Peter Lorre terrified film audiences. Was it because he was born in the Carpathian Mountains, home to Dracula and vampires? No, it was because of his role as Hans Beckert, perverted murderer of little girls in Fritz Lang's M (1931)! A woman was reported as having died in the audience while watching the film, and women literally screamed when they saw him on the street. Even his friends began to send their children to their rooms when Lorre came visiting.
M was Lang's first sound film and his most favorite. Besides the subject matter, it was notable for using a voice over track, as well as being one of, if not the first time in cinema history where a musical theme ("In the Hall of the Mountain King" from Edvard Grieg's "Peer Gynt Suite No. 1") was used to intentionally identify a particular character in a film. It was adopted from the same technique, called leitmotif, used in classical music and has been used countless times since.
M was banned by the Nazis in 1934. Lorre, who was Jewish, fled Germany not long after the release of the film. Lang wisely fled two years later.
This article from the February 1935 issue of MOTION PICTURE MAGAZINE, is quite possibly the first published interview with Peter Lorre in a movie fan magazine. It was conducted between his roles in Hitchcock's THE MAN WHO KNEW TOO MUCH and MGM's MAD LOVE. The article treats Mr. Lorre fairly and tones down the sensationalist angle. As a result, he seems to be very candid with his responses.
A rare glimpse into horror history!
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