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M AKA Fritz Lang's M
R4 - Australia - Accent Review written by and copyright: Noor Razzak (15th December 2004). |
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The Film
 Iconic German filmmaker Fritz Lang belongs among the most influential and elite filmmakers the world has ever known. Having created some of the most intricate and beautiful silent films such as Dr. Mabuse, der Spieler (AKA Dr. Mabuse, King of Crime) in 1922 and pioneered modern special effects in his 1927 film Metropolis. At his peak Lang’s films were the cause of much controversy in Germany, at the time under Hitler’s Nazi regime and his first sound film M caused quite a stir among the halls of power. Causing the party to issue an outright ban on the film seeing it as a metaphorical statement against the Nazis. The same occurred with his follow-up film The Testament of Dr. Mabuse and it was soon after that that Lang fled Germany never to return. Continuing his filmmaking carer in The United States and into the 1960’s until his death in 1976. M tells the sordid tale of Hans Beckett (Peter Lorre), a devious child murderer who has long thrived beneath the surface of society. As Beckett takes another victim hysteria builds. Doggedly pursued by the police, hunted by the criminal underworld, hated by all, Beckett has nowhere to go, he can no longer exist beneath the surface, no longer stalk in the shadows. He is now visible and is vulnerable as his victims. On the run and crucified at every turn, Beckett is forced to confront the pain caused by his own acts of evil and tyranny, he must also now endure the violence and fury of a society he has long avoided, a society intent on vengeance and justice. He is a man that will forever bare the mark of M, murderer and monster. The history of M is a long and complicated one, having only just premiered in 1931 and suddenly banned in 1934 the film was vaulted away for many years and it wasn’t seen until 1966 that audiences got to see Lang’s final complete version of the film. When it came time to release the film on home video in 1996 the film underwent a restoration, however the music and sound effects were added in places that the director purposely left quiet, additionally the film was mutilated with several scenes missing and to add further insult to injury the image was cropped to fit the more conventional 4:3 screen shape. This so-called restoration was a mockery to this classic film, it wasn’t until 2003 that the film was finally given the restoration that it so rightfully deserves. The film was edited back to its uncut version, the music and sound was restored to the way it was originally presented and most importantly the film was given a complete clean-up and for the first time since 1931 presented in it’s original 1:19:1 pillar box ratio. Long after he left Germany and his passing M stands as one of the greatest films ever made, and a cinema gem that is unbelievably still available to audiences today after 73 years of neglect and damage thanks to the many organisations that lent their services to the complete restoration. It was with their help that this film will continue to live onwards for many more generations to see and enjoy. Many reviewers have heralded this film, but what is it about this film that makes it so good? To begin with considering the date of creation the film’s subject matter is considerably grim and dark, the story itself based on an actual murder but sensationalised here in the film was rather groundbreaking in the time where cinema was still an emerging art form no one expected to see a serial killer story on the screen, people where still being charmed by Chaplin. While the story is tame by today’s standards the creep factor still holds up, imagine if you took a film like Seven went back in time to the 1930’s and screened it, think of how audience might react. That’s probably how they reacted when M first premiered. Additionally Lorre’s compelling and haunting performance as Beckett shines especially during the trial by criminals at the end of the film, here we see a true artist at work. The performance is so emotionally deep you’ll actually feel for the character’s plight. In fact his performance was so wonderfully realised that it haunted Lorre’s entire carer, causing him to be typecast as the villain in many films. "M" is a piece of cinema history that has finally been given the treatment it deserves and is a highly charged suspense film that should be seen by all. A true gem in every respect of the word.
Video
Presented in the film’s original pillar box aspect ratio of 1.19:1, this transfer features vertical black bars on the left and right hand sides of the image. This transfer is restored from an actual film print elements gathered from various parts of the world and being a film that’s over 70 years old this transfer is quite possibly the best that this film has ever looked. The numerous organisations that laboured over this film has paid off well, each aspect of the restoration was handled by specialists in the field, for example the restoration of the film’s original cut was done in Germany, the film transfer in Italy, and then the elaborate and time consuming restoration of the image itself was done in Australia. For this film millions of instances of dirt, scratches, tape marks, tears, breaks, black marks, spots etc, were removed and cleaned. The image was sharpened and the original ratio of the film was preserved. Pervious releases cropped the image to fit the 4:3 standard TV ratio, but here we have the complete image presented uncropped. The image is not entirely perfect, film grain is evident throughout the film, the quality of the transfer does fluctuate from scene to scene as certain film elements were sourced from various prints, the transfer also features occasional shimmering, although this release is fully restored and remastered only so much can really be done for a film of over 70 years of age. Either way I’m confident in saying that this release is quite possibly the best transfer the film has ever received. Bravo to all who worked to make this possible. Considering this film’s restoration history this transfer gets an A+.
Audio
This film features only one soundtrack, a German Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono track, overall the soundtrack is just as good as the transfer. Surprisingly I could not detect any hissing, pops or distortion. There was the occasional drop out but this was very minor and always between fade-outs and fade-ins. The dialogue was always clear, the music is presented well although there are segments in the film where no sound is employed at all, not even sound effects. I’m not sure whether this was a device used by the director or if those sound recordings are actually missing. If they are missing it is quiet understandable, aside from this the track is excellent. The film features optional subtitles in English, the presentation of the subtitles are very good and feature a shadowbox around the text to make them easier to read. I found the subtitles grammatically accurate however sometimes they did flash a little too quickly at times.
Extras
DISC ONE: The first disc includes a feature-length audio commentary in this commentary you will hear from transfer supervisor of the restored cut Torsten Kaiser, a 1965 interview with director Fritz Lang as conducted by filmmaker Peter Bogdanovich, who also adds to the commentary reflecting on the film and his interview with the director and finally you’ll also hear from the film restoration supervisor Martin Koerber. This is an excellent track that uncovers all the many facets of M and it’s torrid restoration history, the Lang interview also includes some very unique insight into the film and his relationship with the Nazi party during that time. The technical aspects come into light form both Kaiser and Koerber and touch on the many difficulties in creating this transfer. Overall an excellent commentary that is very much worth listening to and in fact is one key highlight on this release. The second extra we have on this disc is a 23-minute documentary entitled Digital Restoration with Peter Campbell of IML Digital Media in Melbourne Australia where the restoration process took place. Here Campbell takes into the process that was required to clean up the film form it’s original elements and shows us the before and after results for both the image and the sound. An insightful piece that give the viewer an inside look at what it truly takes to clean up a film so neglected as this. DISC TWO: Moving onto the second disc where more extras are housed, the first of which is an 18-minute video essay entitled Lending Order to Horror – M narrated by R. Dixon Smith, this piece covers the general making of the film from its conception, production and also touches on the film’s director and cast. This piece gives the viewer a more personal look at the film itself rather than the technicalities of restoring it. Next we have an interview entitled For Example: Fritz Lang this piece by Erwin Leiser is an in-depth study of the man’s career, his films and most importantly M. Lang discusses on his own words the making of the film, the trouble he had with the Nazi and his inevitable fleeing from his country. This is an excellent archival piece that makes a welcomed addition to this set. Following that we have a 1965 audio interview with Fritz Lang as conducted by filmmaker Peter Bogdanovich, this piece is also featured in the audio commentary but is included separately here as well. Next we have More About M, split into three sections the first is some text notes on Nero Film, the production company that produced M, the second is The Restoration Of a short featurette with Koerber and Kaiser as they discuss the history of the different restorations made over the years and why this version is considered the best version, as it not only restores the film’s original cut but also the original soundtrack and it’s pillar box ratio. Finally we also get a Storyboard-to-Screen comparison of various scenes from the film. A photo gallery is also included and includes photos from the set (cut as a reel), some advertising billboard posters (10) and the original German Theatrical programme. Finally the disc includes a series of in-depth Biographies and Filmographies for Peter Lorre, Fritz Lang and Gustaf Gründgens.
Packaging
These discs are packaged in a handsome 4-panel digi-pack and are limited to only 1,000 copies.
Overall
M is a well crafted superb piece of suspense cinema and a true cinematic treasure that we are lucky to still be able to see, the Accent DVD is nothing short of spectacular and are quickly becoming one of my favourite distributors. The DVD not only includes a wonderful restored version of the film but also an excellent selection of extras. This is a must own DVD for all lovers of fine cinema.
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