Fritz Lang’s Cinema and the Uncomfortable Legacy of Populism: From M (1931) to Fury (1936)

This article analyzes the evolution of the ideas expressed by Fritz Lang in M (1931) and later reformulated in Fury (1936), exploring their relationship with populism and justice in democratic contexts in crisis. It highlights Gabriele Tergit’s criticism of M, pointing out its ambiguity regarding revenge and popular courts, in a period marked by the instability of the Weimar Republic. Lang, initially influenced by this atmosphere, displays in M a discourse that lends itself to populist readings. However, his exile and insertion in Hollywood led him to reformulate his vision in the subsequent Fury, where he denounces lynching and advocates for institutional justice. Through a comparative analysis of both films, the article explores the transition from a morally ambiguous position to one closer to classical liberalism, and how these ideas are marked by the political and social changes between interwar Germany and the present.