child never arrives, and the scenes of Mother waiting in her flat with dinner on the table, and eventually receiving the news are emotionally charged. There is hysteria in Berlin, and a police search for the killer. The police procedures are shown in amazing forensic detail, and are totally gripping. The action shifts to the criminal underworld, who are being hurt by the police intrusion into their activities during their hunt for the killer. They decide to take their own action, tracking down the killer in a series of totally gripping scenes, then comes the films masterstroke - the criminals put Lorre on trial and he is forced to defend himself in front of the `court'. His defence is brilliant, his explanation for his crimes utterly disturbing - we are left feeling that we have been given insight into the mind of a real murderer. Then, finally, Lorre ends up on trial in front of a real court, and we are left devastated at the end with the Mother's reaction to the sentence handed down.

I've never been so gripped or disturbed by a film. Supposedly based on the atrocities of Peter Kurten, the so called `Vampire of Dusseldorf' this is a fascinating study of the criminal mind. Lang did his research well, and has some genuine insights to offer here.

This is yet another superb presentation from Eureka. The film has been nicely restored, with several sections of previously missing film reconstituted. The film is presented in its original 4:3 aspect ratio, and the picture is as clean and sharp as possible. There is a mono soundtrack in German, with English subtitles. There is a second disk with a series of nice documentaries about the making of and restoration of the film. A ten out of ten presentation for an eleven out of ten film.

Definitely recommended to fans of psychological thrillers and classic cinema.

Blu-ray Specifications:

Case Type - Slimmer U.S type case.

Disc - AVC, BD50, Region B locked.

Video - 1.19:1 aspect ratio in a 16:9 frame (black bars appear at the left and right of the screen). 1080p/24fps. Black and White.

Audio - Original German language. 2.0 dual mono DTS-HD Master Audio.

Subtitles - Optional English subtitles.

Supplements -
Commentary with German film scholars Anton Kaes and Eric Rentschler.
Commentary with film restoration expert Martin Koerber, filmmaker Peter Bogdanovich, historian Torsten Kaiser and excerpts from Bogdanovich's 1965 audio interviews with Fritz Lang.
20 minute interview with Fritz Lang (box says documentary, but its more of an interview).
Shorter 1932 U.K theatrical release version (in English language and upscaled to 1080p) - features alternate takes, and different actors.
48 page booklet.

Censorship? - No censorship or cuts have been made to the film on this disc. The BBFC have given the film a PG Certficate. The film contains disturbing subject matter and infrequent mild bad language. This is the longest version of the film (110 minutes) that has been available since the films premiere.

'M' is a superb thriller, and possibly Fritz Lang's finest film. Considering the time it was made it is quite disturbing, and i can imagine audiences in the early thirties were shocked when they saw this film in the cinema. Peter Lorre is excellent as the child killer and the films final moments are extremely powerful. The picture quality is easily one the best i've seen for a film this old. Plenty of grain and no digital tinkering as far as i know. The audio is equally as good (note: there are a few scenes that are completely silent - this was director Fritz Lang's intent). The commentaries are very informative, and so is the short but excellent Fritz Lang interview(He talks about Hitler wanting him to make films for the Nazi's and why he fled Germany to live and work in America). The booklet is also of high quality. The inclusion of the 1932 U.K cinema release version is a welcome one. It is dubbed in English and contains a few alternate scenes. The picture quality is no way near as good as the main feature but its worth a look if your a fan of this film.

The U.S Region A locked Criterion Collection edition contains a couple of addtional featurettes, a short film 'M le Maudit' inspired by Fritz Lang's M and also a stills gallery. It misses one of the commentaries from this U.K release and the Fritz Lang interview as well (although it does feature a different one). If you own a multi-region Blu-ray player then the U.S release may be the best one to get, however thats not to say the U.K edition is no good (far from it!)

A masterpiece of a film given a 1st class treatment for Blu-ray. Highly recommended.

M is Fritz Lang's true masterpiece, even outshining the more famous METROPOLIS. Finally a DVD has come along that does it considerably more justice than Peter Lorre, starring as Hans Beckert, seems to be getting in the films famous climactic scenes.
Inge Landgut, as Elsie Beckmann, Beckerts victim at the start of the film is an excellent young actress, who portrays the naivety of youth superbly, and the way in which Lang "shows" her murder is handled with an understated style that makes it far more frightening than later, more explicit horror films.
The package put together by Eureka is spot on, the remastered film shining through in awesome quality, the cover grabbing you, making you want to see the film, and the documentaries and extras being of a remarkably consistent standard throughout.
A great film far ahead of it's time, and always worth watching.