Editing M (1931 film) (section)

=== Use of sound ===
''M'' was Lang's first sound film, and he experimented with the new technology.<ref name="Jensen. p. 95">Jensen. p. 95.</ref> It has a dense and complex soundtrack, as opposed to the more theatrical "talkies" being released at the time. The soundtrack includes a narrator, sounds occurring off-camera, sounds motivating action and suspenseful moments of silence before sudden noise. Lang was also able to make fewer cuts in the film's editing, since sound effects could now be used to inform the narrative.<ref>Jensen. p. 103.</ref> The film was one of the first to use a ''[[leitmotif]]'', a technique borrowed from [[opera]]; it associates a melody with Lorre's character, who whistles "In the Hall of the Mountain King" from Edvard Grieg's ''[[Peer Gynt (Grieg)|Peer Gynt]]''. Later in the film, the mere sound of the song lets the audience know that he is nearby. This association of a musical theme with a particular character or situation is now a film staple.<ref name="Leitmotif">{{cite web |last = Costantini |first = Gustavo |title = Leitmotif revisited |publisher = Filmsound |url = http://www.filmsound.org/gustavo/leitmotif-revisted.htm |access-date = 10 May 2006 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20060421054317/http://www.filmsound.org/gustavo/leitmotif-revisted.htm |archive-date = 21 April 2006 |url-status = dead }}</ref> As Lorre could not whistle, Lang himself dubbed Beckert's whistling.<ref name="Falkenberg Classroom Tapes">{{cite web |last = Falkenberg |first = Paul |title = Classroom Tapes – M |publisher = The Criterion Collection |year = 2004 |url = http://www.criterion.com/asp/release.asp?id=30&section=review&rid=325 |access-date = 8 August 2007 |archive-date = 29 September 2007 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070929122819/http://www.criterion.com/asp/release.asp?id=30&section=review&rid=325 |url-status = dead }}</ref>