The Testament of Dr. Mabuse
Locked away in an asylum for a decade and teetering between life and death, the criminal mastermind Doctor Mabuse (Rudolf Klein-Rogge) has scribbled his last will and testament: a manifesto establishing a future empire of crime. When the document’s nefarious writings start leading to terrifying parallels in reality, it’s up to Berlin’s star detective, Inspector Lohmann (Otto Wernicke, reprising his role from M) to connect the most fragmented, maddening clues in a case unlike any other. A sequel to his enormously successful silent film Dr. Mabuse: The Gambler, Fritz Lang's The Testament of Dr. Mabuse reunites the director with the character that had effectively launched his career. Lang put slogans and ideas expounded by the Nazis into the mouth of a madman, warning his audience of an imminent menace, which was soon to become a reality. Nazi Minister of Information Joseph Goebbels saw the film as an instruction manual for terrorist action against the government and banned it for “endangering public order and security.” A landmark of mystery and suspense for countless espionage and noir thrillers to come, this is the complete, uncut original director’s version in a stunning new transfer.
Special Features
- New high-definition digital transfer, with restored image and sound, presented here in its original aspect ratio of 1.19:1 for the first time
- Audio commentary by David Kalat, author of The Strange Case of Dr. Mabuse
- Complete French-language version of the film, Le Testament du Dr. Mabuse, filmed simultaneously by Lang with French actors
- Excerpts from For Example Fritz Lang (Zum Beispiel: Fritz Lang), 1964 interview with Lang, directed by famed German documentarian Erwin Leiser (Mein Kampf)
- Mabuse in Mind (Mabuse Im Gedächtnis), 1984 film by Thomas Honickel featuring an interview with actor Rudolf Schündler (Hardy in The Testament of Dr. Mabuse)
- Comparison between the 1933 German version, the French version, and The Crimes of Dr. Mabuse, the edited and dubbed American version of the film
- Interview with German Mabuse expert Michael Farin about the literary inventor of the series, Norbert Jacques
- Rare production design drawings by art director Emil Hasler (M, The Blue Angel)
- Collection of memorabilia, press books, stills, and posters
- New and improved English subtitle translation
- PLUS: An essay by Tom Gunning, author of The Films of Fritz Lang: Allegories of Vision and Modernity
New cover by Aesthetic Apparatus
Special Features
- New high-definition digital transfer, with restored image and sound, presented here in its original aspect ratio of 1.19:1 for the first time
- Audio commentary by David Kalat, author of The Strange Case of Dr. Mabuse
- Complete French-language version of the film, Le Testament du Dr. Mabuse, filmed simultaneously by Lang with French actors
- Excerpts from For Example Fritz Lang (Zum Beispiel: Fritz Lang), 1964 interview with Lang, directed by famed German documentarian Erwin Leiser (Mein Kampf)
- Mabuse in Mind (Mabuse Im Gedächtnis), 1984 film by Thomas Honickel featuring an interview with actor Rudolf Schündler (Hardy in The Testament of Dr. Mabuse)
- Comparison between the 1933 German version, the French version, and The Crimes of Dr. Mabuse, the edited and dubbed American version of the film
- Interview with German Mabuse expert Michael Farin about the literary inventor of the series, Norbert Jacques
- Rare production design drawings by art director Emil Hasler (M, The Blue Angel)
- Collection of memorabilia, press books, stills, and posters
- New and improved English subtitle translation
- PLUS: An essay by Tom Gunning, author of The Films of Fritz Lang: Allegories of Vision and Modernity
New cover by Aesthetic Apparatus
Cast
- Rudolf Klein-Rogge
- Dr. Mabuse
- Otto Wernicke
- Inspector Lohmann
- Oskar Beregi, Sr.
- Prof. Dr. Baum
- Gustav Diessl
- Thomas Kent
- Wera Liessem
- Lilli
- Karl Meixner
- Hofmeister
- A.E. Licho
- Dr. Hauser
- Theo Lingen
- Karetzky
- Klaus Pohl
- Müller
- Theodor Loos
- Dr. Kramm
- Camilla Spira
- Anna
- Rudolf Schündler
- Hardy
- Georg John
- Baum's assistant
Credits
- Director
- Fritz Lang
- Producer
- Seymour Nebenzal
- Screenplay
- Fritz Lang
- Screenplay
- Thea von Harbou
- Directors of photography
- Fritz Arno Wagner
- Directors of photography
- Karl Vass
- Art direction
- Karl Vollbrecht
- Art direction
- Emil Hasler
- Music
- Dr. Hans Erdmann
