Dr. Mabuse: The Gambler (1922)
"Dr. Mabuse, der Spieler - Ein Bild der Zeit" (original title)

Arch-criminal Dr. Mabuse sets out to make a fortune and run Berlin. Detective Wenk sets out to stop him.

Director:

Fritz Lang

Writers:

Norbert Jacques (novel), Fritz Lang,

Stars:

Rudolf Klein-Rogge, Aud Egede-Nissen, Gertrude Welcker

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Rudolf Klein-Rogge	...	Dr. Mabuse
Aud Egede-Nissen	...	Cara Carozza, die Tänzerin
Gertrude Welcker	...	Gräfin Dusy Told (as Gertrude Welker)
Alfred Abel	...	Graf Told / Richard Fleury - US version
Bernhard Goetzke	...	Staatsanwalt von Welk / Chief Inspector Norbert von Wenck / Chief Inspector De Witt - US version
Paul Richter	...	Edgar Hull
Robert Forster-Larrinaga	...	Spoerri
Hans Adalbert Schlettow	...	Georg, the Chauffeur (as Hans Adalbert von Schlettow)
Georg John	...	Pesch
Charles Puffy	...	Hawasch (as Karl Huszar)
Grete Berger	...	Fine, a servant
Julius Falkenstein	...	Karsten
Lydia Potechina	...	Die Russin
Julius E. Herrmann	...	Emil Schramm (as Julius Herrmann)
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Julietta Brandt	...	(as Julie Brandt)

Storyline

Dr. Mabuse and his organization of criminals are in the process of completing their latest scheme, a theft of information that will allow Mabuse to make huge profits on the stock exchange. Afterwards, Mabuse disguises himself and attends the Folies Bergères show, where Cara Carozza, the main attraction of the show, passes him information on Mabuse's next intended victim, the young millionaire Edgar Hull. Mabuse then uses psychic manipulation to lure Hull into a card game where he loses heavily. When Police Commissioner von Wenk begins an investigation of this mysterious crime spree, he has little to go on, and he needs to find someone who can help him.

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Plot Keywords:

disguise | burleque | organized crime | jewish stereotype | corruption | 

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Genres:

Crime | Mystery | Thriller

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

Germany

Language:

German

Release Date:

26 May 1922 (Germany)

Also Known As:

Dr. Mabuse: The Gambler

Filming Locations:

Berliner Union-Film Studio, Tempelhof, Berlin, Germany

Company Credits

Production Co:

Uco-Film GmbH

Technical Specs

Runtime:

242 min 297 min (restored) 100 min (part 2) 95 min (part 1) 114 min (part 2) 154 min (part 1) 231 min (video) 271 min (Murnau Foundation restoration)

Sound Mix:

Silent

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The car seen in the first few minutes of the film, during the train robbery, is 1911 Brennabor Landaulet Typ F. This manufacturer was the biggest in Germany for part of the twenties, to be surpassed eventually by Opel. Automobile production was suspended by the early thirties. The company went back to producing baby carriages, bicycles, and motorcycles. The company was finally dismantled in 1945.

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Goofs

As Mabuse's driver gasses Von Wenk in the taxi cab, there is a brief cutaway showing Mabuse himself in the back seat instead, clearly a recycled shot from the scene before.

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Quotes

Staatsanwalt von Welk: [speaking on the phone:] Mabuse, surrender! We have ringed the house!
Dr. Mabuse: I feel like a state within the State. Come and get me!
Staatsanwalt von Welk: We shall be using strong means; resistance is useless!

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Connections

Edited into Fritz Lang: Circle of Destiny (2004)

User Reviews

An Interesting & Occasionally Fascinating Epic

Fritz Lang's epic story of "Dr. Mabuse: The Gambler" is always interesting, and at times fascinating. Lang obviously enjoyed filming this kind of material, and he adds numerous imaginative touches to it. Lang's distinctive approach and Rudolf Klein-Rogge's portrayal of Mabuse give it some lasting images to go with the involved story.

Movies about master criminals are hardly rare, and even the more popular movies of the genre are often shallow and over-praised. In some respects, the story of Dr. Mabuse is similar to most: he has an extensive bag of tricks that he uses to pull off his schemes, and the movie often holds your attention simply by making you guess what he is planning to do next. But there is more psychological depth to the Mabuse story than there is in most such movies, and this is complemented by the distinctive array of settings and the overall portrayal of society, which at times suggest themes that go well beyond the personal battle between Mabuse and the law.

While quite entertaining, this is not really a truly great movie, because on the whole it just does not have that much to say. It is all too easy for film-makers to depict a decadent, morally-neutral society in a way that seems more profound than it really is. Lang is markedly superior to most of the present-day film-makers who try to create Mabuse-style characters and stories, which is why this has enough substance to have held up pretty well over the years.

As entertainment, "Dr. Mabuse: The Gambler" compares well with almost anything of its kind, and it is as good as any of Lang's own films. As a work of art, though, even in Lang's own filmography it has to take a back seat - though perhaps not by a lot - to "Metropolis" and other more profound works.