Mabuse Lives! Boxset – Review

By Sarah Morgan

As far as criminal masterminds go, Dr Mabuse is a pretty despicable guy. What’s more, he seems to be indestructible, always popping up in places you’d least expect, despite the fact he’s supposed to be dead.

He first appeared in a novel by Norbert Jacques in 1921, which was followed by a sequel 11 years later. Legendary director Fritz Lang then used the character in two movies during the early part of his career before leaving his native Germany when the Nazis came to power, swapping the country for Hollywood.

However, there was no denying Mabuse’s power so, in 1960, Lang returned to his home nation to revive the character – and that’s where this boxset comes in.

“Mysterious cases”

It contains six films in total, all produced by CCC Films, beginning with The Thousand Eyes of Dr Mabuse. The crime thriller turned out to be Lang’s final film, but the tale of an abused wife, an American industrialist and an insurance salesman working together to solve a mystery involving the supposedly long-dead Mabuse proved to be so successful, it spawned five further productions.

The Return of Doctor Mabuse was released a year later. Directed by Harald Reinl, it was penned by Marc Behm, who co-wrote the Beatles film Help!. He introduces a sci-fi element, which would feature in the rest of the series. This time, a police detective investigates crimes carried out by people under the influence of a mind-control drug – no prizes for guessing who’s behind it.

Reinl also directed The Invisible Dr Mabuse (1962), whose plot needs no introduction, before Werner Klinger took charge of The Testament of Dr Mabuse, which came out later the same year. It’s a direct sequel to Lang’s 1933 film and focuses on several mysterious cases that appear to have been carried out by a Mabuse copycat.

Then comes my personal favourite, Scotland Yard Hunts Dr Mabuse (1963). Rather wonderfully, it involves Mabuse getting up to mischief in London. The cop on his trail then has to travel to Doncaster, of all places, to gather the information needed to bring him down!

“Devious hands”

Last, but by no means least, is The Secret of Dr Mabuse (1964), which has clearly been influenced by the popularity of the James Bond movies, and follows a detective’s efforts to capture Mabuse before he can get his devious hands on a newly invented death ray.

Such familiar faces a Hammer Films alumni Peter Van Eyck and Yvonne Furneaux, Goldfinger’s Gert Frobe, former Tarzan actor Lex Barker and eccentric international star Klaus Kinski are among the participants, and although it’s perhaps best not to watch the films back-to-back, because they can get a little repetitive, there is a lot to enjoy here.

Cheap, cheerful, inventive and somewhat bonkers, each movie is accompanied by various special features, including introductions to each production by Video Watchdog founder Tim Lucas, and an archive interview with Wolfgang Preiss, who played Mabuse, as well as a 60-page booklet, making this a must for anyone who loves 1960s spy, crime or sci-fi thrillers.

Sarah Morgan

Sarah Morgan studied film journalism at post-graduate level with the BFI and has been writing about TV and film for PA Media’s newspaper, magazine and new media customers since 1996. She’s also written for a wide range of other publications, both online and in print, including the book Offbeat and Intermission magazine, and is a regular contributor to the Talking Pictures TV podcast. When she isn’t watching movies, she’s collecting and reading vintage crime and horror paperback books or, for her sins, watching her beloved Sheffield Wednesday.

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