"M"

I meant to post this ages ago, but better late then never. This is a clip from a German film from 1931 called “M.” A city is coursing with fear after a series of child murders, and the police are cracking down on the criminal element in a big way to find the killer. The crime bosses of the city decide they can’t operate under the new scrutiny, and enlist their own cronies and contacts to find the killer themselves. The child snatcher has very few lines in the first three quarters of the film, and while he is not a physically imposing man, he is a very worrying presence on camera. I find his repetitive gestures interesting, and his habit of whistling “In the Hall of the Mountain King” is both whimsical and sinister. His interest in children is a bit more sexual than anything we see in The Pillowman, but I do wonder what the Detectives imagine Katurian’s motivation is for his alleged murders. (Before they know about his childhood, of course.)