“When humanity, subjugated by the terror of crime, has been driven insane by fear and horror and when chaos has become supreme law, then the time will have come for the empire of crime.”

Three years ago I watched the final film directed by Fritz Lang, The Thousand Eyes of Dr. Mabuse (1960). Here’s my reaction to it. At the risk of being seen as contrary, it’s taken until now for me to catch up on the first two films of the series, Dr. Mabuse the Gambler (1922) and The Testament of Dr. Mabuse (1933). The former is in the list of 1001 movies to watch before you die, but it is also a four and a half hour silent film, so (hopefully) I might be forgiven for being hesitant. Having watched both, my misgivings were completely unfounded. Before I move on to my reactions to the films, I thought I’d give a brief note on how I made watching the first film more palatable.

This sounds like I’m belittling the film or making light of it. I’m not – but to anyone raised on talkies and especially those of the 1980s and 1990s,  silent movies are an alien world. Unless they have the stunts or slapstick of Keaton or Chaplin, they are always going to be a challenge for me. Similarly, for someone raised on films between an hour and a half and two hours long, a near five-hour film is going to be daunting. So – two ways I decided to approach this.

Firstly,  Dr. Mabuse the Gambler is not really a single film, it’s two miniseries divided into around six episodes, each with a defined plot and a cliffhanger. Watching the whole thing is much like watching an old Doctor Who story, taking it in bite-sized chunks makes it far easier to swallow.

Secondly, watching a silent movie of this period and from this country has a deep and complex historical significance. For anyone interested in film scholarship, From Caligari to Hitler, Siegfried Kracauer’s 1947 review of how films in the Weimar era anticipated the rise of Hitler, is a fascinating and convincing analysis of the period.  Both Dr. Mabuse the Gambler and it’s sequel fall into this area, so watching the silent movie has a historical edge to it. It’s also an act of archaeology, watching how particular film techniques and conventions are used (and in some cases born) gives a feeling of uncovering the past and revealing something significant. These approaches, for me, were enough to maintain my interest in the film for long enough to allow the actual drama and performances to get under my skin.

Dr. Mabuse the Gambler is an action-packed, inventive and, at times, terrifyingly creepy film. It has everything you’d want from the modern psychological action thriller (aside from sound): car chases, hypnotism, gunfights, outlandish characters, a seance and even ghosts. It’s like Lang threw everything at the screen, and it somehow stuck. The sequel is more accessible if less epic. I think it’s advisable to watch the silent movie first as it gives a real foundation for the title character. The sequel sidelines Dr. Mabuse in terms of character – Rudolf Klein-Rogge, the actor playing him as he did in the original, fittingly stays silent. Mabuse in the second film is more a philosophy, but this adds to his mystique and sinister power. The first film builds the character, the second film charts his influence and legacy.   

I would recommend all three movies, preferably in order.