M
Criterion (1931)
Crime, Thriller
In Collection
#8111
0*
Seen It:  Yes
037429197820
IMDB   8.5
1 hr 57 mins Germany / German
DVD  Region 1   NR
Peter Lorre Franz Becker
Ellen Widmann Madame Beckmann
Inge Landgut Elsie Beckmann
Otto Wernicke Insp. Karl Lohmann
Theodor Loos Police Commissioner Groeber
Gustaf Gründgens Schraenker
Friedrich Gnaß Franz (the burglar)
Fritz Odemar Dynamiter
Paul Kemp Pickpocket with six watches
Theo Lingen Bauernfaenger
Georg John
Director
Fritz Lang
Producer Seymour Nebenzal
Writer Egon Jacobson
Fritz Lang
Thea Von Harbou
Cinematography Fritz Arno Wagner


"An unmistakable classic...Entirely unforgettable."-Halliwell's Film Guide

A simple, haunting phrase whistled off-screen tells us that a young girl will be killed. "Who is the murderer?" pleads a nearby placard as serial killer Hans Beckert (Peter Lorre) closes in on little Elsie Beckmann...

In this harrowing masterwork , Fritz Lang merges trenchant social commentary with chilling suspense, creating a panorama of private madness and public hysteria that to this day remains the blueprint for the psychological thriller. The Criterion Collection is proud to present a new restoration of this landmark film.
Edition Details
Edition Special Edition
Distributor Criterion
Release Date 2002
Packaging Custom Case
Screen Ratio Standard 1.33:1 B&W
Subtitles English
Audio Tracks GERMAN: Dolby Digital Mono
Layers Single Side, Single Layer
No. of Disks/Tapes 2

Features
Disc 01 Audio Commentary by German film scholar Eric Rentschler, author of The Ministry Of Illusion: Nazi Cinema and Its Afterlife and Anton Kaes, author of the BFI Film Classics volume on M
Conversation with Fritz Lang, an interview film by William Friedkin
Claude Chabrol's M Le Maudit, a short film inspired by Mplus an interview with Chabrol by Pierre-Henri Gibert and Lang's filmmaking techniques.
Classroom tapes of M editor Paul Falkenberg discussing the film and its history
Interview with Harold Nebenzal, the son of M producer Seymour Nebenzal
A physical history of M
Stills gallery with behind the scenes photos, and production sketches by art director Emil Hasler
Booklet featuring an essay by film critic Stanely Kauffmann, a 1963 interview with Lang and the script for a missing scene, and contemporaneous newspaper articles