Monday, August 20, 2018

THE TESTAMENT OF DR. MABUSE / Nero-Film AG - 1933

Today's post is a movie by German great Fritz Lang, the story's about a new crime wave that 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! This is a beautiful 111 minute restored print recorded on TCM a few years ago.

It stars Rudolf (THE CABINET OF DR. CALIGARI) Klein-Rogge as Dr. Mabuse, Gustav (PANDORA'S BOX) Diessl, Rudolf (SEX IS NOT FOR VIRGINS) Schündler, Oskar (PYGMALION) Höcker, Theo (M) Lingen and Camilla (HAUNTED PEOPLE) Spira.

Here's Hofmeister, a rogue policeman out looking for clues about the new crime spree in Berlin, he's being chased by some criminals. First, they roll a barrel bomb at him and he ducks into an alley just before it blows the Hell up! Then, he calls the Inspector to inform him of his plight, and, the lights go out!

At the medical center, the class is being lectured on the strange case of Dr. Mabuse. At one point after being in a coma, the doctor sits up in bed in a hypnotic state for months. Later, he starts writing incoherent words and sentences non-stop! In other words... Coo coo, coo coo!!

The attending doctor becomes hypnotized after he sees the ghostly figure of Mabuse standing in a corner of the room. This can't be good since the evil doctor is an expert on hypnotism!

The Inspector goes to see Hofmeister in his cell at the medical center, he's loony as a mad loon. He has actually been hypnotized, so, the Inspector leaves without getting any info from him.

Here are some crooks awaiting their orders from a mysterious voice behind the curtain.

Back at the police lab, dude has discovered that the scratches they found on some glass was the reverse image of the name... Mabuse! What the Hell.

Then we go to the home of an art collector and see some unusual artwork!

Guess what shows up!.. Right, the ghostly figure of Dr. Mabuse!!

This guy becomes hypnotized after Mabuse takes over his body. Check out the face of Mabuse!

Love this shot of the Inspector in his office.

And this one with a subtitle after the cops bust some crooks!

Alas, yet another crook killed by the police! Nice shot, ha-ha!

Our young lovers survive a flooding room after a near death experience!

There are a number of these rear projection car scenes that remind me of the ones in the wild and wooly, A CLOCKWORK ORANGE.

Mabuse completes another hypnotic transaction before everything goes south.

At the end, Hofmeister is free of the spell and is taken away from the medical center! And, the real Mabuse goes insane again... Speaking of again, check in Wednesday for more, from, The Dungeon!!

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