Play with Music, literally.

The movie 'M' by Fritz Lang has haunted me as it did not give me a sense of closure at the ending. Hence, I was driven to do more research about 'M' to understand the movie better, probably was hoping to find closure. When I saw ET 10, I knew I was going to write it as I have done an ample research on it. I associated 'M' with the key characteristic of melodrama and did some in-depth analysis. So, is 'M' a melodrama?

According to Dirks, Melodrama Films are a sub-type of drama films, characterized by a plot to appeal to the heightened emotions of the audience. Melodrama, a combination of drama and melos (music), literally means "play with music." However, in 'M', there wasn't any adaptation of music. Throughout the movie, the only "music" heard was the whistle of Hans Beckert (Peter Lorre), who is whistling "In the Hall of the Mountain King". Therefore, this has reinforced that 'M' is not a melodrama.

Commonly, melodramas possess a characteristic of reinforcing social order of the world in which we live - the cops always catch the bad guys and the legal system always favors the innocent - very much a "rose-colored glasses" perspective of the world ( Whitlock). However, at the ending of 'M', the shot cuts to three of the victims' mothers crying before the sentence is announced. Hence, we do not know if Beckert is executed which eventually did not give a sense of closure to the audience. If 'M' is a melodrama, the story would have ended by Beckert sentenced to death because it is typical in melodrama that the good are always rewarded and the evil always punished. Therefore, this supports my point that 'M' refutes the genre of melodrama.

Another fundamental characteristic of melodrama is clear-cut issues of right vs wrong. However, this characteristic is not portrayed in the last 15 minutes of 'M' as I could not tell what was right or wrong. When Beckert defended himself in the kangaroo court in anxiety, psychopathic mask, he cries out: "I can't help myself! I haven't any control over this evil thing that's inside of me! The fire, the voices, the torment!'' He tries to describe how the compulsion follows him through the streets, and ends: "Who knows what it's like to be me?'' Beckert's speech was overwhelming and he successfully put me in his shoes which eventually led me to question "Is he to be blamed for committing such distorted act?" Perhaps, it was not entirely his fault because this man needed medical attention. Besides that, the sane side of him actually tried to repress from his desire to commit dreadful acts on children. Then, it made me ponder.. "Is Beckert the villain or victim?" 

villain or victim?

In addition, there is a confutation on clear-cut issues of right vs wrong by the criminal mob in the kangaroo court. So, were the "juries" right because they caught Beckert and Beckert was in the wrong for murdering children?  To be frank, the "juries" consisted mostly criminals and who are they to judge if Beckert's wrongdoings deserved to be punished? The situation did not give them rights to sentence Beckert just because he murdered children, after all Beckert has an excuse for being mentally-ill. In contrary, the criminals have no excuse for committing other crimes. Thus, it can be seen that there are confusions on right vs wrong in the last 10 minutes of 'M'. After reading an article by Robinson, the same question arose in my head: should we kill someone we find evil just because we think it will make us feel better?

After an in-depth analysis, I conclude that 'M' is not a melodrama.

Works Cited

Dirks, Tim. "Melodramas Films." Melodramas Films. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Oct. 2012. <http://www.filmsite.org/melodramafilms.html>.

Robinson, Cassidy. "An Analysis – The Unresolved Legacy Of Fritz Lang’s “M”." The MacGuffin. N.p., 26 Jan. 2012. Web. 14 Nov. 2012. <http://www.macguffinpodcast.com/macguffin-spotlight/an-analysis-the-unresolved-legacy-of-fritz-langs-m/>.

Whitlock. "Melodrama." Text + Genre. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Nov. 2012. <http://myweb.csuchico.edu/~klwhitlock/TEXT/Melodrama/melodrama.html>.