Down With... Paedophilia

 

It's very easy to condemn Cancel Culture when the lynch mob is coming after Communists, or Homosexuals, or Black People, or Architects (I know... I'm hung up on Ayn Rand).

But sometimes the mindless, murderous mob goes after something that is genuinely dangerous; something that actually does need to be stopped.

Sometimes the witches are real.

Does that mean the witch-hunters are right?


Fritz Lang's M  was released in 1931 and is still considered to be one of the great films of all time. It tells the story of a serial-killer of very young children (Peter Lorre, in his first starring role) who has been terrorising Berlin; causing fear and paranoia across every level of society.


Although Peter Lorre's character is unambiguously a very, very bad person (the film makes no attempt to sugar-coat his actions, without ever showing anything onscreen) the film is more concerned with the reaction of the rest of the community.

From the frantic parents to the overworked police department; from the hysterical public (who begin to see child-murderers everywhere they look) to the professional criminal-class (who find their business severely impacted by the increased police presence) everyone wants to catch Peter Lorre and put him out of action.

Someone who molests and murders young children is about as detestable a character as one can imagine, which is why it is so shocking that Fritz Lang's film manages to portray Peter Lorre's character as the victim of the story.



Yes, he is a monster. But the film shows us what happens when an entire society decides to come together in mutual hatred.


Hatred is powerful. Hatred is easy. 

Reminder: This film was made in Germany in 1931.

 


We will be screening M at 7.30 on Thursday, the 27th of April, at the Victoria Park Baptist Church.

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