Both movies were directed simultaneously by fritz lang in germany. German police inspector lohmann investigates a string of crimes resembling dr. Tom gunning teaches film history and theory at the university of chicago and is the author of d. Mabuse s psychiatrist insists the man is harmless, but lohmann isnt so sure. Reviving the character of mabuse 10 years later in the last will of dr. Mabuse, 1965, directed by werner klingler, with gert frobe, helmut schmid, charles regnier, at turner classic movies. Mabuse there was a reedited american version using the german cut and dubbed in english 75 minute english language the crimes of.
A film which works on many levels as a detective story, a supernatural thriller, expressionist art, and lastly, as an ominous warning about those preying on mans fear to unleash chaos and disorder upon the world. Mabuse uses hypnotized victims and the surveillance equipment of a naziera bugged hotel to steal nuclear technology from a visiting american. Not realizing he has been seen, hofmeister is attacked by the. The film opens with detective hofmeister karl meixner spying on the activities of a criminal syndicate. Mabuse silent of 1922 often shown in two parts, dr. When mabuse s notes are found to be connected with a rash of recent crimes, commissioner lohmann must. It is four and a half hours long and divided into two parts, originally released a month apart. Mabuse the gambler, and made famous by three films about the character directed by fritz lang. Mabuse there was a reedited american version using the german cut and dubbed in english 75 minute english language the crimes of dr. The transfer is the first time the film has looked decent on video. Le joueur 155 minutes fritz langs use of sound in m and the testament of dr mabuse, with michael wood duration. The film is silent and would be followed by the sound sequels the testament of dr. Apr 22, 2014 1962 aka terror of the mad doctor gerte frobe, wolfgang preiss, senta berger. The gambler 1922, however, in this film he uses nazi mottos in the mouth of a mad scientist.
Mixing several genres including cop drama, mystery, and horror, lang created a rare hybrid picture full of striking characters and images. The film arrives with a restored image and sound, a new highdefinition digital transfer, and. Locked away in an asylum for a decade and teetering between life and death, the criminal mastermind doctor mabuse rudolf kleinrogge has scribbled his last will and testament. Mabuse is a 1933 psychological thriller from famed german director fritz lang m, metropolis, you only live once, the big heat. Mabuse is a sequel to the financially successful dr. Mabuse the gambler 1922 and features many cast and crew members from langs previous films. The long and colorful history behind the testament of dr. Mabuse, the gambler 1922, a silent fourhour, twopart film. Mabuse uses hypnotized victims and the surveillance equipment of a naziera bugged hotel to steal nuclear technology from a visiting american industrialist. Mabuse, the edited and dubbed american version of the film. Mabuse was banned by the nazis and had to have its premiere in vienna. Fritz lang directed this sequel to his nearly fourhour dr.
Mabuse the gambler silent, 1922 the testament of dr. The film was simultaneously shot by lang in french. Mabuse in mind mabuse im gedachtnis, 1984 film by thomas honickel featuring an interview with actor rudolf schundler hardy in the testament of dr. Lang was at his peak of his powers when he made this film and. Otto wernicke, theodor loos, oskar beregi, rudolf kleinrogge. Mabuse english subtitled version the last will of dr.
The 2008 film the dark knight features a version of the joker inspired by mabuse. Langs last film in germany before he hurriedly left the country the director claimed that he had lately been offered a key position in the nazicontrolled film industry, the testament of dr mabuse aka. Lang was at his peak of his powers when he made this film and its so gloriously expressionistic, dreamlike and beautiful. The head of an asylum is controlled by the spirit of the dead, evil genius, dr. After a detective is assaulted by thugs and placed in an asylum run by professor baum, he observes the professors preoccupation with another patient, the criminal genius dr. Mabuse 1933 and the much later the thousand eyes of dr. Lang pushed the envelop as he directed this cinematic landmark that joseph goebels, nazi minister of information, deemed dangerous for public order in nazi germany. The world lang had prophesied in dr mabuse, the gambler was coming to pass, and its greatest critic wanted no part of it. With gert frobe, senta berger, helmut schmid, charles regnier. It is no wonder that the film s original press material claimed. Mabuses psychiatrist insists the man is harmless, but lohmann isnt so sure. Mabuse this sequel to the silent picture and the novel, which both had enormous successes more than 12 years earlier, certainly shows the influence of american mystery pictures.
Fritz langs use of sound in m and the testament of dr mabuse, with michael wood duration. Mabuse, filmed simultaneously by lang with french actors excerpts from for example fritz lang zum beispiel. The film arrives with a restored image and sound, a new highdefinition digital transfer, and in its original aspect ratio of 1. Mabuse, is a 1933 german crimethriller film directed by fritz lang. The comic book parallels are actually extraordinarily obvious when it comes to dr. Criterions doubledisc dvd edition of the testament of dr. Fritz lang, 1964 interview with lang, directed by famed german documentarian erwin leiser mein kampf. Oct, 2016 1962 aka terror of the mad doctor gerte frobe, wolfgang preiss, senta berger.
Mabuse tries to find the solution with clues from gangster thomas kent gustav diessl. The following weapons were used in the film the testament of dr. Il testamento del dottor mabuse film completo italiano 1933 fritz lang. Aug 30, 2006 fritz langs use of sound in m and the testament of dr mabuse, with michael wood duration. Mabuse was fritz langs second sound film and a sequel to his enormously successful 1922 silent. The early years at biograph and the films of fritz lang.
Mabuse lang and harbou show how the insane mabuse uses his hypnotic powers to induce dr. Rudolf kleinrogge stars in a role he later repeated in the testament of dr. Griffith and the origins of american narrative film. If there is a gold standard for dvd production, it was set by criterion years ago. Allegories of vision and modernity, as well as over 150 essays on early cinema, the avantgarde, and film genres. Baum, director of the asylum where he is being held, to maintain his criminal activities outside and, indeed, on mabuses death to accept that he is the reincarnation of the mad doctor. Dr mabuse, part 1 fritz lang 1922 mute eng youtube. Complete frenchlanguage version of the film, le testament du dr. Also directed by lang, that film was so long that it was released in two parts, the second part being inferno. However it packs a lot of thrills in a short two hours and theres a lot to love here. Mabuse, and not just because hes described by the film as a super criminal and has powers of hypnosis. Mabuse is an instance of a movie that can truly be called seminal. Mabuse is a fictional character created by norbert jacques in the german novel dr. A film about the dastardly doings of norbert jacquess title villian, directed by fritz lang.
French version of the german movie the testament of dr. Mabuse fritz lang germany, 1933 locked away in an asylum for a decade and teetering between life and death, the criminal mastermind doctor mabuse rudolf kleinrogge has scribbled his last will and testament. Mabuse, the gambler is the better of the two movies, but its very long over 3 12 hours with its two acts. Inspector lohmann gert frobe believes mabuse is somehow still in command of his vast crime empire, yet when he visits the institution, he finds mabuse engrossed in pages of seemingly nonsensical notes and charts. Allegories of vision and modernity, as well as over 150 essays on early cinema, the avantgarde, and film. Le testament du dr mabuse film 1933 fritz lang and rene sti. Locked away in an asylum for a decade and teetering between life and death, the criminal mastermind doctor mabuse. The world which opens up before our eyes in this film is the world in which we all live. The criterion collection april 23, 2004 by the rake best known for m and metropolis, director fritz lang made this intriguingly offbeat 1933 thriller just before fleeing nazi germanyand small wonder he had to. Mabuse, the gambler, lang decided to revisit the character in the sound era, with a plot appropriately based on the eeriness of recorded sound. At the end of his film making odyssey, langs last directed film was the thousand eyes of dr. Mabuse is actually the third fritz lang film about his titular supercriminal, essentially a cinematic super villain for thirties germany. A film which works on many levels as a detective story, a supernatural thriller, expressionist art, and lastly, as an ominous.