4 star restoration of a German classic and the end of an era.
The Thousand Eyes of Dr. Mabuse (1960) is the third film in the ‘Dr. Mabuse’ trilogy, following on much later from Dr. Mabuse The Gambler (1922) and The Testament of Dr. Mabuse (1933). It is the explosive final film from highly influential German filmmaker Fritz Lang (Spione, Human Desire, Der Mude Tod, Cloak and Dagger) and sees the influence of the infamous Weimar-era master criminal during the Cold War. It is presented here in 1080p on Blu-ray courtesy of Eureka! Masters of Cinema #229.
“I feel the disaster looming. I see it as if in horrible daydreams. I myself suffer terribly from it, for I can’t stop it.”
Inspector Kras (Gert Fröbe – Goldfinger, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang) is at his desk when he receives a call from Cornelius (Wolfgang Preiss – The Train, Bloodline), a blind fortune teller. He claims that he sees danger, a man in a car, an imminent murder. There is a death, reporter Peter Barter and although at first it seems like a heart attack, it is soon revealed to be a murder, a steel needle is found in his brain, Cornelius was right.
This puts the police in mind of master criminal Dr. Mabuse, who has been dead for years but is believed to have left instructions about his plans. Investigations lead to the Hotel Luxor, built by the Nazis and believed to be cursed. There are a number of suspicious individuals. Marion Menil (Dawn Addams – Plymouth Adventure, The Love Factor) who tried to jump from the roof and was saved by billionaire Henry Travers (Peter van Eyck – The Longest Day, The Wages of Fear), esteemed American industrialist.
Also in the mix is Hieronymus B. Mistelzweig (Werner Peters – Battle of the Bulge), an insurance salesman who seems to do a lot of lurking around the Hotel Luxor. It is up to this unlikely group of individuals, lead by Inspector Kras, to solve the mystery that is Dr. Mabuse.
The Thousand Eyes of Dr. Mabuse is a very enjoyable watch. It’s a well written story, full of twists and turns which certainly keeps you guessing right to the end. 
The action is helped by a dramatic score from Gerhard Becker (Journey to the Lost City) building tension brilliantly.
If you fancy a laugh, I would thoroughly recommend the English dub, which bears hilariously little resemblance to the subtitles and brings an entirely new element to the whole affair.
This is a brilliant final film from the great Fritz Lang and with a host of special features this is well worth adding to your collection.
“This afternoon I received a very strange phone call. A man was willing, in exchange for immunity from prosecution and a reward, to give me information about this steel needle.”
The Thousand Eyes of Dr. Mabuse is available to buy now on Blu-ray and will be released 11th May 2020.
BLU-RAY SPECIAL FEATURES
LIMITED EDITION O-CARD SLIPCASE [First Print Run of 2000 copies only]
- 1080p presentation on Blu-ray
- Original German soundtrack
- Optional English audio track, approved by Fritz Lang
- Optional English subtitles
- Feature length audio commentary by film-scholar and Lang expert David Kalat
- 2002 interview with Wolfgang Preiss
- Alternate ending
- Reversible sleeve featuring newly commissioned and original poster artwork
- PLUS: 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, unrealised projects
| Director | Fritz Lang |
| Genre | Crime, mystery, thriller |
| Starring | Dawn Addams, Peter Van Eyck, Gert Frobe, Wolfgang Preiss, Werner Peters |
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