Filmmaker Fritz Lang is a favorite of mine. I’ve seen an overwhelming majority of his features, partly because he is one of the most visually stylized silent filmmakers and his transition to sound I find most fascinating. Whenever dialogue wasn’t needed, he could effortlessly create indelible imagery. M is my favorite transition film because a large portion of it contains no dialogue, so he could charge the story with his imagery, including long tracking shots, a memorable use of props and having people stand in ways that match their inner drama. It’s also the best transition film in the use of sound and silence and music, for its motif of “In the Hall of the Mountain King,” which becomes the whistled theme of the film’s villain.
That villain is played by Peter Lorre in the performance that made him a star and typecast him as a villain for his entire career. When he finally gets to speak, its chilling as he makes his case for not being able to control his impulses. That is during the “kangaroo court” climax, which is where the film elevates from a great crime thriller to a thought-provoking masterpiece.
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