The Bloody Pit #189 - 1960's Mabuse Films!

I welcome writer Holger Haase to the show to discuss the 1960’s Dr. Mabuse films! Holger has written an essay published for Kindle called ‘The Many Masks of Dr. Mabuse: Mabuse in the 1960s’ and reading this prompted me to finally talk directly to Holger. The two of us have known each other for decades but it took our mutual love of these German crime films to use the internet to speak in a non-text based way. It was a little weird. 

We go (mostly) chronologically through the six films discussing each in turn. If you want to follow along at home here’s a list of the movies we talk about in this episode:

1. THE 1000 EYES OF DR. MABUSE (1960)

2. THE RETURN OF DR. MABUSE (1961) 

3. THE INVISIBLE DR. MABUSE (1962) 

4. THE TESTEMENT OF DR. MABUSE (1962)

5. DR. MABUSE VS SCOTLAND YARD (1963)

6. THE DEATH RAY OF DR. MABUSE (1964)

We touch on the cast members with extra attention to the ones that show up in multiple films even when their character’s names mysteriously change. Scriptwriter Ladislas Fodor’s impressive career is discussed as well as directors Fritz Lang and Harald Reinl who brought their many talents to the series. This series of films seems to have been forgotten over the past couple of decades, overshadowed by the original Lang films from 1922 and 1933. We hope to spur some interest in cinema fans curious to discover the hidden joys of these clever crime movies. They really are addictive!

 

If you have thoughts on the Mabuse films or the krimi cycle that they parallel thebloodypit@gmail.com is where you can send them. We’ll be happy to hear from you. Thanks for listening. 

 

Video - THE 1000 EYES OF DR. MABUSE (1960)

If you've never seen this fantastic thriller then now is your chance! Bringing the Mabuse character back from its 1933 grave this film was the beginning of a series of six films in the early 1960's. Each of them are worth seeing but this is the Fritz Lang entry they descend from. Now, if only they were all easier to see in English! Podcast on the way.

Fritz Lang's WOMAN IN THE MOON (1929)

I spent the afternoon of Super Bowl Sunday finally catching up with Fritz Lang's amazing science fiction film WOMAN IN THE MOON (1929). Much less well known than the classic METROPOLIS (1928) I found this one to be at least as affecting and just as rich as a cinematic experience. Once again in collaboration with his wife Thea on Harbou he crafted an epic science fiction tale that tried very hard for it’s period to be as scientifically accurate as possible. This is shown in several fascinating sections where the concept of rocketry and the science of gaining the escape velocities needed to reach the moon and to return are spelled out in detail. It's rather fascinating to take note of just how accurate a lot of the astro-navigation theories were at that time. Of course, this being science fiction that is casting a view decades into the future it's not hard to guess that there are a number of scientific inaccuracies. But those are the kinds of things that just make these older science fiction movies even more charming for me. This is a science fiction adventure, not some kind of feakin’ documentary! This is what makes the movie so entertaining for anyone with a curiosity to see great early science fiction films. The joys of it are many and it rewards your attention.

I was struck by how effective the miniature work is especially in getting across the size of the rocket structure in the gantry where it is housed. One could easily argue that those sequences go on a bit too long so that the filmmakers could show off their finely detailed work. I'll admit I enjoyed them in the same way that I enjoy the same kind of sequences that showed up later in the Gerry Anderson television series Thunderbirds. “Let's make sure everybody can get a really good look at all the hard work put into these models folks.” If it looks good, I don’t mind and in 1929 this was ground breaking stuff!

Of course, the most ridiculous science fiction element the movie asks us to accept is that there's somehow enough atmosphere on the moon not to mention pressure, temperature and everything else that human being would need to survive and walk around like you were just say, oh, - I don't know - in a large Cinema sandbox or back lot. But this is science fiction and that is part of the point of these things. On its own terms, this is a riveting, entertaining, beautiful movie and one that I'm thoroughly thrilled to finally been able to see especially in the fantastic restoration that I viewed from a Turner Classic Movies broadcast. I feared that since it was close to three hours in length, I would find it was a little too long. But I have to admit that I was never bored and this fun story became a very entertaining ride. If you have any curiosity about silent science fiction film this is a great second feature to follow on the heels of Metropolis.