M

Legendary silent film director Fritz Lang's first "talkie," 1931's M is still--three-quarters of a century later--one of the most chilling portraits of a psychopath ever filmed. In fact, Peter Lorre (with his wheedling voice and bulging eyes) was forever typecast after his totally convincing portrayal of Hans Beckert, a child molester and murderer of little girls, who makes a mockery of the police. Under pressure from the terrified citizens of Berlin, the cops start hauling thugs and prostitutes off the street until the underworld--in a panic itself--begins its own manhunt. In one of the great cinematic conclusions, Beckert's habit of whistling "Hall of the Mountain King" from Grieg's Peer Gynt proves to be his downfall. Although Lang vigorously denied it, the film was undoubtedly based on the "Monster of Dusseldorf," Peter Kurten, a mass murderer and child molester, who was imprisoned shortly before Lang began work on M. Criterion's second release of M--this time with the correct aspect ratio and a gorgeous new digital transfer--is loaded with extras, including audio commentary by a pair of German film scholars, a 50-minute 1975 interview with Lang by director William Friedkin (The Exorcist), a 1982 short by Claude Chabrol inspired by M (and a brief interview with Chabrol), audio lectures by editor Paul Falkenberg coupled with footage from the film,  a 2004 interview with Harold Nebenzal (son of producer Seymour Nebenzal), a 25-minute retrospective "making-of" featurette, and a 32-page booklet. Highly recommended. Editor's Choice. (R. Pitman)[Blu-ray Review—Apr. 27, 2010—Criterion, 110 min., in German w/English subtitles, not rated, $39.95—Making its first appearance on Blu-ray, 1931's M sports a great transfer with DTS-HD 5.1 sound. Blu-ray extras are identical to the previous DVD release, including audio commentary by German film scholars Anton Kaes and Eric Rentschler, a “Conversation with Fritz Lang” with director William Friedkin (50 min.), classroom audiotapes of editor Paul Falkenberg discussing the film's history (36 min.), “The Physical History of M” featurette on production, distribution, and digital restoration (25 min.), Claude Chabrol's “M le maudit” short film and interview (18 min.), an interview with Harold Nebenzal, the son of late producer Seymour Nebenzal (15 min.), a stills gallery of behind-the-scenes photos and production sketches, and a booklet featuring an essay by film critic Stanley Kauffman, along with the script for a missing scene, three archival newspaper articles, and a 1963 interview with Lang. Bottom line: an excellent Blu-ray debut for a classic of foreign cinema.]