DR. MABUSE

Doctor Mabuse, like Fantômas, is a master criminal par excellence whose influence on the spy genre is considerable. When Fritz Lang fashioned Mabuse out of the Norbert Jacques novels in 1922 he  layed the foundations for his spy genre defining silent epic “Spione” made six years later.

 

Mabuse is a master of disguise, a hypnotist and an evil mastermind who has an army of agents to do his bidding. He is omnipotent and all powerful with unlimited resources. Lang called him “That Bastard”.

 

When Lang returned to Mabuse (and Germany) with “Die Tausend Augen des Dr. Mabuse” in 1960 he defined  Eurospy cinema. The film is packed with gadgets, surveillance, modernity, European-ness and a story of duplicity and subterfuge. Artur Brauner who produced the film went on to make five Mabuse flicks ramping up the spy element as “Bond-mania” kicked in.

 

Later Mabuse films used a horror genre scenario with the exception of Chabrol’s “Dr. M” that was both homage to Lang and surreal portrait of late Cold War Berlin.

 

For further reading, David Kalat’s excellent “The Strange Case of Dr. Mabuse” (McFarland, 2001) is essential.

 

 

The Dr. Mabuse Films

 

  1. Dr. Mabuse, der Spieler (1922) Two part feature.
  2. Das Testament des Dr. Mabuse (1933)
  3. Die Tausend Augen des Dr. Mabuse (1960)
  4. Im Stahlnetz' des Dr. Mabuse aka The Return of Dr. Mabuse (1961)
  5. Die unsichtbaren Krallen des Dr. Mabuse aka The Invisible Dr. Mabuse (1962)
  6. Das Testament des Dr. Mabuse (1962), a remake of the 1933 film.
  7. Scotland Yard jagt Dr. Mabuse aka Dr. Mabuse vs. Scotland Yard (1963)
  8. Die Todesstrahlen des Dr. Mabuse aka The Death Ray of Dr. Mabuse (1963),
  9. La Venganza del Dr. Mabuse aka The Vengeance of Dr. Mabuse. (1970)
  10. Scream and Scream Again aka Die lebenden Leichen des Dr. Mabuse (1970)
  11. Docteur M aka Club Extinction (1989)

 

 

1000 Augen Des Dr. Mabuse, Der (1960 West Germany)

Im Stahlnetz des Dr. Mabuse aka The Return of Dr. Mabuse (1961 West Germany)

Unsichtbaren Krallen des Dr. Mabuse, Die aka The Invisible Dr. Mabuse (1962 West Germany)

Testament des Dr. Mabuse, Das (1962 West Germany)

Scotland Yard Jagt Dr. Mabuse aka Dr. Mabuse vs. Scotland Yard (1963 West Germany)

Todesstrahlen des Dr. Mabuse, Die aka The Death Ray of Dr. Mabuse (1964 West Germany / France / Italy)

Dr.M aka Club Extinction (1989 France / West Germany / Italy)