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M (1931)

Not Rated  |   |  Crime, Drama, Thriller  |  31 August 1931 (Sweden)
8.4
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Ratings: 8.4/10 from 90,264 users  
Reviews: 276 user | 188 critic

When the police in a German city are unable to catch a child-murderer, other criminals join in the manhunt.

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Title: M (1931)

M (1931) on IMDb 8.4/10

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Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
...
Ellen Widmann ...
Inge Landgut ...
...
Theodor Loos ...
Gustaf Gründgens ...
Friedrich Gnaß ...
Fritz Odemar ...
Paul Kemp ...
Theo Lingen ...
Rudolf Blümner ...
Georg John ...
Franz Stein ...
Ernst Stahl-Nachbaur ...
Gerhard Bienert ...
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Storyline

In Germany, Hans Beckert is an unknown killer of girls. He whistles Edvard Grieg's 'In The Hall of the Mountain King', from the 'Peer Gynt' Suite I Op. 46 while attracting the little girls for death. The police force pressed by the Minister give its best effort trying unsuccessfully to arrest the serial killer. The organized crime has great losses due to the intense search and siege of the police and decides to chase the murderer, with the support of the beggars association. They catch Hans and briefly judge him. Written by Claudio Carvalho, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Plot Summary | Plot Synopsis

Genres:

Crime | Drama | Thriller

Certificate:

Not Rated | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

 »
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Details

Country:

Language:

Release Date:

31 August 1931 (Sweden)  »

Also Known As:

M  »

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$6,123 (USA) (15 March 2013)

Gross:

$28,877 (USA) (31 May 2013)
 »

Company Credits

Production Co:

 »
Show detailed on  »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

| (2004 Criterion DVD edition) | (2000 restored) | (re-release)

Sound Mix:

Aspect Ratio:

1.19 : 1
See  »
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Did You Know?

Trivia

Peter Lorre was Jewish and fled Germany in fear of Nazi persecution shortly after the movie's release. Fritz Lang, who was half Jewish, fled two years later. See more »

Quotes

Hans Beckert: That is a nice ball you have.
See more »

Crazy Credits

All of the original credits appear only in the beginning with no music. See more »

Connections

Referenced in Porky's II: The Next Day (1983) See more »

Soundtracks

Le Halle du Roi de la Montagne
in "Peer Gynt Suite No.1, Op.46" (1876)
Written by Edvard Grieg
See more »

Frequently Asked Questions

See more (Spoiler Alert!) »

User Reviews

 
You'll Remember This One Forever
16 December 1998 | by (Tulsa, OK, USA) – See all my reviews

This is one of those movies that will stay with you for the rest of your life. The characters are ugly and disturbing, there is nothing "cute" in this movie.

There are constant parallelisms drawn between the police and the underworld and the common way in which they operate.

We also get to journey into the mind of the madman. If you enjoyed "Silence of the Lambs", you should see this also.

Of course you must be patient enough to deal with subtitles, and the fact that this is a very old movie - one of the first "talkies". But most viewers will get something out of the dialogue even without knowing the German language.


94 of 142 people found this review helpful.  Was this review helpful to you?

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