Customer Reviews

The Thousand Eyes of Dr. Mabuse [VHS]

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

 

 

This disk is one of my favorites. Although not quite up to the standards of it's two predecessors, the Third Dr. Mabuse film (and the last directed by Lang himself) is wonderful and more than worth the purchase price.

David Kalat's extraordinary commentary is easily THE BEST I have ever heard (and I've heard quite a few.) He strikes the perfect balance between knowledge and wit - the narration is informative without being dry or condescending and, indeed, is quite lively at times. His delivery style is remarkably excellent throughout and is a major reason I consider the disk to be one of my most valued.

Two tiny quibbles, stuff so small as to bother only me: The English Language captioning, written for the German audio track, is a little disorienting when viewed in connection with the English language track. Most of this has to do with the demands of lip-synchronization between two languages. Still, and despite the additional cost it might have created, two independent sets of captions would have been appreciated - one for each of the different languages. This would be a welcome addition for a hearing impared viewer.

The other minor quibble is that the documentary really needed captioning, much more so than the feature owing to the heavy accented speech.

All told, though, this is absolutely a remarkable film and a remarkable, and very treasured disk. AllDay Entertainment is releasing some extraordinary stuff, and deserve kudos and, above all, purchases!

Last movie of german-american director Fritz Lang, 1000 EYES OF DR MABUSE must not be neglected even if one can prefer M, FURY or MOONFLEET in the royal filmography of this Master. Personally, I confess that I'm very fond of this movie, maybe not for the right reasons. 1000 EYES OF DR MABUSE is one of these movies I've discovered a sunday afternoon on TV when I was twelve or thirteen years old. And even now, I can remember the nightmares generated by the blind medium or the multiple hidden rooms of The Luxor Hotel. To be short, I've bought the DVD right after its release.

As bonus features, you will have the choice between the subtitled german version or an english dubbed version, a very interesting commentary of the producer of the DVD who is a Dr Mabuse specialist (12 Dr Mabuse movies have been produced until now !). And last but not least, you will discover a featurette presenting interviews of Fritz Lang's specialists including Forrest Ackerman.

Naturally, there are a lot of other good reasons to put this DVD on the shelves of your library but, if you have stopped at this peculiar page of Amazon, you surely already know that Fritz Lang's 1000 EYES OF DR MABUSE is a valuable addition to any movie lover's collection. So, have fun with the mad doc.

A DVD for the child in you.

The Mabuse films by Fritz Lang are not just "cop-and-thieves" thrillers: of course they are quite enjoyable as a thriller-suspence crime movies, but for those with the eyes to see, Mabuse is really a metaphore of power and its functions in a modern society. Already in 1922, when Lang made the first Mabuse films (DOCTOR MABUSE in two parts; a new restored DVD of this film is now in preparation), he foresaw not only the rise of Hitler and the Nazis, but also a society under control (or hypnosis) by the medias and informations sirculating on them. Lang's last entry to the series, THE 1000 EYES OF DR.MABUSE, is a nightmarish alegory of the post-war modern society. The Luxor Hotel where the story mainly takes place is a buiding made by the Nazis and has a secret camera system ovserving every single thing that happens in it. The idea that we are all observed by those who are in power has now, as you see around yourself, became our own reality. Many contemporary filmmakers, such as Wim Wenders with his END OF THE VIOLENCE, try to portray the same idea, but none of them are as efficient as Lang, inspite of the low budget Lang was allowed to spend, and the classic cliche framework (involving a psychic clairvoyant and an American millionaire hero). It's a masterpiece, in the sense that it is really an oeuvre of the master. The new digital transfer from original 35mm elements is almost flawless and displays Langs lucid vision of the world in a stunning manner. In the bonus featurettes, people who knew Lang in his last years talks about him, and is also quite interesting. One problem, though: the featurette tells us the name of those people but most of them we don't know who they are. I am also looking forward for the release of THE TESTAMENT OF DR.MABUSE (the 1932 original) on a DVD that looks as good as this one.

"The 1,000 Eyes of Dr. Mabuse" (1960) marked director Fritz Lang's final film. At age 70, Lang returned to Germany after abandoning Hollywood in 1956. Despite a low budget and obvious commercial considerations, Lang managed to create an atmospheric thriller. Though the criminal mastermind had died in 1933's "The Testament of Dr. Mabuse," Lang developed a spiritual heir who would continue the Mabuse tradition. "1,000 Eyes" is a throwback to Lang's early German thrillers with a modernist style - depicting a world in which nothing is what it seems. The film has a few slow stretches, but the inventive assassination sequence and climactic car chase represent Lang at his best.

Fritz Lang comes full circle: MABUSE made his name nearly forty years earlier with the silent serial DR. MABUSE, DER SPIELER (1922), and here Mabuse closes out his directorial career, in his home country Germany. Made on a shoestring budget with pretty obviously cardboard-quality sets, this is nonetheless nearly up to the level of the director's finest work, the fatalism and paranoia, the distrust of government and big business every bit as potent if not more so in the era of TV and jet aircraft as it was in the years before Hitler came to power.

The plot is so complex and takes so many quick turns that, less than 2 weeks after seeing it, I'm already at a loss to readily describe it. Suffice it to say that a TV reporter dies in his car in traffic; at first, no foul play is suspected but soon it's found that he has a needle embedded in his brain, fired from some experimental weapon. Meanwhile a young woman connected with the anchorman tries to commit suicide -- she is saved by an American businessman, who soon becomes embroiled in the intrigue which in addition to an SF weapon involves 1-way mirrors, cameras watching nearly everyone's every move, a seer/magician and exploding telephones. Really, describing the plot would ruin much of the fun.

Gert Frobe is really excellent as the police inspector in charge of the case; like a great many Americans I know him only as "Goldfinger" but he shows great ability here as a world-weary but still committed, intelligent and canny cop. The rest of the cast is solid, the crisp B/W photography and music all work to establish a claustrophobic, dangerous atmosphere....the VHS tape I watched was of surprisingly high quality. Not quite as engaging or exciting as the first two in the series, but still a more than fitting end to one of the greatest directorial careers in cinema. Strongly deserving of a quality American DVD release, but in the meantime this VHS is OK if you can get it used or cheap; or, if you have a multiregion DVD player (and why wouldn't you?) you can spring for the Masters of Cinema "Complete Fritz Lang Mabuse" set available in the UK.

A truly unique movie that was way ahead of its time in exploring the theme of the loss of privacy in the modern world. The kind of movie that shows you don't need a big budget or amazing special effects to create a truly outstanding sci-fi film.

There are two major glitches in this DVD. At the end of chapter 8 and again in chapter 25 at the 2:30 mark, two different video sequences cut in: One is a color soccer instructional, and the other a Japanese (I think) dubbed B&W film. How could such a thing get past the mastering phase??

Otherwise, this is a great film, wonderfully presented with all the extras listed in these other reviews. But these glitches make it unacceptable. I hope the same problems don't pop up in Vol. 2 of the series!