Figure 1.--'M' starts with a group of children playing in a tenement block play ground . It is a counting game. The game seems to be based on counting. The child in the middle point a finger and goes around the group reciting numbers 1 to 10. A player is out if the child is the one pointed at when a certain number is reached. This is where the the family of the missing girl live. The image shows compempory children's fashion. The game is symbolic and builds up tension about the ramdomness of the abductions. Two children have a close call while another girl innocently gives M his knife back which he dropped. The little girl gives a polite curtsey as she does so. This is of course near the end of the film when the underworld are tailing him.
There are many street scenes in 'M' showing the fashions of the early 1930s in Germany. The costuming is 1931 Germany (apparently Berlin). 'M' starts with a group of children playing in a tenement block play ground (figure 1). It is a counting game. The game seems to be based on counting. The child in the middle point a finger and goes around the group reciting numbers 1 to 10. A player is out if the child is the one pointed at when a certain number is reached. This is where the the family of the missing girl live. The image shows compempory children's fashion. There is a boy in a sailor suit.All wear knee stockings and shoes. The fashions shown are a good reflection of those appearing in the photographic record. Alater shot outside a school, one of the areas of course that the murderer frequents in his attempts to abduct children (figure 1). At the right we see two school boys wearing the typical dress of 1931 Berlin. Notice especially the leather brief cases worn on their backs, the headgear (peaked cap and stocking cap), rather long short pants, and grey or tan long stockings. The girl on the left also wears long stockings.
