Archived: Dr. Mabuse, gambler, II. part: Hell, a game about the people of our time

Dr. Mabuse, gambler, II. part: Hell, a game about the people of our time

Dr. Mabuse, der Spieler II: Inferno, ein Spiel Menschen unserer Zeit, feature, crime, Germany, 1922

DIRECTED BY: Fritz Lang

CAST: Rudolf Klein-Rogge (Dr. Mabuse), Alfred Abel (Count Told), Aud Egede Nissen (Cara Carozza, dancer), Bernhard Goetzke (Inspector von Welk), Lil Dagover

SCRIPT: Fritz Lang, Thea von Harbou

PHOTOGRAPHY: Carl Hoffmann

CONTENT:

Sick and disgraced Count Told seeks the help of Dr. Mabuse, as a top psychologist, to treat his depression. Mabuse uses this opportunity to isolate the count on his estate and cut him off from all external contacts. Soon the count's condition worsened and he fell into severe hallucinations. Meanwhile, Mabuse's associate, dancer Cara Carozza, who loves him unconditionally, was transferred to a women's prison and re-examined by state prosecutor won Wenck. Fearing that the Emperor might betray him, Mabuse sends Georg, a member of his criminal organization, to prison to poison the girl…

In Dr. Mabuse, the gambler Lang first sets out his frequent motif of a powerful (but not omnipotent) criminal mind, embodied in an exceptional individual. The fact that he is not omnipotent, that he himself becomes a victim of his own intrigues, that is, something bigger than himself, be it incomprehensible metaphysical forces, was only the society that surrounds him (according to frequent interpretations, the film is a critique of society that enabled such a villain) a character that to some extent can be seen in the tradition of romantic heroes, especially since, guided by an adventurous spirit, he often exposes himself to risks and directly reflects with opponents. His statement is significant: "one thing never ceases to be interesting – play, manipulating people"; Mabuse is in fact a charismatic Nietzschean manipulator who almost Freudian does not believe in love but lust, and his goal is not to establish an orderly autocratic order, but an eternal (anarchoid) subversion, which interpretations, including Lang's, of Mabuse as an anticipation of Hitler and the Nazis. predominantly related to the later film The Testament of Dr. Mabuse) makes it largely unconvincing. The film is narratively detailed, with mostly long, slow shots that help create a cerebral mood, occasional use of optical effects (double and multiple exposures, writing words on the screen, irises) suggestively illustrates the mental states of the characters, expressionist scenography creates strangeness, and occasional references to times (for example, the Countess's question to Mabuse what he thinks of expressionism) also testify to metatextual self-awareness. The psychological thriller of adventure-action elements, Doctor Mabuse the Gambler, as well as some other films from Lang's opus, had a great influence on this genre, especially Alfred Hitchcock who in the first version of The Man Who Knew Too 1934 quotes the sequence of the siege of Mabuse's house. to the conception of a powerful villain from the James Bond series.

B / W, 115 ′

Portraits: German films by Fritz Lang

We start October with a selection of the 10 most important German films by Fritz Lang! From October 1 to 6, we will show a number of Lang's masterpieces: the omnibus Tired Death (1921), the crime novel Dr. Mabuse, the Gambler (1922, in 2 parts), the Nibelungen legend (1924, in 2 parts), the dystopia Metropolis (1927), the Spy Spies (1928), the sci-fi Woman on the Moon (1929), the sound debut M (1931) and the last film before exile, Testament of Dr. Mabues (1933). An introductory speech on Lang's importance as one of the most influential directors of all time who influenced Luis Bunuel, Alfred Hitchcock, Sergei Eisenstein, Ingmar Bergman, Orson Welles, etc., will be given by our dear guest, filmologist, prof. dr. sc. Nikica GIlić.

The ticket is 20 kuna, for members 10 kuna.

Tickets can be purchased at the box office which opens one hour before the first screening of the day and closes after the start of the last screening of the day.

Ticket reservations are possible on weekdays (at least the day before the screening you want to book), by calling the box office or sending an email to: info@kinotuskanac.hr

Reserved tickets should be purchased no later than the day before the screening. Reservations that are not picked up the day before expire and the tickets are returned for sale.