M

M

1931

German-American director Fritz Lang presents his first "talkie" -- and cinema's first serial killer -- in this 1931 classic. Plump pedophile Hans Beckert (Peter Lorre), propelled by a compulsion he can't control, escapes the eye of the law -- but not the wrath of the Berlin underworld being blamed for his crimes. The character of Beckert was later used in Nazi propaganda films to illustrate the evils of sexual deviance.

IT STAGGERS THE SENSES!...SHOCKS the Imagination - It will leave you Gasping - It is the Sensation of 3 Continents!

JBscale
96
Superior

Film Detail

Genre
Crime - Thriller
Length
1 hr. 50 mins.
US Theatrical Release
March 31, 1933
US Box Office
No Data Available
Global Office
No Data Available
Rating
NR
Not Rated

Collection Detail

Edition
2-Disc [Blu-Ray + DVD] Criterion Collection # 30
Resolution | Digital Platform
Aspect Ratio
FS 1.19:1
Audio
German: PCM Mono
Studio
Criterion
Released
May 11, 2010
Acquired Date
July 22, 2014
Times Seen
1 Time
Last Watched
March 16, 2007

Actors

Peter Lorre
Peter Lorre
Ellen Widmann
Ellen Widmann
Inge Landgut
Inge Landgut
Otto Wernicke
Otto Wernicke
Theodor Loos
Theodor Loos
Gustaf Gründgens
Gustaf Gründgens
Friedrich Gnaß
Friedrich Gnaß
Fritz Odemar
Fritz Odemar
Paul Kemp
Paul Kemp

Directors

Fritz Lang
Fritz Lang

Producers

Seymour Nebenzal
Seymour Nebenzal

Writers

Thea von Harbou
Thea von Harbou
Fritz Lang
Fritz Lang

Awards & Accolades

  • 2008 IMDB Top 250: Film - Rank: #43
  • 2009 IMDB Top 250: Film - Rank: #47
  • 2010 IMDB Top 250: Film - Rank: #59
  • 2011 IMDB Top 250: Film - Rank: #52
  • 2012 IMDB Top 250: Film - Rank: #52
  • 2013 IMDB Top 250: Film - Rank: #59
  • 2018 IMDB Top 250: Film - Rank: #79
  • 2019 IMDB Top 250: Film - Rank: #90
  • 2022 IMDB Top 250: Film - Rank: #97

Special Features

Commentaries
  • University of California at Berkeley professor Anton Kaes, author of the BFI Film Classics volume on M, and Harvard University professor of German Eric Rentschler, author of The Ministry of Illusion: Nazi Cinema and Its Afterlife
Documentaries
  • A Physical History of M
Other
  • Claude Chabrol's M le maudit
  • Conversation with Fritz Lang
  • Harold Nebenzal interview
  • Paul Falkenberg's Classroom Tapes
  • Audio Commentary
  • Featurettes

Other Recommendations

Around the World in 80 Days41

1956

Ministry of Fear80

1944

Destiny82

1921

Big Heat, The91

1953

Constant Nymph, The66

1943

Beast with Five Fingers, The80

1946

Arsenic and Old Lace87

1944

Metropolis95

1927

User Reviews

  • Fantastic classic. One of my new favorite films, for superb plot, acting, and direction.

    3.19.2007 by biglummox (10/10)

Ratings

JB Users
100
Flawless
RT Fresh
100%
Tomatometer
63 votes
RT Fresh Certified
95%
Popcornmeter
2,235 votes
METASCORE
--
 
IMDb RATING
8.3/10
174,669 votes

Additional Info

  1. IMDb
  2. Kids-in-Mind
  3. Common Sense Media