THE TESTAMENT OF DR. MABUSE (1962) On Blu-ray From Eureka

 

The fourth film in the 1960s Dr. Mabuse series produced by Germany's CCC Studios is THE TESTAMENT OF DR. MABUSE, a remake of Fritz Lang's legendary 1933 thriller. 

This 1962 TESTAMENT creates all sorts of timeline conundrums. The early entries in the 1960s Mabuse series make reference to the original Doctor, and Lang's 1933 TESTAMENT details Mabuse's incarceration in an asylum, and his death. In the 1962 TESTAMENT, the man who has taken on Mabuse's mantle (played by Wolfgang Preiss) also winds up in an asylum, where he also dies. 

So.....if Preiss isn't playing the original Mabuse (which he is not), how can the exact same thing happen to his character? If this is meant to be a straight remake, then how do you account for the original Mabuse? In his introduction to this film on the Blu-ray it appears on in this MABUSE LIVES! set, Tim Lucas suggests that this film is actually a prequel--but I have to disagree with that, since the movies in the series following this establish Walter Rilla's Professor Pohland as the embodiment of Mabuse, and this character wasn't in the earlier films, so....needless to say, having a remake/sequel in the middle of a set of movies having an overall continuity will drive most film geeks crazy trying to figure it out. Let's just say that like most movies and TV shows dealing with famous characters, continuity and events that happened before are thrown out the window by producers and writers who are more concerned by getting a movie made than any fanboy questions. 

The original TESTAMENT was producer Artur Brauner's favorite film, and he had always wanted to remake it. Brauner's 1962 TESTAMENT is nowhere near on the same level as Fritz Lang's creepy, one-of-a-kind mystery, but it is a slick, well-made crime adventure. Gert Frobe returns as Inspector Lohmann, convinced that a series of daring crimes bear the stamp of the notorious Dr. Mabuse, despite the fact that the larger-than-life figure is currently in an asylum, supposedly numb to the outside world. But Mabuse's power is far greater than anyone could expect--even Prof. Pohland, the esteemed scientist studying him. It turns out that Mabuse is actually treating the professor, and instigating a way for his nefarious schemes to continue even after the end of his physical existence. 

Special mention must be made of Wolfgang Preiss in this film as Mabuse. Ironically throughout the Mabuse series Preiss has very little screen time overall, but here he gets plenty to do, and despite being reduced to a pathetic figure locked away in an asylum, the actor vividly shows how dangerous and deceptive the Doctor truly is. Charles Regnier makes a big impression as Mabuse's main henchman, and Senta Berger gets to play the damsel in distress this time. American TV fans will recognize Leon Askin, another henchman, for his role as a Nazi General in HOGAN'S HEROES, and GOLDFINGER fans will find it amusing that during the climax Gert Frobe's Inspector is tied up and tortured. The music score for this film, created by Raimund Rosenberger, is very wild, even by Krimi standards. 

Like all the films in this Mabuse set from Eureka, TESTAMENT looks great, with a very sharp black & white 1.66:1 print. German and English voice tracks are included, with English subtitles. An original German trailer to the film is provided, along with an English trailer that gives the film's title as TERROR OF THE MAD DOCTOR and has it seem to be a Gothic horror film. 

Tim Lucas provides another of his fine introductions on this set, and he discusses how this TESTAMENT fits into the overall Mabuse timeline. Lucas also talks about the movie's director, Werner Klingler, and co-writer R.A. Stemmle, who was a major director himself in 1930s Germany. David Kalat does another new commentary, and he details all the various versions of TESTAMENT over the years, and how this movie fits into the Krimi genre dominating German cinema during the period in which it was made. This movie appears on the third disc of the MABUSE LIVES! set, in the second disc case. 

The 1962 THE TESTAMENT OF DR. MABUSE isn't the major cinematic work that Fritz Lang's 1933 original was, but it is still an entertaining crime story that will satisfy Krimi fans. (By the way, if you haven't seen the original TESTAMENT, I highly suggest that you do.)