The 1,000 Eyes of Dr. Mabuse (1960)
"Die 1000 Augen des Dr. Mabuse" (original title)

Reporter Peter Barter gets murdered while driving to his tv station. Commisioner Kras gets a phone call from clairvoyant Cornelius who saw Barters death in a vision. But a dark force ... See full summary »

Director:

Fritz Lang

Writers:

Fritz Lang (screenplay), Heinz Oskar Wuttig (screenplay),

Stars:

Dawn Addams, Peter van Eyck, Wolfgang Preiss

1 win.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Dawn Addams	...	Marion Menil
Peter van Eyck	...	Henry B. Travers
Wolfgang Preiss	...	Prof. Dr. S. Jordan / Peter Cornelius / Dr. Mabuse (as Lupo Prezzo)
Gert Fröbe	...	Kriminalkommissar Kras
Werner Peters	...	Hieronymus B. Mistelzweig
Andrea Checchi	...	Hoteldetektiv Berg (as Andrea Checci)
Howard Vernon	...	No. 12
Nico Pepe	...	Hotel-Manager
David Cameron	...	Michael Parker (as David Camerone)
Jean-Jacques Delbo	...	Cornelius' Butler
Marielouise Nagel	...	The Blonde Luck
Reinhard Kolldehoff	...	Roberto Menil alias 'Klumpfuß'
Lotti Alberti	...	Schwester Agnes
Albert Bessler	...	Hotel-Ingenieur
Manfred Grothe	...	Kriminalassistent Keyser

Storyline

Reporter Peter Barter gets murdered while driving to his tv station. Commisioner Kras gets a phone call from clairvoyant Cornelius who saw Barters death in a vision. But a dark force prevents Cornelius from seeing the man behind the crime. Meanwhile the policemen concentrate their activities on the hotel Luxor. There exist too many links between the hotel and the unsolved crimes. Trevors, a rich American, rents a room in the hotel at the same time. He can prevent the suicide of the young woman Marion Menil at the last minute. But what is the reason for Miss Menils doing? Why is she initimidated? Could it be that Dr. Mabuse, a genius in crime believed to be dead, is back?

---

Plot Keywords:

hotel | mabuse | clairvoyant | telepathy | surveillance camera | 

---

Genres:

Crime | Mystery | Thriller

---

Details

Country:

France Italy West Germany

Language:

German

Release Date:

9 December 1960 (Italy)

Also Known As:

The Eye of Evil

Filming Locations:

West Berlin, Berlin, Germany

Company Credits

Production Co:

CEI Incom, Central Cinema Company Film (CCC), Critérion Film

Technical Specs

Runtime:

104 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Fritz Lang's final directorial project.

---

Quotes

Hieronymus Balthasar Mistelzweig: Hieronymus B. Mistelzweig - B steht für Bauch

---

Connections

Followed by The Invisible Dr. Mabuse (1962)

User Reviews

Hugely influential Spy Caper ought to be seen

You don't necessarily need to have seen Lang's earlier Mabuse films to be able to love this one. Like in his silent spy film 'Spione', Lang creates everything that would go on to be a genre cliche - but they all had to be original once. Here we have the stolen prototype weapon - a gun that fires needle shaped bullets that travel through glass and leave very little trace of assassination; and then there's the villain's car, with its revolving number-plates. Lang was certainly a few quick steps ahead of the makers of the Bond films, and certainly on a level with Hitchcock, Powell et al when it came to commenting on voyeurism.

The plot's labyrinthine, of course, but it rattles along at such a pace and with such striking visuals that you hardly have time or the inclination to stop and worry - and it all comes clear at the end, with one or two fantastic revelations in addition to the few you expect.

If one part doesn't quite please as much as you like, it's the context it fails to reference properly. Made at such a crucial time in History by a man who had seen so much, one only wishes it had more commentary to make. Lang's career swung like a pendulum between social commentary and serial escapades - if only he'd been able to pull the two together for his final film.