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Lang And Law: Analyzing Representations Of Law, Justice, And Violence In The Films Of Fritz Lang, Dante Fresse

Honors Theses

This thesis analyzes the representations of Law, Justice, and Violence in the German and American films of Fritz Lang. Through an overview of legal and social unrest in Germany and courtroom drama, criminal conviction, mob violence, and police corruption in America, Lang challenges the legitimacy of Law and shows how it is subverted by outside forces. At other times, Lang shows Law working in collusion with criminal agencies or against the interests of the public. In doing this, Lang’s films present images of legal decay in the urban sphere, prompted by anxieties which come about through spatial alienation, city structure, …