THE VENGEANCE OF DR. MABUSE On Blu-ray From Kino

 

On the various extras and audio commentaries contained in Eureka's MABUSE LIVES! Blu-ray set, mention is made of THE VENGEANCE OF DR. MABUSE, a 1972 film directed by Jess Franco and co-produced by Artur Brauner, the man who initiated the series of German Dr. Mabuse movies in the 1960s. In an example of fortuitous timing, THE VENGEANCE OF DR. MABUSE gets its first official North American home video release courtesy of Kino Lorber. 

Any discussion of VENGEANCE has to start out on whether it is a "true" Mabuse film in the first place. The version of the movie on this disc is the German one, which is titled DR. M SCHLAGT ZU, and the mad mastermind featured in the story (played by Franco veteran Jack Taylor) is referred to as Dr. Cranko. In the Spanish version of the film, which is discussed in this disc's audio commentary by Troy Howarth and Nathaniel Thompson, the character is Mabuse, but he's going under an alias. I personally don't think this is an "official" Mabuse film (I'll get into that later). The movie has more to do with Jess Franco's eccentricities than the activities of the famed super villain. 

Being that this is a Jess Franco film, one can expect all sorts of bizarre ideas, and there's plenty in store here. Weird camera angles, abrupt switches from day to night, sultry Euro babes, a plot that has plenty of info missing, and a music score that is rather incessant--if you're familiar with the cinematic world of Jess Franco, you'll recognize all these elements. VENGEANCE isn't as lurid or exploitative as most of Franco's work--whether you consider that a plus or a minus depends on your overall opinion of the director's output. (There are a few brief shots of nudity.) 

The plot, such as it is, has Dr. Cranko and his hand full of associates attempting to steal plans from a top-secret facility. Their schemes are overly complicated, and usually involve putting beautiful women in danger. Those opposing the Doctor include a small-town sheriff (Fred Williams) and a stripper (this is a Jess Franco film, after all). The movie is apparently set somewhere in the southwestern United States, presumably near Mexico....but considering that this was helmed by Jess Franco, it could be set on Mars for all one knows. 

The Doctor has a hulking, scarred henchman who looks like a close relative of the monster in LADY FRANKENSTEIN, and one of the scientists who works at the top-secret facility is named Orloff, immediately calling to mind Jess Franco's most famous film. (Most of the info one can find online about THE VENGEANCE OF DR. MABUSE mentions that it is basically a remake of THE AWFUL DR. ORLOF.) 

As to the question of whether the main character here is or isn't Dr. Mabuse--I prefer to believe he isn't. Jack Taylor is no Rudolf Klein-Rogge (or Wolfgang Preiss, for that matter). The bearded Taylor looks more like a hippie guru instead of a criminal genius, and his Doctor speaks with trepidation about a mysterious organization that he works for. As I see it, the actual Mabuse wouldn't be working for someone else, and he certainly wouldn't be afraid of them. If it had been revealed that the leader of this organization was Mabuse, that would have made more sense (not that Jess Franco was worried about that). 

THE VENGEANCE OF DR. MABUSE is certainly not a great film, or even one of Jess Franco's best efforts (however one defines that), but Kino deserves credit for giving it a major home video release. (My interest in seeing this film was piqued by the MABUSE LIVES! set, although I kind of knew what to expect.) Packaged under the "Kino Cult" line, this is the German version of the film, with German credits and voice track (English subtitles are provided). The film is presented in a 1.66:1 aspect ratio, and the image is soft at times, with colors that look pale for the most part...but the most important thing here is that the movie is getting a proper Region A release period. 

The only extra here is the aforementioned new audio commentary, by Euro cult experts Troy Howarth and Nathaniel Thompson. The duo have a lot of ground to cover, and they do it admirably, going into the Spanish version of this film and discussing how this production fits into Franco's overall career. They also discuss Franco's relationship with Artur Brauner, which wasn't good (no surprises there). The two men are Franco fans, but even they admit that this is a "ramshackle" production (which is a bit of an understatement). 

Whether or not you believe that this is a true Dr. Mabuse film, or even if you are or are not a Jess Franco aficionado, this is a welcome release just for its rarity alone. If you want to watch something different and unusual, you can't go wrong with THE VENGEANCE OF DR. MABUSE.