Talk about lost in translation: M, a 1931 murder mystery from Germany about a psycho stalking and killing the children of Berlin, was remade in Hollywood twenty years later in such a hamfisted way that you can’t help laughing at the goofy lines and the clownish acting. That’s not just my opinion, that’s an observation. As we watched the 1951 remake last night, most of the audience was laughing, not just snickering, but laughing full-blown belly laughs at clumsy lines of dialog and scenes that were so wildly staged as to make them practically slapstick. It made me cringe to hear people laughing at a murder mystery about a killer stalking little girls, but it was a wholly understandable reaction to such a goofy film.

My Darling B’s one-word review said it best, I think: Disappointing. The way the guide to the film fest described M, I was expecting one dark, sinister scene after another.

Before he was blacklisted and exiled to Europe, LaCrosse, WI native Joseph Losey made five deeply personal features in Hollywood, including this surprisingly potent and original remake of Fritz Lang’s classic 1931 thriller, reset in Los Angeles. Giving Peter Lorre a run for his money, the intense David Wayne plays a compulsive murderer of children. When the police begin harassing every gangster, prostitute, thief and gambler in a desperate attempt to find him, the underworld gets organized and forms its own network of spies and a kangaroo court to stop the menacing killer. Aside from Wayne’s nerve-jangling performance, Losey’s version is distinguished by classic film noir atmosphere, some remarkable fast-paced cutting, and excellent use of familiar and seedy L.A. locations, especially the oft-used Bradbury Building where the final pursuit of the killer takes place. Originally banned in eight states, Losey’s M remains very hard to see in the U.S. and is still not available on home video. Don’t miss your chance to see this rare 35mm print from the collections of the British Film Institute.

I’ll give it this: David Wayne turned in a surprisingly good performance in the final scene, but it wasn’t enough to save M.