Alfred Abel, Aud Egede Nissen, Bernhard Goetzke

Includes both parts of Fritz Lang's Masterpiece! PART 1: Fritz Lang deftly evokes the soiled and shoddy world of crime-infested and inflation-racked post World War I Berlin in the first episode of his...( read more  read more... ) masterpiece, DR. MABUSE THE GAMBLER, PART I. Using special effects, extremely complex editing, fade outs, animation techniques and superimpositions, Lang took the lessons he learned in the supernatural films of German expressionism and applied them to this epic story of the underside of Germany. Employing his supreme powers of disguise and hypnosis, Mabuse surrounds himself with loyal servants and criminal henchmen who assassinate his rivals, manipulate the stock market and seduce wealthy citizens out of their riches. In a seedy underground cabaret, Mabuse, with the help of beautiful dancer Cara Carozza, hypnotizes a bored, wealthy man named Hull. After losing large sums of money to a disguised Mabuse, Hull is warned by police detective Wenk that he has been the victim of a master criminal. Hull ignores the warning as he has been seduced by Cara into thinking it was an honest game. Meanwhile, Wenk solicits the assistance of rich Countess Told in his endless attempts to capture Mabuse and his gang. When Cara is arrested, Mabuse retaliates by kidnapping Countess Told and eluding Wenk and the police once again. PART 2: The dark and mystical adventure of criminal mastermind Dr. Mabuse careens towards its stylized climax in the final episode, which is subtitled THE INFERNO. Part two delves further into Mabuse's maniacal manipulation and dastardly forays into illegal business, as he holds the wealthy Countess Told against her will and conspires against her husband by posing as a psychiatrist. Elaborate costumes and sets--as well as special effects and editing techniques that were well ahead of their time--lend DR. MABUSE DER SPIELER PART II an air of doom and mystery, as Detective Wenk follows Mabuse's wild goose chase further into the underworld of Berlin. Unable to convince Mabuse's former assistant, dancer, Cara Carozza to reveal his whereabouts, Wenk is fooled by a disguised Mabuse, to attend a hypnotism show by master hypnotist Weltman. The pace of the film mimics Wenk's speeding car as the police race to save Wenk from Mabuse's insidious plan and attempt to capture him at his headquarters. Using Countess Told as a shield, Mabuse attempts one last escape from the police. As the showdown erupts in a hail of bullets, leaving Mabuse's survival and ultimate legacy in question, Fritz Lang uses this complex tale of power and evil as a thinly veiled metaphor for the political state of 1920's Germany.

Flixster Users

90% liked it

1,335 ratings

Critics

90% liked it

10 critics

Unrated

Directed by: Fritz Lang

Release Date: January 1, 1922

Invite friends to see

DVD Release Date: August 28, 2001

Stats: 100 reviews

Get movie widget Recommend it Add to Favorites

Your Rating



clear rating
Share on: Facebook Twitter

Flixster Reviews (100)


  • September 20, 2008
    a great silent crime epic from 1922, the original tale of dr. mabuse, brilliant psychoanalyst and criminal mastermind who uses mind control on his victims. this was highly entertaining despite being over 4 hours long. mabuse is the heir of caligari and fantomas and some say he ...( read more)prefigured hitler with his megalomaniacal aims. a master of disguise, he certainly inspired the bond villains. wonderful underworld atmosphere, cool effects and some nice expressionistic touches tho overall it's more realistic than many early german films. the showdown is straight up american gangster. if ur not into a 4 hour silent film, try the sequel, the testament of dr. mabuse, 1932, also well worth a watch.
  • September 6, 2008
    I would never, ever, ever, ever, ever watch this again and the fact that I made it through it to begin with is an act of God, but everything from the effects to the intricate plot is extremely impressive.
  • September 28, 2009
    It's a four hour long silent film but it didn't bore me not even for a second thanks to the great story & Lang's masterful direction, One of the best & most entertaining silent films I've ever seen
  • September 18, 2009
    Amazing and spellbinding Fritz Lang giant epic and a scary plot and atmosphere. May be 300 minutes long, but each minute is worth watching entirely.

    80/100
  • May 9, 2009
    VERY LONG! But some excellent scenes and fantastic story!
  • December 27, 2008
    Moins d'une année après le dévoilement de son chef-d'oeuvre Der Müde Tod, Fritz Lang récidive avec Docteur Mabuse le joueur, oeuvre aux proportions épiques, divisée en deux parties et totalisant quatre heures et demi de pur bonheur. Véritable fresque de l'Allemagne sous la républ...( read more)ique de Weimar, ce puissant long métrage démontre toute l'étendue du génie intuitif de Lang, et ce dès les premières scènes. Le plan d'ouverture montrant les mains de Mabuse qui tiennent une série de cartes à l'effigie de ses multiples déguisements, puis la scène de la bourse, où il trône sur un piédestal et regarde la foule apeurée gigoter comme des mouches, tous deux contribuent à donner le ton au public, à cerner en quelques instants cet homme étrange qui semble peu à peu prendre les rênes de la ville.

    Cette ville, Lang la présente comme le berceau de tous les vices, étalant une vaste galerie de personnages rebutants: cocaïnomanes, joueurs compulsifs, danseuses nues et prostituées se donnent la réplique, alors que le terrifiant Mabuse jette son ombre sur cette plèbe pervertie, exploitant leur vice avec l'intelligence d'un véritable maître-arnaqueur. Dans le contexte de l'économie chancelante de l'époque, Mabuse fait figure de vautour, se nourrissant à satiété de corps qui n'ont pas encore exhaler leur dernier souffle. Il est fort probable que de tels hommes aient existé sous diverses formes, et en ce sens le personnage de Mabuse, avec ses mille visages, les regroupe tous, en plus d'être l'archétype de ses nouveaux riches dont le seul but était d'amasser du pécule.

    Le jeu de Rudolf Klein-Rogge, qui interprète avec brio l'énigmatique Docteur Mabuse, est encore davantage rehaussé en qualité par la présence de son alter-ego von Wenk, personnifié par nul autre que Bernhard Goetzke, la Mort de Der Müde Tod. Ces deux grands acteurs du cinéma muet s'entrechoquent merveilleusement pour donner lieu à l'une des plus enlevantes courses folles de l'histoire du cinéma policier. Docteur Mabuse le joueur annonce d'ailleurs un genre à venir, avec son montage rapide et sa progression "nerveuse", qui trouvent aujourd'hui leur aboutissement dans plusieurs blockbusters américains et semblent être à la base du film noir qui se développera davantage dans les années 30, 40 et 50.

    Bien que le cinéma allemand nage en plein expressionnisme (le Caligari de Weine datant de 1919, le Golem de Wegener de 1920, et le Nosferatu de Murnau de 1921), Lang nie avec virulence sa participation au mouvement. Cependant, bien des scènes de Docteur Mabuse le joueur y sont profondément ancrées: pensons notamment à celle du suicide du comte Told, qui se jette de part et d'autre de l'immense pièce centrale de son manoir en hallucinant une représentation fantomatique de lui-même, ou encore à celle du meurtre de Hull dans une rue sombre et peu accueillante, étroite et pleine d'ombres effrayants. S'il est vrai donc que le film ne s'inscrit pas dans la pure tradition de l'expressionnisme allemand, il est indéniable que Lang n'échappe pas complètement à la tendance. Docteur Mabuse le joueur est cependant plus influent qu'il n'est influencé et amène le spectateur vers des avenues qui sont aujourd'hui des lieux communs, mais avec la fraîcheur de celui qui fait le premier pas.
  • August 14, 2008
    It was good to see a Fritz Lang film which wasnt so well known as the likes of 'Metropolis'. Therefore I could see it with my own eyes without expectations of the quality. The acting was good, especially the main character Dr Mabuse played by Rudolf Klein-Rogge
    Interesting to se...( read more)e how films like this influenced many others in the history of cinema.
    Surprising how good the special effects were in 1922
    It is extremely long but it is in two parts so it doesn't have to be viewed in one sitting.
    But if you can sit through nearly five hours it is well worth it.
  • May 19, 2008
    2 words: FRITZ LANG. And if you don't know who he is...I don't want to play with you no mo'.
  • April 25, 2008
    Great crime thriller with a supernatural edge given to the title villain just to keep you guessing. Rudolf Klein-Rogge is well cast.

Comments


This board looks lonely. Be the first to talk about "Dr. Mabuse the Gambler" !

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

More Like This


Click a thumb to vote on that suggestion, or add your own suggestions.

  • Das Cabinet des Dr. Caligari. (The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari)
    Das Cabinet des Dr. Caligari. (The Cabinet of... (62%)
  • Die 1000 Augen des Dr. Mabuse (The 1,000 Eyes of Dr. Mabuse)(Diabolical Dr. Mabuse)
    Die 1000 Augen des Dr. Mabuse (The 1,000 Eyes... (100%)
  • The Testament Of Dr. Mabuse
    The Testament Of Dr. Mabuse (100%)

Facts


No facts approved yet. Be the first

Dr. Mabuse the Ga... : Watch Free on TV


Movie Quizzes


No quizzes for Dr. Mabuse the Gambler. Want to create one?

Video Clips


No video clips yet. Want to upload one?

Recent News


No recent headlines. Got one?

Most Popular Skin


No skins yet. Interested in creating one?