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

Director:

Fritz Lang

Writers:

Fritz Lang
Norbert Jacques (novel)
(more)

Release Date:

26 May 1922 (Germany)

Genre:

Crime | Mystery | Thriller

Plot:

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

Plot Keywords:

Disguise | Organized Crime | Seance | Temptation | Germany

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)
Max Adalbert	...	(uncredited)
Anita Berber	...	Taenzerin im Frack (uncredited)
Paul Biensfeldt	...	Mann, der die Pistole bekommt (uncredited)
Gustav Botz	...	(uncredited)
Lil Dagover	...	(uncredited)
Heinrich Gotho	...	(uncredited)
Leonhard Haskel	...	(uncredited)
Erner Huebsch	...	(uncredited)
Gottfried Huppertz	...	(uncredited)
Hans Junkermann	...	(uncredited)
Adolf Klein	...	(uncredited)
Erich Pabst	...	(uncredited)
Edgar Pauly	...	Big Spectator (uncredited)
Karl Platen	...	Diener Tolds (uncredited)
Auguste Prasch-Grevenberg	...	(uncredited)
Adele Sandrock	...	(uncredited)
Willy Schmidt-Gentner	...	(uncredited)
Hans Sternberg	...	(uncredited)
Olaf Storm	...	(uncredited)
Oscar Stribolt	...	Enthusiastic Volunteer at Magic Show (uncredited)
Erich Walter	...	(uncredited)

Directed by
Fritz Lang

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Norbert Jacques		novel
Fritz Lang
Thea von Harbou

Produced by
Erich Pommer	....	producer

Original Music by
Konrad Elfers
Robert Israel
Aljoscha Zimmermann

Cinematography by
Carl Hoffmann

Art Direction by
Otto Hunte
Erich Kettelhut
Karl Stahl-Urach
Karl Vollbrecht

Costume Design by
Vally Reinecke

Music Department
Osmán Pérez Freire	....	composer: original theme
Shane Ryan	....	music editor (2001) (as Shane Gledhill)

Production Companies

• Uco-Film GmbH (as Uco-Film der Decla-Bioscop AG)

Distributors

• Universum Film (UFA) (1922) (Germany) (theatrical)
• Universum Film (UFA) (1927) (USA) (theatrical)
• Atlas-Filmverleih GmbH (19??) (Germany) (theatrical) (re-release)
• Janus Films (????) (USA) (theatrical)
• Rank Organisation Div. Belgium and Luxemburg, The (????) (Belgium) (theatrical) (re-release)
• Rank Organisation Div. Belgium and Luxemburg, The (????) (Luxembourg) (theatrical) (re-release)
• Rank (????) (worldwide) (theatrical) (re-release)
• Atlantic Film (2009) (Sweden) (DVD)
• Continental Home Vídeo (????) (Brazil) (VHS)
• Divisa Ediciones
• Divisa Home Video (2003) (Spain) (DVD)
• Eureka Entertainment (2001) (UK) (DVD)
• Grapevine Video (????) (USA) (VHS)
• Image Entertainment (2001) (USA) (DVD)
• Image Entertainment (2001) (USA) (VHS)
• Image Entertainment (2007) (USA) (DVD)
• Kino Video (2006) (USA) (DVD)
• LS Video (????) (USA) (VHS)
• Madman Entertainment (2007) (Australia) (DVD)
• Madman Entertainment (2007) (New Zealand) (DVD)
• Tartan Video (1993) (UK) (VHS) (subtitled)
• UFA Video & Media (UK) (2004) (UK) (DVD)
• UFA Video & Media (UK) (2007) (UK) (DVD)

Also Known As:

"Dr. Mabuse, der Spieler - Ein Bild der Zeit" - Germany (original title)

Runtime:

297 min (restored version) | Germany:100 min (part 2) | Germany:95 min (part 1) | Spain:114 min (part 2) | Spain:154 min (part 1) | USA:231 min (video version) | 271 min (Murnau Foundation restoration) | Germany:242 min

Country:

Germany

Language:

German

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Silent

Certification:

Australia:PG | Sweden:(Banned) | Argentina:13 | Finland:K-12 (first part) | Finland:K-16 (second part) | Germany:o.Al. | Spain:T | UK:A (original rating) (cut) | UK:PG (re-rating) (2004)

Filming Locations:

Berliner Union-Film Studio, Tempelhof, Berlin, Germany

Company:

Uco-Film GmbH

Trivia:

Fritz Lang originally wanted the actress portraying Venus to be completely nude. When the first take was completed, he didn't like how the woman's pubic hair looked, and ordered her to shave it off. The actress indignantly refused, sending Lang into a tantrum. Eventually, a compromise was reached when a small strip of cloth was draped over the offending hair. This scene was predictably removed from the revival versions that circulated throughout the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s, and has only recently been part of the film in the rare showings of the Fritz Lang archives' complete copy of Dr. Mabuse.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Mabuse enters the counterfeiting den in the guise of a drunken sailor, he unlocks the ribbed door and pushes it open. The next shot, from inside the den, shows the henchman pull the closed door open for Mabuse.

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!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Invincible (2001)

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.