Customer Reviews

The Invisible Dr. Mabuse [VHS]

5 star:		(0)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I always liked the Dr. Mabuse thrillers. I would watch them on late night TV in the seventies. A few years back, a small independent DVD distributor, ALL DAY ENTERTAINMENT released Mabuse Double pack as well as the original Dr. Mabuse thriller from the 1930s. The prints were clean, letterboxed, uncut and if memory serves me well, I had the option of competent English dubbing or subtitles. If I recall ALL DAY had small niche in the market of cult film distribution, and was living high off cult film fans and their money. I read awhile back IMAGE bought out ALL DAY, and started reissuing some of the popular titles ALL DAY had released. Why do I bring this up? I thought it would be great to buy another round of Mabuse thrillers such as this package. I double checked the information, and read IMAGE had released this trio of Mabuse Films. I was expecting great print quality, subs or dubs, uncut and widescreen, and for such a low price. Sadly, this is not the case. This package of Mabuse offerings is released from the good old boys at Retro Media DVD. The prints are average at best, typical late night dubbing, edited for TV prints and not a widescreen in the bunch. Cripes, Sinister Cinema releases of the Mabuse films are much better.

I hope I'm as much a Dr. Mabuse fan as any American can be -- or maybe I should say "mind-controlled slave of Dr. Mabuse." I relish the wonderful All-Day versions of 1,000 Eyes (The 1,000 Eyes of Dr. Mabuse) and the Testament remake (Testament Of Dr. Mabuse/ The Crimes Of Dr. Mabuse), the definitive Criterion Testament (The Testament Of Dr. Mabuse - Criterion Collection), and any one of the many dips from Image of the original (Dr. Mabuse - The Gambler). I've also devoured Kalat's scholarly book on the series (Strange Case of Dr. Mabuse: A Study of the Twelve Films and Five Novels). So like some of the disappointed reviewers above, I was initially elated to see three more Mabuse films appear from Image -- and then really let down when I realized this collection was of the truncated, pan/scan, English-dubbed T.V. versions.

But here's my four-star twist: Once I purchased this can't-argue-with-the-price collection and actually sat down to watch -- and once my inner critic stopped grumbling over the off-putting voice coming out of Gert Frobe -- I found myself really enjoying these films, especially Return of Dr. Mabuse. Yes, the three Fritz Lang films show Lang at his pulpy best, and yes, the other editions are far more satisfying from a DVD collector standpoint. And, just as Kalat notes in his writing and his many Mabuse commentaries, the series indeed becomes a stream of quickie, low-budget, no-star knock-offs. But this disc reminds me that I love those kinds of films as well -- I've got plenty of Hollywood noir and cheapo sci-fi silliness with less production value. And there's never been a villian as compelling as Mabuse to carry fear and loathing through so many years and incarnations. Even with the cheap sets and cheap Lang-imitation direction, I still found myself drawn into these stories. So my four stars are in consideration of that -- for a Mabuse fan on the Region 1 side of the universe, this is still a treat, and likely the best we'll see for a long time.

If I could have Mabuse-style power over the DVD execs, I'd actually push them for a "Collection Volume 2" that included "Dr. Mabuse vs. Scotland Yard" and the Jess Franco "Vengeance of Dr. Mabuse" before I'd force them to redo this one -- yes, I'd take even bad U.S. prints of those. That's my feeling, anyway. (Or what the man with the microphone is TELLING me to feel. It's hard to be sure.)

David Kalat's great commentary on Thousand Eyes of Dr. Mabuse explains the great lengths he went through to get the prints he used for that DVD. Here are three more in the series. This material is relatively rare, and even though these movies are presented full screen rather than a more preferred letterboxed, the prints are crisp and the audio is very good, with cool 1960s music and good Oskar Sala electronic compositions.

I really enjoy this set..these are fun to watch during a gray day, or a cold evening..this set has 3 Dr Mabuse titles. I usually watch them on a day where it is foggy or just cold gray weather for added ambiance. The Return of Dr Mabuse - this one has a good cast with Gert Frobe as Inspector Lohman, Lex Barker as Joe Como & a lot of great undercover espionage. This was the most entertaining. The Invisible Dr Mabuse - Dr Mabuse this time wants to steal an invention of invisibility of another doctor - this one has undercover clowns,some cheesecake and is a lot of fun and mystery as well. Lex Barker returns of Joe Como. As for the Death Ray Mirror of Dr Mabuse - this one has Dr Mabuse on Malta trying to steal the Death Ray Mirror and destroy the world - Peter Van Eyck is the major out to get him - lots of cheesecake again. This was the least of the trilogy, a little too talky, but the babes are hot in this. Overall it is a fun set,when youre in the mood for some German crime movies. The plot/story can be a little confusing, but they are still fun to watch and are entertaining. Wolfgang Preiss has a small but important role as Dr Mabuse. I recommend this to anyone who is into Dr Mabuse, classic German crime thrillers as well as Edgar Bryan Wallace mystery movies (also from Germany)
Retormedia put out good USA transfers, yes I know they are available in Germany widescreen and in its original German language but for me - I am happy with the USA versions, the print quality is good to very good and these have a certain charm for me in USA versions. Basically this set works for me and wouldnt want them any other way

The legendary criminal genius (played once again by Wolfgang Preiss) receives short shrift in this 1962 follow-up to "The Return of Dr. Mabuse." Poor scripting derails Harald Reinl's atmospheric direction while Gert Fröbe's Inspector Lohmann is sorely missed. Affectionate references to "The Phantom of the Opera" and Fritz Lang's "Spies" remain among the few bright spots in a disappointing crime thriller. Composer Peter Sandloff provides another eccentric jazz-rock score.

What's not to like about The Dr. Mabuse Collection? The movies are fun, the transfers are decent, and the price is right. This is likely the best Region 1 DVD of these films we'll see for awhile, so better get it while you can!

I love the Dr Mabuse films from the 1960's and was thrilled when I saw that this was being released, at least until I opened the set and popped the disc in my player. The movies are all full-frame English dubbed TV prints and the quality is about what you would expect from cheapie Alpha Video releases of public domain movies. I can't believe Image would release such an inferior set and I will be very, very careful in the future and check reviews before ordering anything else that they release.