M (1951)

Set in Los Angeles, a compulsive child murderer (David Wayne) is the target of a mass manhunt. The police are disturbing the operations of a large crime syndicate in their search for the killer so the head (Martin Gabel) of the syndicate decides to send his men in search of the serial killer. Directed by Joseph Losey (THE SERVANT). A remake of the classic 1931 Fritz Lang masterpiece although the film isn't acknowledged in the opening credits. Although the movie follows the Lang film closely, it gives a psychological background to the murderer that's straight out of Freud and not entirely convincing. While all the murdered children are girls, the movie goes out of its way to say that the children were not "violated". Shot on location on the streets of L.A., cinematographer Ernest Laszlo (SHIP OF FOOLS) gives the film a striking noir-ish look and atmosphere as well as a semi documentary feel to the proceedings. Contemporary reviews have been very kind to Losey's remake. If there had been no M (1931), I might have appreciated it more. Curiously, many of those associated with movie like director Losey, screenwriter Waldo Salt and actors Howard Da Silva and Karen Morley were eventually blacklisted by HUAC. With Luther Adler, Raymond Burr, Steve Brodie, Glenn Anders, Norman Lloyd, Jorja Curtright and Jim Backus.