M - A city that looks for a murderer

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Introduction/Interpretation of extract

Release date: 11th May 1931 (Germany)

Box office: $6,123 (Opening weekend in the USA)

Directed by: Fritz Lang 

Written by: Fritz Lang and wife Thea von Harbou

Cinematography by: Fritz Amo Wagner

Edited by: Paul Falkenberg

Plot summary: Set in early 1930's Berlin, M revolves the manhunt of an unknown child serial killer from the police and criminal underworld

Film narrative structure: M provides a set up and development like 3 Acts classical narrative structure HOWEVER the film reaches no resolution - audience has to reach their own resolution about how the narrative ends / decide if Hans Beckert is a child killer or not

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Relationship of extract to rest of the film

Chosen extract: 50:56 - 54:57 - halfway through film - antagonist, Hans Beckert, reveals darker side to personality to viewer as glimpse of little girl stimulates uncontrollable urges 

In relation to the rest of the film, my extract reveals the theme of:

  • the destructiveness behind Beckert's bourgeois facade 

Example 1: Throughout film Beckert seen doing ordinary, everyday activities (e.g buys groceries + reads newspapers). Chosen extract -  Beckert seen window shopping + visit to cafe for a drink which signifies bourgeois facade + displays ordinary, civilised behaviour. 

Example 2: Beckert's physical appearance The preferred reading is anchored by Beckert's costume that further emphasises bourgeois front - dressed in same style of hat + trench coat to other men seen in film. 

The duality of Beckert's character indicates the complexity of human nature and how it can compromise of many different and often conflicting facets. 

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Film's genre and director's intent

GENRE: Crime, Drama, Mystery

M conforms to typical conventions of a crime, drama, mystery film: questions for morality, debates about innoncence and guilt, portrays power struggles between authority and public and includes versimilitude (characters true to real life)

BUT BREAKS these typical conventions by the narrative of the film NOT reaching a resolution to the mystery...

Fritz Lang intended to structure M deliberately to bring forward the philosophical question of 'Is it morally justifable to execute a man for a crime he committed as a result of mental illness?' and purposely leave audience to decide if the ending should have happened one of the following three ways...

A. Beckert is the child serial killer B. Beckert is unable to control his actions due to mental illness C. Execution is the only way to prevent him from killing more children in the future.

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Sociocultural significance

Main historical/social issue addressed in M: deep physical and psychological scars left on Germany society from First World War...

  • In M, criminal underworld of Berlin is populated by those who fail to intergrate into society - many of these criminals could have been veterans in the war.
  • M indicates that the experiences of WW1 had turned Germany into a physiologically diseased society prone to irrational acts of violence, murder and frenzy. The turbulent city of Berlin in M is a physical manifestation of the damages caused by the experiences of war. 

1931 - Nazi Party - second largest political party in Reichstag. Their extreme right wing ideologies eventually resulted in extermination of minority groups in Germany e.g mentally ill. 

In July 1934, the Nazis banned the film in Germany - didn't agree with Nazi ideologies as portrayed ideas of mentally ill in Germany society

Fritz Lang + Peter Lorre (both Jewish) fled Germany in 1934

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Critical and commercial successes of the film

M was criticised by Variety (American entertainment trade magazine) in a review: "the film was a little too long. Without spoiling the effect—even bettering it, cutting could be done. There are a few repetitions and a few slow scenes."Variety reports mostly on theatre + vaudeville - reporters used to predominantly watching live theatre shows constructed to provide entertainment for an audience to keep their interest throughout so not adjusted to scenes in films that are created to build up tension

BUT M was also very well publicised...

Oxford graduate English writer Graham Greene compared the film to "looking through the eye-piece of a microscope, through which the tangled mind is exposed, laid flat on the slide: love and lust; nobility and perversity, hatred of itself and despair jumping at you from the jelly".

M was ranked at number thirty-three in Empire magazines' "The 100 Best Films Of World Cinema" in 2010 - biggest selling film magazine in UK 

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FOCUSED ANALYSIS 1

Characters/Acting: Main character focus: Beckert (antagonist) as he catches a glimpse of a child in a shop window - tries to contain himself and suppress the urges begin inside him. Beckert's character played by Peter Lorre - Lang said that he had Lorre in mind in process of writing script, didn't need to screen test Lorre as he knew he was already suited for the part. Lang believed that Lorre gave his best performance + was most distungished in film history - Lorre could perform raspy voice, bulging eyes and emotive acting - perfect for role of serial killer

Camera angles: most dominant camera angle: high camera angles used in shot-reverse shot of Beckert and little girl - connotation: signifies both subjects appear powerless and vulnerable - girl is vulnerable due to her innocence, Beckert is vulnerable due to mental illness 

 

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FOCUSED ANALYSIS 2

Camera shot types: introduces scene with establishing shot - denotation: busy Berlin street, Beckert seen window shopping connotation: Beckert hides behind bourgeois facade 

shot-reverse shot using singles - when Beckert is looking at little girl through mirror in window. creates connection between Beckert and little girl - preferred reading is anchored by shot-reverse shot that signifies that girl is in danger - Beckert's next victim 

Camera movement: camera follows characters throughout extract - Example 1denotation: trucking shot follows little girl as she window shops - connotation: personifies camera, hides in shadows, watching characters - adds to apprehensive atmosphere 

Example 2denotation: camera zooms in when Beckert sits in a cafe. connotationcaptures facial expressions preferred reading of facial expressions anchors uncontrollable urges, signifies mental illness 

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FOCUSED ANALYSIS 3

Framing + composition: denotation: diamond shape stack of bullets frames Beckert and little girl in shop window reflection connotation: enforces Beckert's split personalities (the docile, the child-like, the monstrous and the mentally ill) as he plays with expressions in reflection WHEREAS little girl apperas isolated by framing to suggests next target for serial killer. 

Lighting/shading/colour: M is filmed completely in black + white -  colour in film used more after 1935.  Chosen extract - shadowing draws attention to Beckert's murderous prowl Example 1: Beckert turns away from looking at reflection in window+ looks to the side - the preferred reading is anchored by the  shadowing of his eyes from hat's shadow which signifies Beckert's eyes become the camera - hides in the shadows, watching characters

 Example 2: Beckert sits outside cafe - throws cigarette out of his mouth, puts hands over face then over his ears - the preferred reading is anchored by dramatic intensity of light from inside cafe as Beckert puts hands of ears -  reveals Beckert is highly distressed + voices in his head becoming unbearable

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FOCUSED ANALYSIS 4

Editing/Sequencing: 13 shots used in extract in total

fast pace for beginning of extract as first 10 shots range between 4-12 seconds (when Beckert is examining girl in shop window)

PACE SLOWS FROM shot 11 when Beckert plays with expressions in reflection - 20 secs long. Preferred reading is anchored by increase in shot length which siginfies murderous urges begin emerging from within + how he desperately tries to suppress them from surfacing

Last two shots range for over 1 minute each - the preferred reading is anchored by winding down the pace of the scene by these last two shots which signifies that Lang may have intended for to prolong shots for the audience to try and understand the rising emotion in Beckert's character + emphasise for his character

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Sound

DIEGETIC SOUND: 

Lang's use of leitmotif - Beckert whistles 'In the Hall of the Mountain King' throughout the film, generally off-screen, just before he picks his victims. In extract, as camera follows little girl we hear this tuneThe preferred reading is anchored by the tune which alerts the audience to the presence of Beckert (who is still off-screen) thus helping build the tension in the film + fear safety of little girl. 

The use of the leitmotif also gives us a glimpse into the psychological make-up of Beckert - as he approaches his victim, or is in a stressful situation, the whistling begins to become shaky and out of tune. 

Sound is used by Lang to create an atmosphere full of fear, paranoia and dread

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