Film screening
M by Fritz Lang

Fri, 17.03.2023
5:30 PM Goethe-Institut / Max Mueller Bhavan Bangalore

We invite you to M (1931), directed by Fritz Lang. A screening in our ongoing film series German Cinema in Focus. Currently being shown are a selection of films from the movement of German Expressionism in Film.

M is a suspense thriller film directed by Fritz Lang and starring Peter Lorre believed to have set the blueprint for serial killer movies. It follows Hans, a child murderer and the subsequent manhunt conducted by both the police and the criminal underworld. It is known for being one of the first to use musical leitmotif and as a film does not ask for sympathy, but for understanding of its
protagonist.

M by Fritz Lang
1931, 107 min.
b/w, German with English subtitles

German Expressionism was a radical movement in various cultural fields which, like Dada and Surrealism, was largely a reaction to the horrors of World War I. The movement in cinema saw a rejection of traditional approaches in favor of depicting bleak themes. Regarded as one of the most important film movements, it is marked by its non-realistic set designs and geometry, exaggerated worlds, chiaroscuro lighting, sharp angles, and an exterior depiction of the interior unconscious mind and reality. German Expressionism included themes of horror, psychosis, murder, dreams,
class struggle, among many others.

Friedrich Christian Anton Lang was one of the prominent figures from Germany´s school of Expressionism who is known for works such as Dr. Mabuse, Die Nibelungen, Metropolis, Spies, The Big Heat, Scarlet Street etc. just to name a few. Fritz Lang fled to Hollywood during the mid-1930s and was a key member in developing the American genre, Film Noir.

Entry free!