Wednesday, September 11, 2013
Fritz Lang's M - Horror film or Melodrama?
At first, my answer to this question would have been Horror film. It was suspenseful at times, it had a spooky feel, the whistling gave me chills; but horror films seem different than this movie. In a horror film there is usually little going on other than murder and suspense, this wasn't the case in M . This film had a plot that got crazy at times. We shoot between scenes of the police and then criminals, and then back to the police, and then to the murderer, and back and fourth and back and fourth. The plot is so dramatic, so over the top, as are some of the actions committed by the police and criminals, that I truly believe this is a melodrama. We have so much yelling and screaming, people becoming outraged, a murderer crying because he KILLS people. Even the whistling is a little melodramatic. What man goes around whistling the same song day after day? Sure maybe its the mans killer counterpart, but nonetheless it seems extremely dramatic and therefore makes me think of this movie as a melodrama.
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I agree that this film should be classified as a melodrama. The visual effects and the fact that there is a murderer initially caused me to place it into the horror category, but as the film went on and the storyline developed, my opinion changed, much like yours.
ReplyDeleteThe film is dark, but almost more emotionally so. Yes, there is a murderer, but the existence and personality of the murderer provide the rest of the film to connect with the characters and scenes emotionally.
Great points on why it is a melodrama. I agree with you that it should be classified as a melodrama. One scene that really drove me to my decision was the kangaroo court room scene, where Schanker gives a speech.
ReplyDeleteDefinitely! The film was built upon the concept of the murderer, and this speech took place for the same reason, leading to the outward expression of societal change by Lang.
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