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 Das Testament des Dr. Mabuse [The Testament of Dr. Mabuse] 

What grade would you give this film?
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 Das Testament des Dr. Mabuse [The Testament of Dr. Mabuse] 
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Post Das Testament des Dr. Mabuse [The Testament of Dr. Mabuse]
The Testament of Dr. Mabuse

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The Testament of Dr. Mabuse (German: Das Testament des Dr. Mabuse) is a 1933 German crime 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. The film features Rudolf Klein-Rogge as Dr. Mabuse who 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 (played by Otto Wernicke) tries to find the solution with clues from gangster Thomas Kent (Gustav Diessl), the institutionalized Hofmeister (Karl Meixner) and Professor Baum (Oscar Beregi Sr.) who becomes obsessed with Dr. Mabuse.

The Testament of Dr. Mabuse was based on elements of author Norbert Jacques' novel Mabuse's Colony. It was Lang's second sound film for Nero-Film and was his final collaboration with his wife and screenwriter Thea von Harbou. To promote the film to a foreign market, a French-language version of the film was made by Lang with the same sets but different actors with the title Le Testament du Dr. Mabuse.

When Adolf Hitler acquired power, Joseph Goebbels became minister of the Ministry of Propaganda and banned the film in Germany, suggesting that the film would decrease the audience's confidence in its statesmen. The French-language and German-language versions of the film were released in Europe while several versions of the film were released in the United States to mixed reception with each re-release. The sequel The Thousand Eyes of Dr. Mabuse was released during 1960 and was also directed by Lang. Modern reception of the film is favorable with critics, while the film has influenced filmmakers including Claude Chabrol and Artur Brauner.

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Thu Jan 08, 2009 4:48 am
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loyalfromlondon
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Post Re: Das Testament des Dr. Mabuse
It's basically Caligari crossed with Lang's own M, as it infuses the same kind of down-to-earth, gritty crime tale found in the latter with the type of supernatural, psychological horror found in the former. This is not limited merely to the narrative and themes, though, as the aesthetic wavers between the same two extremes, mixing expressionistic visuals with documentary-like camerawork expertly and stylishly. It's quite a beautiful film at times, even more than either of the films it primarily draws from, simply because of this mishmash.

It's not perfect, though, or as complete as the two aforementioned works. The sappy romantic subplot really drags it down, as does that ridiculous scene where the lovelorn couple floods the room they are trapped it in order to escape. Talk about ruining a mood.

There's still a lot to like here, though, from the dark sense of humour running throughout to the ruminations on authority and following orders (not-so-subtly referencing Hitler and the Nazis - probably the reason it was banned). It's definitely a very interesting film, even if it doesn't always transfer the concept into execution.

Ultimately, it's a visually intriguing, thematically complex, and structurally flawed pre-noir work. Not Lang's best, but still pretty great.

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Fri Jan 09, 2009 3:10 am
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Post Re: Das Testament des Dr. Mabuse
And it has a car chase that is even better than the one in 'Saw'!

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Fri Jan 09, 2009 4:07 am
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