M
In many ways Fritz Lang’s M (1931) defined the serial-killer movie subgenre, with the help of his big name followers like Alfred Hitchcock. M is also the essential early film for fans of film-noir. With its children playing in a dark cityscape, singing creepy songs about bogeymen, an angry mob on a manhunt, an impending sense of doom, and a twisted psychopath, this film has it all.
The only one to debate the influence of the real-life serial killer Peter Kürten, the "Vampire of Düsseldorf" was Fritz Lang himself, who did extensive research with his wife, Thea von Harbou, to create the effect he was looking for. Yet, the timing of the Kürten case and the making of the film match up perfectly. The similarities between the killer in the movie and Kürten add up quickly. Certain scenes in M seem to borrow directly from an article in Kriminal-Magazin that gave details about the suspect and described the yet-to-come scene in M, in which an older man who speaks to a child he doesn’t know immediately brings suspicion upon himself.
The hunt for the killer parallels the hunt for the "Vampire of Düsseldorf" in the involvement of the criminal mafia in seeking out the suspect. The Düsseldorf police actually turned to organized crime leaders for help, which is a main aspect of the plot in M. But the film is not just about Kürten, the influences of other cases, like the “Butcher of Hannover,” Fritz Haarmann, are also evident throughout the film.
As part of their research into the methods of police work, Fritz Lang and his wife met with psychiatrists who specialized in serial killers. They wanted to avoid the exaggerations of this ‘type-character’ as it appeared in other films. Thus, the killer in the movie M, Hans Beckert is a very three-dimensional complex character with a complete psychological profile. Another effect of their research is the documentary feel of the scenes in the police station. Lang even hired fellons during the catacomb scenes to make the film as realistic and believable as possible.
| 1 | 2 | next >>