Event Film and Video Screenings “M” (Columbia, 1951)

Joseph Losey stylishly reinterprets Fritz Lang's disturbing 1931 masterpiece about a child killer whose crimes forge an unlikely alliance between the underworld and police. Although Lang and Thea von Harbou's script remains largely untouched, the shadowy claustrophobia of the first film's German city is replaced by the sun-bleached sidewalks, faded Victorian buildings (including the oft-filmed Bradbury) and underground garages of post-war Los Angeles - the final location being where the murderer (David Wayne) faces the blunt force of a vigilante mob. Ironically, members of the film's left-leaning production team were themselves the target of anti-Communist protests, with the movie picketed and even banned in many cities. 35mm film print preserved by the Library of Congress Film Preservation Lab in 2012. 88 min. 

Programs are free and open to the public, but children 12 and under must be accompanied by an adult. Seating at the screenings is on a first-come, first-served basis unless otherwise noted. Short films may be shown before some features.

For general Packard Campus Theater information, call (540) 827-1079 ext. 79994 or (202) 707-9994.