The Testament of Dr. Mabuse (1933)

A new crime wave grips the city and all clues seem to lead to the nefarious Dr. Mabuse, even though he has been imprisoned in a mental asylum for nearly a decade.

Director:

Fritz Lang

Writers:

Norbert Jacques (characters), Fritz Lang

Stars:

Rudolf Klein-Rogge, Otto Wernicke, Gustav Diessl

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Rudolf Klein-Rogge	...	Dr. Mabuse
Gustav Diessl	...	Thomas Kent
Rudolf Schündler	...	Hardy
Oskar Höcker	...	Bredow
Theo Lingen	...	Karetzky
Camilla Spira	...	Juwelen-Anna
Paul Henckels	...	Lithograph / Litographer
Otto Wernicke	...	Inspector Karl Lohmann
Theodor Loos	...	Dr. Kramm
Hadrian Maria Netto	...	Nicolai Griforiew (as Hadrian M. Netto)
Paul Bernd	...	Erpresser / Blackmailer
Henry Pleß	...	Bulle
Adolf E. Licho	...	Dr. Hauser
Oscar Beregi Sr.	...	Prof. Dr. Baum (as Oscar Beregi)
Wera Liessem	...	Lilli

Storyline

Berlin police inspector Lohmann investigates a case, in which all clues lead to a man, who's in a hospital for mental illnesses for since many years - Dr. Mabuse.

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Plot Keywords:

criminal mastermind | german expressionism | based on novel | character name in title | lunatic asylum | 

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Taglines:

In His Warped and Evil Brain the Lust to KILL...KILL...KILL! (1952 re-release)

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Genres:

Crime

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

Germany

Language:

German

Release Date:

1 January 1933 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Crimes of Dr. Mabuse

Filming Locations:

Berlin, Germany

Company Credits

Production Co:

Nero-Film AG

Technical Specs

Runtime:

122 min 110 min (re-edited)

Sound Mix:

Mono (Tobis-Klangfilm)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.20 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

As Fritz Lang made this film before the Nazis came to power, it might be considered as the first anti-Nazi propaganda film. As soon as they did come to power, the film was banned, and Lang felt it prudent to leave Germany very shortly afterwards.

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Goofs

Hofmeister supposedly scratches Mabuse's name in a window pane of his apartment with a ring, but Hofmeister is not wearing any rings when Division 2-B enter his apartment.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Inspector Lohmann: "Magic Fire Music," old man.
[whistles]
Inspector Lohmann: You know that one, Müller? That's from "Die Walküre". Those are the girls who carry dead police inspectors directly up to heaven from the Alexanderplatz with a "Hey ho." On horseback.

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Alternate Versions

Turner Classic Movies broadcast a restored version put together in 2000 from segments in various film archives and distributed by Janis Films. Its length is 3,341 meters and ran 121 minutes. It had no cast or crew credits other than the director.

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Connections

Featured in Cinema Europe: The Other Hollywood: End of an Era (1995)

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Soundtracks

Die Walküre (The Valkyries)
(1856) (uncredited)
Written by Richard Wagner
Portion hummed by Klaus Pohl

User Reviews

The prototype thriller

The film reads like a trainer for all the thrillers that came thereafter: The staring face reminiscent of 'Alien', the scary opening scene, which deserves to be better known, the tough but lovable cop, the haunted (literally) master criminal, the asylum, the heroine with an excuse to get her dress all wet and clingy, the Mae West look-alike, the spooky special effects, the explosions and the fires (real ones not your computer generated rubbish), the shoot out, the chase through the woods, the car chase, the high tech gadgets (using 78 vinyl!). There's even what looks like a placement add (Mercedes, during the car chase). Yes, all the thriller clichés are there but way back in 1933 they weren't clichés. Unfortunately some rather wooden acting by the heroine, Wera Liessem, who seems to be stuck in silent film mode, mars the film.

As for the political overtones, I'm not sure if these were deliberate. Lang's stories about himself were as fantastical as his films, especially the one about being offered the head of the Reich films.