The Testament of Dr. Mabuse

Germany / 1962 Directed by Werner Klingler Starring Gert Fröbe Senta Berger Wolfgang Preiss B&W / 85 Minutes / Not Rated Format: DVD (R1 - NTSC) Allday Entertainment

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	Review by Brian Lindsey

7     8   10 = Highest Rating

The history behind the film and its original incarnation is so convoluted as to beggar description. I'll leave it to Mabuse scholar David Kalat to explain via the exhaustive audio commentary that's included on the disc. Suffice to say 1962's The Testament of Dr. Mabuse is the Cold War-era remake of a 1933 German film of the same name. The great Fritz Lang directed the offbeat original before emigrating to escape Nazi censorship. He returned to West Germany in 1960 and made the intriguing suspense thriller The 1000 Eyes of Dr. Mabuse, which brought the character of the Fu Manchu-like supercriminal back to the screen. Lang declined to direct a sequel; producer Artur Brauner nonetheless created a franchise from the character that was popular all over Europe.     The '60s version of Testament is the fourth film in the revitalized series, coming after the events of The Invisible Dr. Mabuse — the second sequel to 1000 Eyes — in which Dr. Mabuse (Wolfgang Preiss) was captured by the police and locked away in an asylum for the criminally insane. As Testament opens Mabuse is shown confined to a wheelchair in his cell, maniacally scribbling away on sheet after sheet of paper to no apparent purpose. The asylum's director, the eminent Prof. Pohland (Walter Rilla), who is personally treating Mabuse with psychotherapy, attaches no particular significance to the bizarre notes, charts, and diagrams that his infamous patient feverishly produces.     Meanwhile an armored car carrying gold bullion is ambushed and a diamond exchange robbed of precious stones. In short order a rail yard is also hit, where a cargo of paper currency from the federal mint is looted. Inspector Lohmann of the Kriminalpolizei (Goldfinger's Gert Fröbe) is confounded by these brilliantly planned heists, each pulled off with military precision by a highly professional gang of crooks. Every possible contingency seems to have been worked out in advance. The very audacity of the crimes leads Lohmann to consider whether his old nemesis, the evil genius Dr. Mabuse, couldn't be the mastermind behind them. But how could that be? Mabuse is safely locked away in a high security nut ward. Could he be transmitting his orders to the outside somehow? Lohmann interviews Prof. Pohland to find out.     The psychiatrist assures him that Mabuse is harmless, a raving lunatic trapped in the prison of his own warped, delusional mind. Mabuse refuses to speak with anyone, even the asylum staff, and ignores Lohmann when the policeman visits him in his cell. All he does is scribble away endlessly at his cryptic, seemingly nonsensical notes. But if Mabuse is out of his mind… who's mind is he in? A master of the metaphysical as well as the criminal, Dr. Mabuse continues to control his underworld empire by means of hypnotic telepathy. His physical body might be imprisoned but his considerable mental forces cannot be so easily caged...     Testament is a satisfying "noir"-style crime thriller that veers decidedly into the realm of science fiction, if not the supernatural. Rather than experiencing discombobulation I reveled in the film's wild blend of genre influences. It flies along at a brisk clip, focusing on the intrepid Lohmann, the operations of Mabuse's gang — led by the doctor's laconic, unflappable lieutenant Herr Mortimer (Charles Régnier, in a memorably droll performance) — and a pair of young lovers (Helmut Schmid, Cross of Iron's Senta Berger) who are caught up in Mabuse's deadly web. As the titular villain Preiss has very little screen time but certainly makes an impression, notably in the key scene in which, while being hypnotized by Pohland, he turns the tables on his therapist.     Not that they're aren't a few missteps... The film's so-called comic relief, Lohmann's dumkopf assistant Officer Kruger (Harald Juhnke), is more irritating than funny, and the story's climax seems rushed. Some of the fight scenes are rather stiffly executed as well. But it's got an intriguing story, a cool villain worthy of a 007 flick, and a jaunty, jazz-lounge score. Did I heartily enjoy it? Ja! (Note: The German language track, with English subtitles, is definitely the way to go. A dubbed English track is provided on the disc but the original German version is far superior.)

To date this is the second and (so far) last release in Allday's Diabolical Cinema of Dr. Mabuse collection. Apparently these films, little if ever seen in North America, are extremely difficult to get hold of. It's a shame, really, because I'd like to see more of them. (David Kalat, the driving force behind Allday's Mabuse discs, candidly admits that — like most series entries — the flicks start to go rapidly downhill in quality as the saga continues. Other Mabuse thrillers include Dr. Mabuse vs. Scotland Yard and The Death Ray of Dr. Mabuse.) I am happy to report that this, like Allday's release of 1000 Eyes, is a topflight DVD. Though taken from original 35mm negatives, picture quality is less than pristine in a number of sequences; this is due to the less-than-mint condition of said elements. Still, the video presentation is more than acceptable. (It's letterboxed and 16x9 enhanced, too.) Sound quality, particularly that of the German track, was surprisingly robust. No major defects in this regard. The newly translated (optional) English subtitles were clear and easy to follow.     Extras: an 8-page booklet of informative liner notes by Kalat; four rather ragged U.S. trailers for Mabuse films, dubbed and re-titled for American audiences (readily demonstrating just how poorly these movies were marketed here); a poster art gallery; and a full-fledged audio commentary by Kalat that covers just about every angle of the series' incredibly complex history. Most intriguingly, an entire bonus feature film, The Crimes of Dr. Mabuse — itself a 'testament' of just how convoluted the whole Mabuse story can be — is included on the disc. Crimes is a 1952 American re-edit of Fritz Lang's original 1933 German version of Testament... which was remade in 1962 as the film headlining this disc and reviewed above. (Confused yet?) It's in rather worn condition and poorly dubbed, but a fascinating artifact in comparison with the '62 film.     Particularly fun is the "Meet Dr. Mabuse" compilation clip — featuring scenes culled form Crimes, 1000 Eyes and Testament and set to the latter's swanky, brassy theme song — which plays when the DVD is loaded. It's a terrific way to introduce neophytes to the sinister world of the not-so-good doctor. 1/30/02

UPDATE As of Spring 2009 this DVD is finally out of print. It'd gone OOP before, though, only to come back into circulation.

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