Dr. Mabuse the Gambler (1922)
Dr. Mabuse the Gambler is a film released in Germany in 1922. The film follows the story of Dr. Mabuse, a con artist and hypnotist who tricks people out of the money. The film is the first in a series of movies involving Dr. Mabuse, and is based on a character from Norbert Jacques’ novels. Dr. Mabuse the Gambler is a silent film shot at 16 frames per second.
Dr. Mabuse the Gambler is divided into two parts: Der grobe Spieler: Ein Bild der Zeit, and Inferno: Ein Spiel um Menschen unserer Zeit. The film is well over four hours long, with the restored version clocking in at 297 minutes.
Cast and Crew of Dr. Mabuse
Dr. Mabuse the Gambler stars Rudolf Klein-Rogge as Dr. Mabuse. Supporting characters include Cara Carozza, Grafin Dusy Told, Graf Told, and Inspector Norbert von Wenck, played by Aud Egede-Niseen, Gertrude Welcker, Alfred Abel, and Bernhard Goetzke, respectively. The cast is rounded out by actors such as Georg John, Charles Puffy, and Julius Falkenstein. Some uncredited actors are also included, such as Max Adalbert, Anita Berber, and Lil Dagover.
Dr. Mabuse the Gambler was directed by Fritz Lang, director of films such as Metropolis and other movies in the Dr. Mabuse series. Dr. Mabuse the Gambler was produced by Erich Pommer, and written by Fritz Lang, Norbert Jacques, and Thea von Harbou. Carl Hoffman acted as cinematographer.
Plot Synopsis for Dr. Mabuse the Gambler
Dr. Mabuse the Gambler the follows the tale of Dr. Mabuse, a trained psychoanalyst who specializes in mind control and hypnosis. He uses his talents to mastermind a criminal empire by manipulating the stock market and counterfeiting. Dr. Mabuse is also a seasoned gambler, though he doesn’t really take any risks since he can manipulate his opponents into making losing decisions. Dr. Mabuse used many disguises to help him complete his wrongful deeds. The film opens with a scene of Dr. Mabuse shuffling cards and illustrating his various disguises, finally choosing one randomly.
Shortly after the opening of the film, we’re introduced to Dr. Mabuse’s various henchmen: Spoerri, a cocaine addict, Hawasch, the overseer of Mabuse’s counterfeiting operation, George, his enforcer and chauffeur, and Pesch, a screw-up who provides a measure of comic relief to the film. Dr. Mabuse also has a couple of women in his life, including Fine and Cara Carozza, a dancer at the Follies Bergere. Cara is in love with Mabuse, despite the fact that he uses her exclusively for criminal purposes.
Dr. Mabuse’s first criminal operation in the movie is a rail heist and stock market manipulation. He conducts a secret treaty between two companies, one Dutch and one German. Mabuse knows that the companies are fearful of the contents of the treaty being revealed, which he uses to create a large drop in stock prices. Dr. Mabuse buys up the undervalued stocks, and arranges for a recovery of the stolen treaty, causing his stocks to increase in price.
Dr. Mabuse's next crime job is to target a young, wealthy aristocrat named Edgar Hull. Cara lures Edgar to an upscale gambling club called Club 17 + 4. Mabuse disguises himself as Hugo Bolling and hypnotizes Hull in order to take 100,000 marks from him.
Bernhard Goetzke plays Chief Inspector Norbert von Wenck, the individual who suspects that a single master criminal is behind the recent crime wave that has been damaging the city. Von Wenck doesn’t know the identity of Dr. Mabuse, and chooses to simply call him "The Great Other." Von Wenck uses disguises to track down Dr. Mabuse, and isn’t easily susceptible to Dr. Mabuse’s mind control tricks.
Count Todd and Countess Grafin Dusy Told are German aristocrats who while away their hours in various German gambling rooms. Grafin doesn’t actually gamble, but instead entertains herself by watching the emotions of others who win and lose. Grafin draws the attention of Dr. Mabuse and Wenck, and Dr. Mabuse becomes obsessed with her. He doesn’t love her, but only wants to possess her, further reaffirming his evil tendencies.
As the film goes on, Dr. Mabuse commits several murders and gradually goes insane. He begins to see the ghosts of the victims, which can either be interpreted as a cause or an effect of his insanity. The film concludes with Dr. Mabuse being captured by Wenck and being sent to an insane asylum, which sets up the sequel that would be released in 1933 as The Last Will of Dr. Mabuse.
Additional Notes on Dr. Mabuse the Gambler
Sergei M. Eisenstein, a Soviet editor, cut the two lengthy halves of Dr. Mabuse the Gambler into a single shorter film. The film has seen many revisions over the years, and different versions range in length from ninety minutes to five hours. A DVD version of the film is available from Image Entertainment with a running length of 229 minutes. Dr. Mabuse the Gambler has been restored to the correct frame rate of 20 FPS. The DVD also includes a commentary track recorded by the author of a book covering the entire Dr. Mabuse series. This version of Dr. Mabuse the Gambler also includes an orchestral score composed by Robert Israel.
Dr. Mabuse the Gambler was praised upon its release for its mixture of naturalism and expressionism. The naturalism could be found mainly in the indoor scenes, while expressionism dominated the outdoor scenes. The film contains some of the first examples of montage used in a motion picture.
Today, critics consider Dr. Mabuse the Gambler to be a fine example of early German cinema, though many argue that it doesn’t hold up as well as other Lang pictures, such as Metropolis. The excessive length of the film is often cited as its major flaw.