The Thousand Eyes of Dr. Mabuse – Eureka Video (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: Germany, 1960
Director: Fritz Lang
Writers: Fritz Lang, Heinz Oskar Wuttig, Jan Fethke, Norbert Jacques
Cast: Dawn Addams, Peter van Eyck, Gert Fröbe, Wolfgang Preiss, Werner Peters, Andrea Checchi, Marielouise Nagel, Reinhard Kolldehoff, Howard Vernon

Release Date: May 11th, 2020
Approximate Running Time: 103 Minutes 37 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 1.66:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC
Rating: 12 (UK)
Sound: LPCM Mono German, LPCM Mono English
Subtitles: English
Region Coding: Region B
Retail Price: £14.99 (UK)

"Die 1000 Augen des Dr. Mabuse [The Thousand Eyes of Dr. Mabuse] finds that diabolical Weimar name resurfacing in the Cold War era, linked to a new methodology of murder and mayhem. Seances, assassinations, and Nazi-engineered surveillance tech—all abound in Lang’s paranoid, and ultimate, filmic labyrinth." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4.25/5

The Thousand Eyes of Dr. Mabuse comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 36.4 GB

Feature: 31.7 GB

No information is provided about this transfer’s source; that said, it is in great shape, and any source debris is very minor. Image clarity and contrast are solid, black levels are strong, compression is very good, and there does not appear to be any digital filtering.

Audio: 4.25/5 (LPCM Mono German), 4/5 (LPCM Mono English)

This release comes with two audio options, an LPCM mono mix in German and an LPCM mono mix in English. Both audio mixes sound clean, clear, and balanced throughout. That said, the German-language track sounds slightly more robust. Included with this release are two subtitle options: English subtitles for the German language track and English subtitles for signs or other text that’s in German. It should be noted that there’s one brief exchange of dialog that is only in German, and when watching in English, this moment has English subtitles.

Extras:

Extras for this this release include an alternate ending (1 minute 5 seconds, LPCM mono), an archival interview with actor Wolfgang Preiss (15 minutes 50 seconds, LPCM stereo German with removable English subtitles), an audio commentary with film-scholar and Fritz Lang expert David Kalat, author of The Strange Case of Dr. Mabuse: A Study of the Twelve Films and Five Novels, reversible cover art, O-card slipcase (limited to 2000 copies), and a 40-page booklet with cast & crew credits, an essay titled Lang Comes Full Circle written by Phillip Kemp, an essay titled Everybody’s Got Something to Hide Except for Me and My Monkey written by David Cairns, Fritz Lang on Die 1000 Augen des Dr. Mabuse, The Final, Unrealized Projects written by Lotte Eisner and information about the transfer titled Notes on Viewing.

Summary:

The Thousand Eyes of Dr. Mabuse was the last film directed by Fritz Lang, whose other notable films include Der Müde Tod (Destiny), Metropolis, Spies, M, Scarlet Street, The Woman in the Window, and The Big Heat.

The narrative revolves around a diabolical mastermind whose headquarters is a hotel equipped with surveillance devices installed by Nazis, who concocts a plan to steal nuclear technology from a guest staying at the hotel.

Though Fritz Lang is most remembered for his work within the Film noir genre and directing the sci-fi masterpiece piece Metropolis, The Dr. Mabuse films are the only ones that he directed that are connected. He would direct three Dr. Mabuse films: Dr. Mabuse the Gambler, The Testament of Dr. Mabuse, and The Thousand Eyes of Dr. Mabuse.

By the time Fritz Lang directed The Thousand Eyes of Dr. Mabuse, he was already in the twilight of his career, and reportedly, his eyesight was greatly diminished. That being said, the result is not a film that looks like it was directed by a filmmaker with nothing left to give.

Nowhere is this clearer than when it comes to The Thousand Eyes of Dr. Mabuse’s elaborate opening setup that rapidly jumps from one character to another without giving any background about the characters.

Besides an unconventional opening setup, another area where The Thousand Eyes of Dr. Mabuse excels is its visuals. Throughout his career, Fritz Lang’s films are overflowing with exquisite imagery, and with The Thousand Eyes of Dr. Mabuse, he once again delivers visually arresting moments.

Standout moments include a scene where a police commissioner's office gets destroyed after his tampered phone explodes, a séance scene that showcases Fritz Lang’s knack for creating tense moments, and a scene where a man spys on a woman in distress via a one-way mirror that’s forced to reveal his voyeurism.

Performance-wise, the cast is all very good in their respective roles, especially Wolfgang Preiss (Von Ryan’s Express, The Fifth Cord), who takes on three roles: Professor Dr. S. Jordan, Peter Cornelius, and Dr. Mabuse. He delivers a pitch-perfect performance that captures his character’s diabolical state of mind.

Other notable cast members include Howard Vernon (She Killed in Ecstasy) in the role of Dr. Mabuse’s assassin; Gert Fröbe (Goldfinger) in the role of police commissioner Kras; and Peter van Eyck (A Bullet for Joey) in the role of Henry B. Travers, a wealthy industrialist who owns nuclear technology that Dr. Mabuse wants to steal.

Far too often, artists are unable to go out on their own terms. Fortunately, that’s not the case with Fritz Lang’s swan song, The Thousand Eyes of Dr. Mabuse.

The Thousand Eyes of Dr. Mabuse gets a first-rate release from Eureka Video that comes with a strong audio/video presentation and a wealth of extras, recommended.

Written by Michael Den Boer