I have chosen Fritz Lang’s classic 1931 noir thriller, M – Eine Stadt sucht einen Mörder for my textual analysis. The film is set in Germany, and features Hans Beckert, a child murder, who is being hunted by the police and a group of criminals. I have chosen the section of the film between 00:05:34 – 00:08:06 which is during the opening section of the film. In this scene Hans Beckert, M, lures Elsie Beckmann, a young girl, to a balloon salesman’s stand, later in the scene the use of cinematography, in particular the silent montage sequence, alludes to him murdering Elsie. To analyse this section, I am focusing on cinematography, sound and filmmaker’s influences and intentions. The context examined focusses on social and political factors connected to the film around the time of its production.