Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.5
Overall		4.0

The Thousand Eyes of Dr. Mabuse Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov May 13, 2020

Fritz Lang's "The Thousand Eyes of Dr. Mabuse" (1960) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Eureka Entertainment. The supplemental features on the disc include vintage interview with actor Wolfgang Preiss; archival audio commentary by critic David Kalat; an alternate ending. In German or English, with optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".

The clairvoyant

Folks that love to demean Jess Franco and his work ought to find the time to watch his thriller Attack of the Robots and compare it to Fritz Lang’s thriller The Thousand Eyes of Dr. Mabuse. These films are like twin brothers. They are the same very entertaining genre-benders and their creators pull the exact same tricks out of the same hat. Spies, deadly hypnotists, super exotic weapons, hot back-stabbing ladies, whacky villains trying to take over the world, they use them all to impress in the exact same fashion. In Franco’s film, the cool is just dialed up to the max, which makes it look a bit like an unusually long commercial promoting the merits of the ‘new’ Eurospy thriller.

The fun in Lang’s film begins with the murder of prominent TV reporter Peter Barter, who has been secretly researching rumors that the notorious criminal Dr. Mabuse is still alive. Veteran inspector Krass (Gert Frobe) is then dispatched to investigate the case, and initially he concludes that Barter had tragically died of a heart attack while driving his car, but after a meeting with the blind clairvoyant Peter Cornelius (Wolfgang Preiss) he changes his mind. Cornelius describes to him in great detail how Barter was taken out by a brilliant assassin, and shortly after his words are confirmed by medical specialists that remove a tiny metal arrow from the dead man’s brain. Still overwhelmed by Cornelius’ ability to ‘see’ the murder, Krass asks him to describe the assassin but is told that a dark force is protecting his identity.

Around the same time, at the Luxor Hotel, American businessman Henry Travers (Peter van Eyck) convinces the seriously depressed Marion Menil (Dawn Addams) that suicide is not the fix for her misery. When later on the visibly perplexed beauty opens up her heart to him, Travers becomes intrigued by her personal life, and in the days that follow discovers that he is attracted to her. Travers also learns that the Luxor Hotel has a very long history of welcoming ‘troubled’ guests like Menil, and that very few of them were lucky to leave it alive. While trying to finalize an important deal that would allow a group of British businessmen access to American nuclear plants whose operations he oversees, and convince Menil to come to America with him, Travers has a number of unusual experiences involving Menil’s abusive husband (Reinhard Kolldehoff), her strict personal doctor, an old-school insurance agent looking for new clients (Werner Peters), a nosy manager (Nico Pepe) and his assistant (Andrea Checchi), the blind clairvoyant, and eventually inspector Krass. While hardly a believer, Travers also warms up to the idea that the Luxor Hotel is the secret lair of a powerful dark force he is destined to confront.

The final of the three Lang films about the vicious Dr. Mabuse is quite the twisty thriller, so it is a real shame that nowadays it is virtually impossible to see unspoiled. Indeed, not only are its characterizations done with great precision to preserve the mystique surrounding the criminal for as long as possible, but there are all sorts of beautifully timed misdirection plays that make the guessing game a real treat. Needless to say, old articles that identify the clues that point to the inevitable key transformation during the finale should be avoided like the plague.

But this film, like the Franco film that is highlighted above, has a lot of great old-fashioned action which towards the end actually charges it with the type of energy that in just a few years will define the James Bond films. Howard Vernon’s assassin, in particular, looks so modern that it would have fit perfectly not only in the Bond films, but in the various cool Ken Clark and 'Bulldog' Drummond Eurospy films that Bond’s antics inspired. So, even at the end of his career, Lang was still pushing forward and setting new trends.

This new release of Lang’s film comes with a curious alternate ending that was apparently used in a French version of the film. It does not affect the nature of its resolution, but it certainly alters its tone.

The film can be seen with German and English audio tracks. The German track is the default track, but the vast majority of the actors in the film very clearly utter their lines in English. So, the English audio track can be just as effective.

The Thousand Eyes of Dr. Mabuse Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.66:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, The Thousand Eyes of Dr. Mabuse arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Eureka Entertainment.

There are a couple of important things that I would like to highlight. First, the release is sourced from a remaster that was probably prepared by someone that wanted to have the most complete version of the film. Why? Because the current presentation is a reconstruction -- there is footage that comes from different sources (see screencaptures #19 and 20) and German audio that fills a couple of tiny gaps in the English audio. I also noticed traces of digital work that was almost certainly done to rebalance the visuals in this complete version. The good news is that this work is very carefully done and a lot of fine nuances are preserved, plus the dynamic range of the visuals is unaffected, which makes quite a big difference if the film is viewed on a larger screen. In some darker areas the blacks are flattened/expanded a bit, but I can assure you that in motion the effect is virtually impossible to spot. Density levels are very good, so the fluidity of the visuals is quite nice as well. There are no traces of compromising sharpening adjustments. A few blemishes and specks remain, but there are no big and distracting age-related imperfections that might spoil your viewing experience. Overall image stability is good. So, while it would have been best not to have the rebalancing work that is mentioned above, I think that the current technical presentation of the film is still very convincing. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

The Thousand Eyes of Dr. Mabuse Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are two standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray release: German LPCM 2.0 and English LPCM 2.0. Optional English subtitles are provided for the main feature.

The release sets the German track as the default option to view the film, but I think that the English track is just as effective. The vast majority of the actors very clearly utter their lines in English, and while it appears that some overdubbing was done as well, I think that the quality of the English track is quite nice. The German track is slightly healthier, plus it appears that it was mixed a tad better. The English track has good clarity and balance, but there is some extremely light background hiss. It is never distracting, even when the volume is turned up quite a lot, but its presence is felt.

The Thousand Eyes of Dr. Mabuse Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Alternate Ending - an alternate ending that was used in a French cut of the film. (2 min).

• Commentary - critic David Kalat deconstructs the film and discusses the reasoning behind Fritz Lang's decision to reembrace the famous Dr. Mabuse nearly thirty years after The Testament of Dr. Mabuse. The commentary was recorded for Eureka Entertainment in 2009.

• Interview with Wolfgang Preiss - in this vintage video interview, actor Wolfgang Preiss discusses his involvement with The Thousand Eyes of Dr. Mabuse, his interactions with Fritz Lang during the production of the film, the reception and lasting appeal of the film, some of the 'sequels' that it inspired, etc. The interview was conducted in 2002. In German, with English subtitles. (16 min).

• Cover - reversible sleeve featuring newly commissioned and original poster artwork.

• Booklet - a collector's booklet featuring a new essay by Philip Kemp; vintage reprints of writing by Lang; an essay by David Cairns; notes by Lotte Eisner on Lang's final unrealized projects; and technical credits.

The Thousand Eyes of Dr. Mabuse Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

I find it quite hilarious how some people try really hard to explain Fritz Lang's The Thousand Eyes of Dr. Mabuse while viewing it through a socio-political prism that is completely incompatible with the misdirection plays and action in it that actually make it attractive. It is not an eye-opener of any kind, and it was never intended to be one. If anything, it is something of a genre trend-setter, whose influence can be quite easily recognized in the James Bond films and especially the various cool exotic Eurospy thrillers that started emerging during the late '60s. Eureka Entertainment's new release of Lang's third and final film about the vicious Dr. Mabuse is sourced from a good remaster and features an interesting archival interview with the late actor Wolfgang Preiss. If you decide to pick it up, keep in mind that it is Region-B "locked". HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.