Rent The Testament of Dr. Mabuse (1933)
4.0 of 5 from 103 ratings
1h 55min
- General info
- Available formats
- Synopsis:
- It's been eleven years since the downfall of arch-criminal and master-of-disguise Dr. Mabuse (Rudolf Klein-Rogge), now sequestered in an asylum under the watchful eye of one Professor Baum (Oskar Beregi). Mabuse exists in a state of "catatonic graphomania", his only action the irrepressible scribbling of blueprints that would realise a seemingly theoretical "Empire of Crime". But when a series of violent events courses through the city, police and populace alike start asking themselves with increasing panic: "Who is behind all this?!" The answer borders on the realm of the impossible...
- Actors:
- Rudolf Klein-Rogge, Otto Wernicke, Gustav Diessl, Rudolf Schündler, Oskar Höcker, Theo Lingen, Camilla Spira, Paul Henckels, Theodor Loos, Hadrian Maria Netto, Paul Bernd, Henry Pleß, Adolf E. Licho, Oscar Beregi Sr., Wera Liessem, Karl Meixner, Klaus Pohl, Gerhard Bienert, Josef Dahmen, Georg John
- Directors:
- Fritz Lang
- Producers:
- Fritz Lang, Seymour Nebenzal
- Writers:
- Norbert Jacques, Fritz Lang, Thea von Harbou
- Aka:
- Das Testament des Dr. Mabuse / The Crimes of Dr. Mabuse
- Studio:
- Eureka
- Genres:
- Classics, Drama, Thrillers
- Collections:
- 100 Years of German Expressionism, Film History
- Countries:
- Germany
- BBFC:
- Release Date:
- 24/09/2012
- Run Time:
- 122 minutes
- Languages:
- German DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0
- Subtitles:
- English
- Formats:
- Pal
- Aspect Ratio:
- Widescreen 1.19:1
- Colour:
- B & W
- BLU-RAY Regions:
- B
- Bonus:
- Feature-length audio commentary by film scholar and Fritz Lang expert David Kalat
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Reviews (4) of The Testament of Dr. Mabuse
The commentary highlights the artistry of this film - The Testament of Dr. Mabuse review by LE
The film itself on first viewing is a very odd experience. It seems slightly silly or meandering but the excellent commentary underlines the innovative use of sound and visuals. It could even be seen as a sequel to 'M' - one of the undisputed greatest films of the era. Any film fan needs to see this. But watch the commentary afterwards.
1 out of 1 members found this review helpful.
Evil Has a Filing System - The Testament of Dr. Mabuse review by griggs
I’d known the film’s reputation, so I braced for homework. Instead, it grabbed me and wouldn’t let go — one of the very few films from this period that genuinely lives up to its legend.
What starts as a tidy police procedural curdles into a paranoid fable about crime as an idea: leadership without a face, orders without a body, just a plan and enough willing hands. Lang makes sound feel dangerous — disembodied commands, murmurs behind doors, the sense that the building itself has ears.
Otto Wernicke’s Lohmann stays human and slightly harassed, which is exactly what you want here. Oscar Beregi’s Professor Baum is respectability turned predatory, and Rudolf Klein-Rogge’s Mabuse lingers like a thought you can’t shake.
Bleak, bracing, and weirdly current. The nightmare isn’t one mastermind — it’s the method.
1 out of 1 members found this review helpful.
Ghost of the Manipulator - The Testament of Dr. Mabuse review by NW
Technically impressive, lively ... effective ... but rationally and logically preposterous: impact and effect have been given precedence over coherence and sense of plot ... supernatural events allow the cutting of rational corners! There are also ambiguities and discontinuities ... poorly matched disparate plot lines? ... which are carried through on the vigour of the action but also reflect Fritz Lang’s own ambiguities of intent (political? anti-nazi or not?) and his dubious accounts of dealings with Doctor Goebbels and the regime. The accompanying “documentary essay” is as interesting as the film itself!
1 out of 1 members found this review helpful.