M

"...is for Murder." ▲ ♪

Fritz Lang, Austrian director and writer, launched Peter Lorre's questionable career in this film with the role of the whistling pedophile, Franz Beckert, considered one of the finest performances ever captured on film. What gets me is that Lang's first film in sound should be so audio-savvy. Lang fled Germany in 1933 when Goebbels banned one of his films and simultaneously offered him a top spot at UFA (propoganda machine of the Nazi party). On a side note, Lorre also left Germany in 1933. It was a good time to leave, apparently.

Favorite Moments: Introduction of a killer, Franz in the attics, kangaroo courtroom.