Search - M [Criterion Collection] on DVD

Content Advisory: Not For Children Movie Release: 1931 DVD Release: 11/03/1998 Format: DVD - Black and White Edition: Special Collection Audio Tracks: German Subtitles: English SwapaDVD Credits: 1 Number of Discs: 1 Run Time: 1 hrs 50 mins Studio: Criterion Members Wishing: 31 Genres: Thriller, Psychological Thriller, Police Detective Film See Also: M [Criterion Collection]

Fritz Lang's classic early talkie crime melodrama is set in 1931 Berlin. The police are anxious to capture an elusive child murderer (Peter Lorre), and they begin rounding up every criminal in town. The underworld leaders decide to take the heat off their activities by catching the child killer themselves. Once the killer is fingered, he is marked with the letter "M" chalked on his back. He is tracked down and captured by the combined forces of the Berlin criminal community, who put him on trial for his life in a kangaroo court. The killer pleads for mercy, whining that he can't control his homicidal instincts. The police close in and rescue the killer from the underworld so that he can stand trial again in "respectable" circumstances. Some prints of the film end with a caution to the audience to watch after their children more carefully. Filmed in Germany, M was the film that solidified Fritz Lang's reputation with American audiences, and it also made a star out of Peter Lorre (previously a specialist in comedy roles!). M was remade by Hollywood in 1951, with David Wayne giving a serviceable performance as the killer. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Peter Lorre - Franz Becker
Ellen Widmann - Madam Becker
Inge Landgut - Elsie
Gustaf Gründgens - Schraenker
Friedrich Gnass - Burglar

Fritz Lang's classic M arrives on DVD with a standard full-frame 1.33:1 image that faithfully reproduces the original theatrical image. The German soundtrack is rendered in Dolby Digital Mono. English subtitles are accessible. Although there are no special features to speak of, the vast influence this film still has on directors (check out Silence of the Lambs and Seven) makes it a great disc for any film lover or Peter Lorre fan. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide