Fritz Lang (1890 - 1976)
Titles: Metropolis (1927) - M (1931)
Related: science-fiction films - German cinema - German expressionism
Biography
Friedrich Anton Christian Lang (December 5, 1890 - August 2, 1976) was an Austrian film director, screenwriter and occasional film producer, one of the most famous emigrés from Germany's school of expressionism to work in Hollywood. --http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fritz_Lang [Feb 2005]Metropolis (1927) - Fritz Lang
Metropolis (1927) - Fritz Lang [Amazon.com] [FR] [DE] [UK]
Metropolis is a German science fiction film set in a futuristic urban dystopia. Released in 1927, it is a black and white silent film directed by Fritz Lang.
The screenplay was written by Lang and his wife Thea von Harbou after a 1926 novel by von Harbou. --http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metropolis_%281927_movie%29 [Feb 2005]
M (1931) - Fritz Lang
Peter Lorre in M (1931)
M - (1931) - Fritz Lang [Amazon.com] [FR] [DE] [UK]
M (original title: M- Eine Stadt sucht einen Mörder (translation: M- a city in search of a murderer)) is a 1931 German film noir directed by Fritz Lang and written by Thea von Harbou in which a serial killer, played by Peter Lorre, preys on children; the police and criminal underground of Berlin both work to stop him. M was the first starring role for Peter Lorre, and it boosted his career, even though he was typecast as a villain for years after.
Peter Lorre's character whistles the tune "In the Hall of the Mountain King" from Peer Gynt by Edvard Grieg in the movie; however, Peter Lorre himself could not whistle - it is actually Fritz Lang who is heard.
The film was based in part on the stories of Jack the Ripper and the Vampire of Düsseldorf and consistently ranks among the top 50 of the Internet Movie Database's top 250 films.
Lorre's future stardom and reputation as an actor was cemented in the film's climax, in which the killer, facing certain death at the hands of an underworld kangaroo court, makes an impassioned speech declaring that he can't control his violent urges. The monologue ends with the famous line (delivered by Lorre in a near scream) "Who knows what it's like to be me?"
The movie was remade in 1951 shifting the action from Berlin to Los Angeles. The remake, directed by Joseph Losey with David Wayne playing Lorre's role, was not well received by critics or audiences. --http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M_(1931_movie) [Aug 2005]
The Big Heat (1953 ) - Fritz Lang
The Big Heat (1953 ) - Fritz Lang
Gloria Grahame's face is burned by a pot of hot coffee thrown by Lee Marvin.
The Big Heat (1953 ) - Fritz Lang [Amazon.com] [FR] [DE] [UK]
The Big Heat is the 1953 Fritz Lang-directed motion film drama of crooked cops and murder. Dave Bannion (Glenn Ford) is a honest cop who learns that one of his fellow officers has committed suicide.
As Bannion digs deeper into what now he suspects is a murder, he becomes more and more driven to solve the mystery. He keeps digging even when the gangster violence and terror hits home. Lee Marvin and Gloria Grahame were part of the supporting cast in this film noir. --http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Big_Heat [Sept 2005]
See also: film noir - film - American cinema - 1953