Dr. Mabuse, der Spieler
| Dr. Mabuse the Gambler | |
|---|---|
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| Directed by | Fritz Lang |
| Produced by | Erich Pommer |
| Written by | Fritz Lang Norbert Jacques Thea von Harbou |
| Based on |
Doctor Mabuse by Norbert Jacques |
| Starring |
Rudolf Klein-Rogge Aud Egede-Nissen Gertrude Welcker Alfred Abel Bernhard Goetzke |
| Cinematography | Carl Hoffmann |
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Production
company |
Uco-Film GmbH
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| Distributed by | Universum Film AG |
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Release date
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Running time
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154 minutes (Part 1) 114 minutes (Part 2) |
| Country | Weimar Republic |
| Language | German intertitles |
Dr. Mabuse, the Gambler (German: Dr. Mabuse, der Spieler) is the first film in the Dr. Mabuse series, about the character Doctor Mabuse who featured in the novels of Norbert Jacques. It was directed by Fritz Lang and released in 1922. The film is silent and would be followed by the sound sequels The Testament of Dr. Mabuse (1933) and The Thousand Eyes of Dr. Mabuse (1960).
It is four and a half hours long and divided into two parts, originally released a month apart: Der große Spieler: Ein Bild der Zeit and Inferno: Ein Spiel von Menschen unserer Zeit. The title, Dr. Mabuse, der Spieler, makes use of three meanings of the German Der Spieler which can mean gambler, puppeteer, or actor. The character Dr. Mabuse, who disguises himself, manipulates people, and is a notorious gambler, embodies all senses of the word. Therefore, the Player might be a more appropriate translation of the title.
The film is included in the book 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die, being the first of five Lang films to be entered.
Part I — The Great Gambler: A Picture of the Time (Part I - Der große Spieler: Ein Bild der Zeit)
Dr. Mabuse is a criminal mastermind, doctor of psychology, and master of disguise, armed with the powers of hypnosis and mind control, who oversees the counterfeiting and gambling rackets of the Berlin underworld. He visits gambling dens by night under various guises and aliases, using the power of suggestion to win at cards and finance his plans. Among his many henchmen are: Spoerri, his cocaine-addicted manservant; Georg, his chauffeur and sometime assassin; Pesch, an inept goon; Hawasch, who employs a gang of blind men in a counterfeiting operation; Fine, a woman who serves as a lookout; and Folies Bergère dancer Cara Carozza, who loves him.
As the film opens, Mabuse orchestrates the theft of a commercial contract in order to create a temporary panic in the stock market, which he exploits to make huge profits.
Edgar Hull, the son of a millionaire industrialist, becomes Mabuse's next victim. As "Hugo Balling", Mabuse gains access to Hull's gentlemen's club and wins a small fortune at cards from the hypnotized Hull, who is made to play badly and recklessly. Afterwards, Hull is unable to account for his behavior.
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