M story
M (German: M – Eine Stadt sucht einen Mörder— M – A City Searches for a Murderer) is a 1931 German thriller film directed by Fritz Lang and starring Peter Lorre. The film was written by Lang and his wife Thea von Harbou and was the director's first sound film.
12 total · 2 choice · 6 major · 4 minor
| Theme | Level | Motivation |
|---|---|---|
| the desire for justice | choice | we saw how the mindless mobs yearned for righteous vengeance against the child killer and heard, in conclusion, that none of that would bring the kids back to life |
| the desire for vengeance | choice | we saw how the mindless mobs yearned for righteous vengeance against the child killer and heard, in conclusion, that none of that would bring the kids back to life |
| capital punishment | major | The story ended with a debate about whether the killer should be put to death even though he was not in control of his own actions. |
| children and candy from strangers | major | a number of children were tempted by a strange man who then killed them |
| facing organized pursuit | major | the murderer found himself chased by both police and the criminal underworld |
| law enforcement | major | We saw an idea of what the police might be up to in a town in Germany in the 1930s. |
| serial murder | major | The story was about a serial child murderer and the hunt for him. |
| vigilante justice | major | An innocent man was harassed by putative vigilantes. Later a crime syndicate decided to take the law into its own hands because in the courts the killer would get away with insanity. |
| coping with a loved one being missing | minor | we saw Elsie's mother worry about Elsie being missing |
| coping with the death of a child | minor | Various mothers grieved over their murdered children near the end of the film. |