Film Archive

Testament of Dr. Mabuse, The (Testament des Dr. Mabuse, Das)

Professor Baum, psychiatrist and owner of a nerve clinic, gives lectures about his favorite subject - the brain of the former hypnotist and counterfeiter Dr. Mabuse, who now resides in an asylum and spends his days creating elaborate ways of throwing the world into an abyss of terror. His plans are carried out by one of Professor Baum's employees. The police inspector Lohmann investigates the cases but remains powerless, until one day he receives a tip which leads him to the name Dr. Mabuse. Lohmann discovers that Mabuse is already dead, but the crimes continue. A string of clues then leads him back to Professor Baum, who has planned an attack on a chemical factory. At the last minute, Lohmann is able to prevent a catastrophe. The police follow Baum back to his clinic and find him in Mabuse's old room, destroying all of his plans and instructions.

Fritz Lang , born in 1890 in Vienna, was more than just a great director. He was a man who staged himself and his life, who created the legend of his person, who wanted his private life to remain invisible in order to further launch his desired public image. He celebrated his first success during the Weimar Republic, reacting to the massive political and social changes of the time and integrating them into his work. He left Germany in 1933, emigrating via France to the United States in 1934, where he continued to tie political aspects into his work. His best known films from his work in Germany include: Spiders (Die Spinnen, 1919), The Plague in Florence (Die Pest in Florenz, 1919), Madame Butterfly (Harakiri, 1919), The Wandering Image (Das wandernde Bild, 1920), Kaempfende Herzen (1920/21), Destiny (Der muede Tod, 1921), Das indische Grabmal (1921), Die Nibelungen (1922-1924), Metropolis (1925/1926), The Spy (Spione, 1927/1928), Woman in the Moon (Frau im Mond, 1928/1929), M - A Town is Looking for a Murderer (M - Eine Stadt sucht einen Moerder, 1931), The Testament of Dr. Mabuse (Das Testament des Dr. Mabuse, 1933), and many more.
 

Genre Thriller
Category Feature Film Cinema
Year of Production 1933
Director Fritz Lang
Screenplay Thea von Harbou
Director of Photography Fritz Arno Wagner
Editor Lothar Wolff
Music by Hans Erdmann, Franz R. Friedl, Walter Sieber
Production Design Emil Hasler, Karl Vollbrecht
Producer Seymour Nebenzahl
Production Company Nero-Film/Berlin
Principal Cast Oskar Beregi, Paul Bernd, Gustav Diessl, Paul Henckels, Oskar Hoecker, Rudolf Klein-Rogge, Wera Liessem, Theo Lingen, Theodor Loos, Karl Meixner, Hadrian Maria Netto, Klaus Pohl, Rudolf Schuendler, Camilla Spira, Otto Wernicke
Length 122 min, 3,334 m
Format 35 mm, b&w, 1:1.37
Dubbed Versions English
Original Version German
Subtitled Versions English, French, Spanish, Italian
Sound Technology Mono
German Distributor Filmverleih Die Lupe/Goettingen

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