Crimes Of Dr. Mabuse, The

2119. THE CRIMES OF DR. MABUSE (1933-Germany). Directed by FRITZ LANG. This the English-language version of Lang’s brilliant anti-Nazi allegory. See cat. #2117 for the same film in German with English subtitles. It opens with an added-on sequence depicting Germany in shamÂbles after World War II. A narrator dates the scenario’s action to 1939, even though Lang shot the film in 1933. The scenario chronicles the evil deeds of the infamous Dr. Mabuse, who has been diagnosed a schizophrenic and confined to an insane asylum. This affliction was in no way apparÂent during the days of Mabuse’s greatness. On one hand he was a brilliant student of the human mind. His special field was criminal psychology. By the use of hypnosis he was able to delve deeply into the emotions of antisocial individuals. At the same time Mabuse was a master criminal, planÂning and executing crimes that baffled the police. They were crimes of fear, aimed at the destruction of society. When he was finally arrested, his mind cracked completely. He ended up in the asylum under the care of one Dr. Baum, where he escaped into a dream world. For years Mabuse did not speak a single word. No one could penetrate his mind. He eventually began writing words on sheets of paper. These words soon became sentences, which revealed his plans for a world order under the control of fascistic forces. Strangely, the crimes Mabuse describes are becoming distressingly real. Jewels are stolen from a museum. The nation’s currency is counterfeited. Acts of sabotage occur throughout the land. Could Mabuse somehow be controlling the actions of the criminals responsible for these deeds? Dubbed into English. 76 minutes. Crime-Mystery-Suspense