The Testament of Dr. Mabuse (1962 film)

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The Testament of Dr. Mabuse
The-Testament-of-Dr-Mabuse-1962-film-poster.jpg
Directed by Werner Klingler
Screenplay by
Produced by Artur Brauner [1]
Starring
Cinematography Albert Benitz [1]
Edited by Walter Wischniewsky [1]
Music byRaimund Rosenberger [1]
Production
company
Distributed by Constantin Film Verleih GmbH (München)
Release date
  • 2 September 1962 (1962-09-02)(Germany)
Running time
88 minutes [1]
CountryWest Germany [1]
LanguageGerman

The Testament of Dr. Mabuse (German : Das Testament des Dr. Mabuse) is a 1962 German film directed by Werner Klingler. It was the fourth part of the Dr. Mabuse series from the 1960s and was a remake of the 1933 Fritz Lang film The Testament of Dr. Mabuse . [1]

Contents

Cast

Cast adapted from Filmportal.de: [1]

Production

In 1962, producer Artur Brauner set-up a new mini-studio of CCC Film called CCC Filmkunst (transl.CCC Art film). [2] This production outfit was set to make three films a year on lower budgets with more freedom to develop a film, which included The Testament of Dr. Mabuse. [2] The Testament of Dr. Mabuse was shot on location in Berlin and at the Spandau Studios between May 16 and May 23, 1962. [1]

Release

The Testament of Dr. Mabuse was distributed theatrically in West Germany by Constantin Film on September 2, 1962. [1] The film was released in 1965 in the United States and was the last of the Dr. Mabuse films to be released theatrically there. [3] [4]

Reception

From contemporary reviews, an anonymous reviewer in the Monthly Film Bulletin reviewed an 88 minute English-dubbed version of the film. [5] The reviewer declared the film "another black mark on the West Germany industry" and "one of the worst of the recent batch of Dr. Mabuse fabrications". He also wrote that despite borrowing elements from Fritz Lang's original film, "lacks even a glimpse of Lang's dramatic flair [...] Things are made worse by an extremely tatty production—somewhat reminiscent of British films of the '30s" and poor quality dubbing. [5]

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 "Das Testament des Dr. Mabuse" (in German). Filmportal.de . Retrieved July 4, 2020.
  2. 1 2 Kalat 2005, p. 177.
  3. Kalat 2005, p. 173.
  4. Kalat 2005, p. 178.
  5. 1 2 "Testament des Dr. Mabuse, Das (The Testament of Dr. Mabuse, West Germany, 1962". Monthly Film Bulletin . Vol. 32, no. 372. British Film Institute. January 1965. p. 10.

Sources