M
UW Cinematheque 821 University Ave., UW Vilas Hall, Room 4070, Madison, Wisconsin
press release:
M
Germany | 1931 | DCP | 111 min. | German with English subtitles
Director: Fritz Lang; Cast: Peter Lorre, Otto Wirnicke, Ellen Widmann
A series of child murders in a German city causes the police to mistakenly crack down on the criminal underworld. To protect its business, the mob undertakes its own investigation to catch the real culprit. Lorre, in his breakthrough role, plays the driven and surprisingly sympathetic killer.
Peter Lorre: The Mad and the Bad
On Wednesdays beginning June 20, we will pay tribute to one of cinema history’s most fascinating and compelling performers, the great Peter Lorre (1904-1964). Hungarian born, the naturally intense Lorre exploded onto movie screens as a haunted and hunted child killer in Fritz Lang’s German masterpiece M in 1931. Emigrating to the U.S. in the mid-1930s, Lorre used his large, expressive eyes and uniquely accented speech to his advantage, appearing in dozens of Hollywood productions over 30 years as both leading man and supporting player. This selection of quintessential Lorre roles demonstrates his oft-caricatured, yet inimitable style of transforming traditionally two-dimensional movie villains into recognizable and frequently sympathetic humans with equal doses of dry, sardonic humor and passionate outbursts. The series also includes Lorre’s lone directorial effort, The Lost One.
All Cinematheque screenings are free and open to the public.