Cinematography by Fritz Arno Wagner. Directed by Fritz Lang.
'M' was Fritz Lang's first '
talkie'. 'Talkies' were a
proletariat fad which eventually died off in favor of the gritty realism of silent films. I mean, can you imagine a world where films like 'Star Wars' or 'Toy Story' had sound? -shudder-
Below Lang uses a series of shots to inform us of Elsie Beckmann's fate. he mother calls out to her and these shots follow:
This is where you make the connection between psychology and editing. We connect these images, the empty chair, the rolling ball, the flailing balloon, to the child. And we make the assumption she has been attacked. The images are not solid evidence. There's no proof of what happened to Elsie. But the composition of these stark images, paired with a mother calling for her child gives us circumstantial evidence. So we serve as detectives during the sequence without really being aware of it. I point it out since we watch groups of citizens throughout the film take on the roll of detective in a similarly unqualified fashion.
The image of the balloon trapped in the power-lines is an allusion to the child being trapped.
The selections below have a silent film aesthetic to them. The actors and cinematographer both make use of dramatic gestures as if trying to express ideas without words.
I found it unsettling, which is the point. Lang wants us to feel the venom between the men. Not just to serve the scene, but to build the tension in the story. It's at this point we can see how the psyche of the public is splintering with people turning on each other.
The two shots below are another example of contrast and comparison. 'M' explores vigilante justice and government justice as we cut between two meetings. One with underworld figures, and one with elites.
Lang definitely implies there isn't much separating these worlds. The seamless transition on the hand movement connects the spaces. By the end of the scene both rooms are so full of smoke you can bare see their faces. They've blended together and become indistinguishable from one another.
The camera movement through glass reminded me of "Citizen Kane" when the camera splits the sign. I thought man, Lang was obviously influenced by Wells. Then I did basic math in my head and was disappointed in myself.
Below we've arrived at the final act. As the child killer, Beckert, stands trial in front of a jury of his peers we get this sublime shot. The balloon, a stand in for the child, floats above him, taking up a giant section of the screen. It's not just because balloons are awesome. They are, but this has deeper meaning. Look at how Beckert is positioned below the jury in the background. He is trapped between the two. He is at their mercy, a beggar.
The two shots below we see Lang use an off screen character to grab Beckert's shoulder. Both times it's as if the hand of god is reaching out to him.
If that's the hand of God, below is a sea of demons. It's not exactly comforting when you can't make out the faces of half the jury. Seems like this whole process may be rigged.
They might call themselves a jury, but they definitely resemble more of a mob.
At the end there's a moment where an old lady says something to the effect of 'this is our fault for not watching the children'. It's the 'rat across the balcony' of Fritz Lang's career. (Remember that? In the film Scorsese won his Oscar for? People in the theater were laughing when it happened.) I'd bet he had to throw it in because the subject matter was shocking at the time.
Highly recommended. It's historic, as Lang's first talkie, it deals with controversial themes, it uses the camera work to explore these themes, and it influenced the next generation of filmmakers like Wells and Hitchcock.
