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Fritz Lang’s M is the greatest serial killer movie ever made. Of course, there have been dozens, even hundreds, of films on the subject with various innovations and evolutions along the way from the early days of cinema all the way to the most recent twists on the subgenre in MaXXXine and Longlegs. A few can be counted among the greatest films of all time regardless of genre, but all of them owe at least some measure of influence to M. Whether it is the best or not is a matter of opinion, but there is no real argument regarding its greatness. M is a true cinematic masterpiece, a touchstone of innovation in image, sound, performance, structure, editing, writing, and practically every other element of filmmaking. But as with most great films, audiences have been drawn to it again and again over the past ninety-plus years because of its...

Emil and the Detectives is a popular novel that was filmed several times and once by Disney. The version you want to see, however, and which you very possibly can't see, is the one scripted by Billy (or "Billie") Wilder and directed by some bloke called Gerhardt Lamprecht. I don't know his other films, but he appears to be amazing.

Look!

Emil, visiting his granny in Berlin, is drugged by an evil criminal man on the train and robbed of the money he was delivering. The film has carefully set Emil up as a spirited young fellow, kind and thoughtful but also a little naughty. A prank involving a public statue has left him in fear of being pinched by the police, so when he's robbed he joins forces with a gang of kids to get his cash back.

The combination of location naturalism and studio artifice, which is at...