The Testament of Dr. Mabuse | |
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Directed by | Werner Klingler |
Screenplay by | |
Produced by | Artur Brauner [1] |
Starring | |
Cinematography | Albert Benitz [1] |
Edited by | Walter Wischniewsky [1] |
Music by | Raimund Rosenberger [1] |
Production company | |
Distributed by | Constantin Film Verleih GmbH (München) |
Release date |
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Running time | 88 minutes [1] |
Country | West Germany [1] |
Language | German |
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]
Cast adapted from Filmportal.de: [1]
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]
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]
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]
Friedrich Christian Anton Lang, better known as Fritz Lang, was an Austrian-American film director, screenwriter, and producer who worked in Germany and later the United States. One of the best-known émigrés from Germany's school of Expressionism, he was dubbed the "Master of Darkness" by the British Film Institute. He has been cited as one of the most influential filmmakers of all time.
Thea Gabriele von Harbou was a German screenwriter, novelist, film director, and actress. She is remembered as the screenwriter of the science fiction film classic Metropolis (1927) and for the 1925 novel on which it was based. von Harbou collaborated as a screenwriter with film director Fritz Lang, her husband, during the period of transition from silent to sound films.
Dr. Mabuse is a fictional character created by Norbert Jacques in his 1921 novel Dr. Mabuse, der Spieler, and his 1932 follow-up novel Das Testament des Dr. Mabuse (1932). The character was made famous by three films about the character directed in Germany by Fritz Lang: Dr. Mabuse the Gambler, The Testament of Dr. Mabuse (1933), and the much later The Thousand Eyes of Dr. Mabuse (1960). Five other films featuring Dr. Mabuse were made by other directors in Germany in the early 1960s, followed by Jess Franco's interpretation The Vengeance of Dr. Mabuse in 1971.
The Testament of Dr. Mabuse, also called The Last Will of Dr. Mabuse, is a 1933 German crime-thriller film directed by Fritz Lang. The movie is a sequel to Lang's silent film Dr. Mabuse the Gambler (1922) and features many cast and crew members from Lang's previous films. Dr. Mabuse is in an insane asylum where he is found frantically writing his crime plans. When Mabuse's criminal plans begin to be implemented, Inspector Lohmann tries to find the solution with clues from gangster Thomas Kent, the institutionalized Hofmeister and Professor Baum who becomes obsessed with Dr. Mabuse.
Wolfgang Preiss was a German theatre, film and television actor.
Edgar Wallace (1875–1932) was a British novelist and playwright and screenwriter whose works have been adapted for the screen on many occasions.
The Thousand Eyes of Dr. Mabuse is a 1960 black-and-white crime thriller film directed by Fritz Lang in his final film. A West German/French/Italian international co-production, it starred Peter van Eyck, Dawn Addams and Gert Fröbe. The film made use of the character Dr. Mabuse, who had appeared in earlier films by Lang in 1922 and 1933. The Thousand Eyes of Dr. Mabuse spawned a film series of German Mabuse films that were released over the following years to compete with Rialto Film's Krimi films.
Dr. Mabuse the Gambler is the first film in the Dr. Mabuse series about the character Doctor Mabuse who featured in the novels of Norbert Jacques. It was directed by Fritz Lang and released in 1922. The film is silent and would be followed by the sound sequels The Testament of Dr. Mabuse (1933) and The Thousand Eyes of Dr. Mabuse (1960).
Friedrich Rudolf Klein, better known as Rudolf Klein-Rogge, was a German film actor, best known for playing sinister figures in films in the 1920s and 1930s as well as being a mainstay in director Fritz Lang's Weimar-era films. He is probably best known in popular culture, particularly to English-speaking audiences, for playing the archetypal mad scientist role of C. A. Rotwang in Lang's Metropolis and as the criminal genius Doctor Mabuse. Klein-Rogge also appeared in several important French films in the late 1920s and early 1930s.
Artur "Atze" Brauner was a German film producer and entrepreneur of Polish origin. He produced more than 300 films from 1946.
The Indian Tomb is a 1959 adventure film, co-written and directed by Fritz Lang. Produced by Artur Brauner, it is an international co-production of West Germany, France and Italy. It is the second film, after The Tiger of Eschnapur (1959), that comprise "Fritz Lang's Indian Epic" duology, which are based on the 1918 novel Das indische Grabmal, written by Lang's ex-wife Thea von Harbou.
Scotland Yard Hunts Dr. Mabuse or Scotland Yard vs. Dr Mabuse is a 1963 German crime film directed by Paul May and starring Peter van Eyck. Scotland Yard vs. Dr. Mabuse was distributed in West Germany by Gloria Film, premiering on 20 September 1963. The film was written by Ladislas Fodor, based on a story idea written by Bryan Edgar Wallace. It was shot at the Spandau Studios in Berlin. The film's sets were designed by the art directors Albrecht Hennings and Hans Kuhnert.
Norbert Jacques was a Luxembourgish novelist, journalist, screenwriter, and translator who wrote in German. He was born in Luxembourg-Eich, Luxembourg and died in Koblenz, West Germany. He created the character Dr. Mabuse, who was a feature of some of his novels. Dr. Mabuse, der Spieler, the first novel to feature Mabuse, was one of the bestsellers of its time; it sold over 500,000 copies in Germany. Today, Jacques is known best for Dr. Mabuse. In 1922, he received German citizenship.
Karl Adolf Kurt Werner Klingler was a German film director and actor. He directed 29 films between 1936 and 1968. He was born in Stuttgart and died in West Berlin, West Germany.
Nero-Film AG was a German film production company founded in 1925 and based in Berlin during the Weimar era.
The Return of Doctor Mabuse is a 1961 black-and-white crime film/thriller made in West Berlin. It was a West German/French/Italian international co-production directed by Harald Reinl that was the second of the 1960s CCC Films Dr. Mabuse film series, being the sequel to Fritz Lang's The Thousand Eyes of Dr. Mabuse (1960). It starred Gert Fröbe, Daliah Lavi and in his first German film, Lex Barker. The film was co-written by Ladislas Fodor and, in his first screenplay, Marc Behm. They created a science fictional plot that would be followed in the other films in the series.
Walter Wischniewsky was a German film editor who worked on over a hundred productions during his career. Wischniewsky also sometimes worked as an assistant director. Wischniewsky began his career during the Nazi era, but most productions he worked on were post-Second World War. He edited several rubble films, including The Berliner (1948). During the 1950s and 1960s he became one of the mainstays of German commercial cinema, working on the long-running Edgar Wallace and Karl May series. Wischniewsky edited Fritz Lang's Indian-shot The Indian Tomb and The Tiger of Eschnapur.
"The Nine Lives of Dr. Mabuse" is the debut single by German new wave/synth-pop band Propaganda. The song was produced by Trevor Horn and was released on his label, ZTT in 1984. It appears on the debut album A Secret Wish. It was a moderate chart hit in the UK and Switzerland, peaking at numbers 27 and 14, respectively. In Germany, the song reached the top 10, peaking at No. 7.