M-azing.

1931 German film M is a thriller about a child murderer who cannot be caught. This sends Germany into a panic because their children can no longer be left alone to play on the street. I would like to take this blog entry, and instead of praising the film for its ideas and directing, do a mis en scene of what I believe to be the most important part of the entire film.

In this scene, the murderer has just been recognized. One of the homeless men drew an M on his hand in chalk to mark the murderers back. This way, he cannot escape. This was the turning point of the entire movie, in my opinion. Prior to the M, the conflict was primarily between the murderer and the children. However, not the conflict is not whether the kids are in danger anymore, but how are they going to capture this monster. The focal point of the movie takes a 180 spin and this is no longer a child murderer mystery film. From this point on, the film is about the chase. This frame captures the face of the murderer perfectly. To anyone viewing this picture, the fear in his eyes is evident; it is written all over his all-too-readable face. It is also clear that the fear is directly connected to the M that had just been placed on his back. However, to anyone viewing this frame without seeing the movie it is not known whether he knows the M is there or not.

What is also important in this shot is the placement of the figures. Most of the frame is taken up by the child murderer. He is looking over his shoulder, which symbolizes looking into the past, perhaps regret. However, as viewers know he feels none of that. The fact that he is looking over his shoulder means only that he is regretting that he got caught, nothing else. The homeless man takes up a small portion of the screen, while the little child who is the target of M takes up none of it, although she is a main part of this scene. This is no accident. Although the child is the sole reason for this man to be caught, she is no longer of any importance. The viewer understands that the children are no longer in danger, and the fight has evolved to a completley new level.

I know I said I wouldn't praise this movie, however I can't not say a few good things about it since most of my entries are negative critiques. This was a thriller unlike any modern ones made. I never expected to like a black and white German film, but I was in fact surprised to find it intriguing. Unlike the gory movies made today, I thought the director did an excellent job instilling some feelings of fear in the viewer without having to show any disgusting details. This film is indeed M-azing.