Dr. Mabuse, der Spieler
Directed by:
Fritz LangCinematography:
Carl HoffmannCast:
Rudolf Klein-Rogge, Alfred Abel, Bernhard Goetzke, Paul Richter, Hans Adalbert Schlettow, Georg John, Károly Huszár, Grete Berger, Lydia Potěchina (more)Plots(1)
One of the legendary epics of the silent cinema - and the first part of a trilogy that Fritz Lang developed up to the very end of his career. Dr. Mabuse, the Gambler is a masterpiece of conspiracy that, even as it precedes the mind-blowing Spione from the close of Lang's silent cycle, constructs its own dark labyrinth from the base materials of human fear and paranoia. Rudolf Klein-Rogge plays Dr. Mabuse, the criminal mastermind whose nefarious machinations provide the cover for - or describe the result of - the economic upheaval and social bacchanalia at the heart of Weimar-era Berlin. Initiated with the arch-villain's diabolical manipulation of the stock-market, and passing through a series of dramatic events based around hypnotism, charlatanism, hallucinations, Chinese incantations, cold-blooded murder, opiate narcosis and cocaine anxiety, Lang's film maintains an unrelenting power all the way to the final act... which culminates in the terrifying question: ''WHERE IS MABUSE?''. A bridge between Feuillade's somnambulistic serial-films and modern media-narratives of elusive robber-barons, Lang's two-part classic set the template for the director's greatest works: social commentary as superpsychology, poised at the brink of combustion. (Eureka Entertainment)
(more)Reviews (2)
What Fritz Lang achieved in his two-part films is undoubtedly exceptional. To this day, I still vacillate between the mastery of Aud Egede Nissen and Gertrud Welcker, who dazzled me more, because only Rudolf Klein-Rogge is a definitive god at first glance. The brilliant story of Mabus continues to be overshadowed by the mere fact that his story was set in the 1990s (!), which really wasn't necessary. So back to the 1920s and nowhere else.
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This film clearly stands out with its intriguing atmosphere, beautiful, sometimes incredibly dark imagery, and a story that could rival any modern espionage drama. By this time, Fritz Lang had already proven himself as a great filmmaker, and it was evident that we could expect more interesting pieces from him in the future. And that expectation was eventually fulfilled. What can sometimes be hard to bear in the film are the overly theatrical performances, especially towards the end where Mabuse becomes excessively dramatic. It's characteristic of silent films, where his madness is so overtly emphasized. But Fritz Lang truly demonstrates his filmmaking prowess with certain images. "M" is "M".
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