I was so overjoyed with Eureka Entertainment’s gorgeous box set of the German “Krimi” thrillers of CCC Studios in the 1960s that I broke down and ordered their Dr. Mabuse film set which included, among others, director Fritz Lang’s return to the nefarious criminal mastermind he made famous in his silent film Dr. Mabuse, the Gambler (1922) and The Testament of Dr. Mabuse (1933).
Based on a 1921 novel by Norbert Jacques and brought to the screen as the silent movie Dr. Mabuse, the Gambler by Fritz Lang, with a screenplay by Lang’s wife Thea von Harbou, Mabuse is an evil genius who uses disguises, mind control, and hypnosis to control his gang of criminals. What’s fascinating about Mabuse, a forerunner to the kind of fiendish villains in the James Bond films, is that money isn’t his real objective- it’s to cause discord, death, misery and anarchy. He’s a nihilistic antihero. Lang’s The Testament of Dr. Mabuse (1933) was considered too anti-fascistic by the Nazi party and banned in Germany. This is when Lang fled to Paris and then America, where he turned out some of the most memorably nightmarish film noirs (The Big Heat, Human Desire, The Woman in the Window, Scarlet Street).
Producer Artur Brauner of CCC Films was busy turning out popular genre films in Post-War Germany. But he was a huge fan of the Dr. Mabuse films and desperate to lure Fritz Lang back to Germany to direct a remake of The Testament of Dr. Mabuse. Lang did return but decided to create a new Mabuse film for the time- The 1000 Eyes of Dr. Mabuse (1960)- which sadly was his last film. Lang and Brauner clashed during the making of the film, but Brauner continued with a series of Dr. Mabuse films without him, and this box set includes all six, beautifully restored from the negatives, and in German language with English subtitles. The films themselves are so entertaining I spent a week trying not to binge on the whole set, reveling in all the extras and audio commentaries.
The 1000 Eyes of Dr. Mabuse (1960) Director Fritz Lang’s contemporary interpretation of Dr. Mabuse, the film is set in the Hotel Luxor, based on the real Hotel Adlon which was used by the Third Reich, who bugged all the rooms and used audio surveillance as blackmail fodder. In the Hotel Luxor, each room has hidden cameras, one-way mirrors and listening devices, all monitored by the evil Dr. Mabuse (Wolfgang Preiss), in the guise of a psychiatrist and a blind psychic. Gert Frobe (Goldfinger) plays the police inspector, Peter van Eyck plays a businessman at the hotel who saves a suicidal woman by talking her off a window ledge (Dawn Addams). Werner Peters plays a suspicious, scene-stealing, insurance salesman hanging around the bar. Everyone in the film is lying about their identity. Visually the film is filled with fabulous sequences- a particular favorite is the séance held by the mysterious blind psychic Cornelius, and the opening assassination in traffic (in broad daylight) by a hitman played by Jess Franco favorite- Howard Vernon. There is an introduction by film historian Tim Lucas (who comments on each film).
The Return of Dr. Mabuse (1961) Gert Frobe returns as Inspector Lohmann, whose fishing holiday is derailed when the body of an Interpol courier is discovered in a railway tunnel. Actor Lex Barker plays American F.B.I. special agent Joe Como has been sent to investigate. A female Syndicate representative is dispatched by a flame thrower and the only witness is a blind person who heard the sound of a man with a peg leg. The voice of Dr. Mabuse comes through speakers in a church to warn Inspector Lohmann to back off his investigation. And a secret lab in a prison is where a scientist is forced to create a mind control drug for the fiendish Mabuse.
The Invisible Dr. Mabuse (1962) Lex Barker returns as American FBI investigator Joe Como, and the film centers around the weird goings-on at a theater showcasing a musical revue where a dancer (Karin Dor) is tormented and stalked by a disfigured, obsessive scientist who has made himself invisible. There are sinister clowns, a musical number that end with a beheading by a guillotine, and Mabuse operating his demonic enterprise, dreaming of commanding an army of invisible criminals.
The Testament of Dr. Mabuse (aka The Terror of Dr. Mabuse) (1962) A direct remake of Lang’s 1933 film. The psychotic Dr. Mabuse (Wolfgang Preiss) is locked away in an asylum scribbling his rantings on reams of paper that litter the floor of his cell. He uses powerful mind control to invade the body of the head psychiatrist (Walter Rilla) at the moment of his death in order to continue his reign of terror. A band of criminals commit robberies and a massive counterfeiting operation, while given orders by a shadowy figure behind a curtain. A clue etched into the glass of a phone booth by a dying undercover agent leads Inspector Lohmann (Gert Frobe) to realize that Mabuse lives! A nighttime country road car chase at the end is a highlight.
Scotland Yard Hunts Dr. Mabuse (1963) Dr. Mabuse has taken over the body of a professor and his criminal gang are in possession of a camera that sends out a beam of light which controls the mind, forcing its victims to commit criminal acts. Peter van Eyck plays Major Bill Tern who lives with his mystery-obsessed mother (Agnes Windeck) who is always one step ahead of the investigation. Klaus Kinski plays an officer who has his mind commanded by the evil enterprise. Hearing aids come to the rescue in this wild, fast-paced adventure.
The Death Ray of Dr. Mabuse (1964) Peter van Eyck plays Major Bob Anders, out to unmask the fiendish Dr. Mabuse (who has invaded another body to continue his wave of terror). The plan is to commandeer a secret weapon a scientist is creating on an island which uses mirrors and death rays that could strike and destroy major cities around the globe. This film is definitely inspired by the popular James Bond films, using sexy female villains and a more sci-fi element to navigate the plot. The disc also includes the Italian version of the film with is 17 minutes longer and has an alternative ending.
