BrokenProjector.com

Kammerspielfilm, Part 1: M by Fritz Lang

Note from the author: This post is Part 1 of a trilogy of articles on German Expressionist Cinema movement of the 1920s and 1930s. The name given to this type of cinema is ‘Kammerspielfilm’ meaning ‘Chamber Feature Film’ in German. This trilogy presents three of the most important films that were made during this period.

‘M’ is no doubt the most critical film made by the great master Fritz Lang. Though cinema enthusiasts have acknowledged Lang’s previous film, the science fiction masterpiece ‘Metropolis’ (1927) as the film that was far too many years ahead of its time, ‘M’ stands on its own terms as the film that pushed the boundaries of time even further. It is astounding to think even today that an idea like ‘M’ was conceived in the year 1931, when movies with sound were only four years old.

‘M’ is a film that not only impressed audiences, it changed the way films were made and paved the way for many of the principles of modern cinema. For instance, ‘M’ was the film where the concept of ‘Leitmotif’ was introduced in the film’s score. Leitmotif (for those who are unfamiliar) is a term used to define a recurring musical theme that is associated with a certain person or instance during the course of the film. Another important factor that ‘M’ inspired is the use of traditional German Expressionist Cinematography combined with realistic set design (which was uncommon to prior Expressionist cinema). Although ‘M’ was released towards the twilight of Kammerspielfilm, it still remains a significant work of Expressionist Cinema. It is widely regarded as the first of the films to inspire the American Film Noir movement. ‘M’ was also one of the first films to use the techniques of Cross-cutting between two locations, establishing shots of empty building interiors and montage sequences.

‘M’ was no ordinary film.

A Study of the Plot

Berlin 1930s, the city is dwelling in fear from the recent emergence of a mysterious serial killer. Known only as the ‘Child Murderer’, he is accused for the disappearance and murder of several children. Mrs. Beckmann is eagerly awaiting the return of her daughter Elsie from school. In the meantime, Elsie is approached by a shadowy figure of a man who befriends her and buys her a balloon toy from a blind man. He is whistling to the tune of ‘The Hall of the Mountain King’. The face of the man is not revealed. Mrs. Beckmann begins to panic and eventually leaves to look for Elsie. Unfortunately for her, Elsie becomes the latest victim of the Child Murderer.

Following the latest strike of the murderer, the police increase the intensity of patrol all around Berlin and initiate a large-scale manhunt for the mysterious killer. Then one morning, the local newspapers receive a hand-written letter from the Child Murderer himself declaring his triumphant endeavours. Even with the aid of modern day criminology, finger-print matching and hand-writing analysis, the police are still unable to apprehend the criminal but they manage to confirm the fact that the person responsible is mentally ill. Simultaneously, the Killer is revealed to the audience to be Hans Beckert. Inspector Karl ‘Tubby’ Lohmann initiates intense police raids all around the city and targets usual underworld spots. This event leads to disorientation among the citizens and a subsequent downfall in the underworld’s business.

It’s not long before the major representative heads of the various underworld gangs gather at a secret meeting to contemplate on the current issues of police action. More than the downfall in business, they feel disgusted for the fact that the police are searching for a psychotic murderer of children among their circles. They eventually decide that they must apprehend the deadly criminal themselves and put an end to his activities before any further damage is done to their reputation and to their business. They also form an alliance with the beggars union to keep a discreet watch over the children of the city against any suspicious individuals.

The race for the search of the Killer begins and the various underworld criminals scan through the city carefully examining suspicious personalities as the vast network of beggars keep a watch over the children. It’s not long before temptation takes over Beckert and he lures another little girl into his web. But he makes the mistake of whistling his trademark tune as he passes by the same blind balloon salesman from Elsie’s murder. The blind man instantly recognizes the tune and alerts a criminal who is keeping a watch nearby. The criminal follows Beckert and the little girl to a candy store and hides behind the trash cans. He sees that Beckert is carrying a pocket-knife and knowing he can’t take him down on his own comes up with an idea. He writes the letter ‘M’ on the palm of his hand with a white chalk and manages to imprint it onto the shoulder of the killer’s coat by pretending to bump into him.

The word is spread! Every member of the criminal fraternity is notified of the identification mark on the criminal’s shoulder and they proceed to follow him. Beckert discovers the branding on his shoulder from the mirror on a store entrance and immediately knows he’s being tailed. He panics and leaves the child to run for his own safety. He ends up on a street and is found cornered in an office complex. Just then, the employees of the offices are dismissed and as they proceed to exit the premises, Beckert uses the crowd to his advantage to escape to the topmost floor and hide in the attic.

After the premises is closed, the criminals decide to take him out on their own as they storm the building complex from top to bottom in dozens. He is eventually discovered to be behind a locked door and as they plan to flush him out, one of the security guards activates the alarm andt alerts the nearby police station. The criminals manage to leave the complex with the killer but one of them, Franz, is left behind, eventually to be arrested by the police. He reveals to Inspector Lohmann that they had taken Beckert to an abandoned warehouse to put him to an end.

As Franz had described, the criminal mob takes Beckert to an abandoned warehouse to put him on a ‘kangaroo’ trial. Beckert is provided with a lawyer whose statements are eventually overruled and following a tear-filled confessional monologue by Beckert, it is decided that Beckert will be killed. Just before they are about to do the deed, the police storm in and arrest Beckert, leaving the fate of the ‘Child Murderer’ to an ambiguous ending.

The Genius of Fritz Lang

The brilliance of the film lies in the execution of Fritz Lang’s vision. The dark establishing shots, a mood of suspense and fear, the clear absence of a protagonist and the sheer excitement of the chase to the end are all part of what make this film Lang’s Magnum Opus. It is amazing how Lang fills the absence of a well-defined protagonist with the use of three separate segments of the society coming together in collaboration. The alliance formed between the criminals and beggars is both fascinating and impressive as an original idea. The portrayal of these usually negative characters as positive entities that keep a vigil over the city’s children is simply unheard of and unbelievably interesting even today.

Another important factor contributing to the film’s greatness is the standard of acting excellence set by Peter Lorre in his role as Hans Beckert- the Child Murderer. His boyish appearance and fearful eyes manage to strike terror and at the same time bring out a sense of sympathy towards the character. When you see Lorre expressing his helplessness to the ‘demons’ that haunt him, you get a crystal clear idea of what depths of darkness his character had endured. He is simply at his best in his monologue at the Kangaroo trial, where he goes from vengeful to helpless to devilish by just the use of his facial expression. This performance is simply one of the greatest in the history of world cinema.

Lorre’s incredible run as Beckert is well supported by Otto Wernicke in his role as Inspector Karl Lohmann. Portraying an old, fat, determined police inspector, Wernicke delivers an assuring figure to the audience as if to say that as long as he’s on the case, the Child Murderer will not be able to get away from justice. He also provides much of the comic relief to the film.

A Timeless Classic

Films like ‘M’ are timeless due to the fact that they were conceived from the vision of a master who aimed to inspire and not just entertain. If somebody were to take all the main elements of ‘M’ and reassembled it in a contemporary context, it would still thrill everyone as it did in 1931. And that is a feat which is rarely achieved.

‘M’ is available for download here.

Part 2: The Cabinet of Dr.Caligari by Robert Weine | Part 3: Nosferatu by F.W.Murnau