Dr Mabuse: the fatal passions

The feature version of the two-part ‘Dr Mabuse: The Gambler’ edited into one movie. Dr. Mabuse is a master criminal and overlord of the social chaos in Berlin who uses hypnosis, disguise and deception in his quest for wealth and power. As much a social portrait as a thriller, this is an early example of the suitability of the thriller genre as a vehicle for Lang’s world view, a world in which nothing is as it seems, where danger lurks beneath the most seemingly normal circumstances and objects, and individual destinies are controlled and threatened by mysterious and powerful forces. This is an early demonstration of a key Langian theme: the complete unreliability of appearances. With English intertitles and musical accompaniment. Cast includes Rudolf Klein-Rogge, Ause Egdse Nissem, Paul Richter, Bernhard Goetzke. Reference: Julian Petley, BFI Distribution Library Catalogue. WITH MUSICAL SOUNDTRACK.