Movie-A-Day #339: M (1931).

Director Fritz Lang was born on this day in 1890. While his “Metropolis” was a cinematic landmark, the tense and powerful “M” is just as much a masterpiece. This German-made story of a pedophile who is hunted down by members of the underworld not only propelled Lang to a career in Hollywood (which included classics like “Scarlet Street” and “The Big Heat”), but it also did the same for its star, Peter Lorre.