Originally banned in Nazi Germany, it is rather obvious why. The notorious Dr. Mabuse writes his plans for world domination from within a lunatic asylum; clearly a satirical statement on Hitler's Mein Kampf rantings, written during his time in prison. Joseph Goebbels' reasoning at the time was that the film depicted an anarchy that could be achieved far too easily, that in itself reflecting the party's oppressive regime, whilst Fritz Lang stated 10 years later that he intended to 'show Hitler's terror methods as in a parable'.

And yet the film was/is a fairly straightforward detective drama, overall, the emphasis on mystery as opposed to political allegory. Opening with the discovery of a counterfeit money operation, the disgraced Hofmeister, in fear for his life, makes a desperate call to his former boss, Inspector Lohmann, not quite able to divulge full details of the conspiracy before shots are fired and we assume his death. As Lohman begins his investigation, Professor Baum lectures his students on his patient, Dr. Mabuse, a former criminal mastermind who went insane after seeing ghosts of his victims at the end of his former story, Dr. Mabuse the Gambler. Now, he spends his days obsessively writing notes, and is depicted as harmless enough.

The story comes together rather slowly in parts, but is no less compelling for it. Lang tells it in strands as we visit each character to learn more about him: Hofmeister was not killed but is now in the same asylum as Mabuse; Baum is cagey when a colleague discovers Mabuse's notes describe crimes similar to those previously committed; and Tom, an ex-con, cannot find work other than more crime. When Mabuse eventually dies, the law-breaking continues and we discover that he holds a supernatural control over his main henchman, one scene in particular rather chilling as his apparition describes his vision of an Empire of Crime, that thrives on fear, annihilation and insanity. Lang would later state that he regretted this supernatural element, however it served to highlight the extent of the character's control, to be further interpreted as the set-in-stone mindset of ideology.

What's remarkable about the film is how it does not feel dated. Of course it has in terms of effects, but this is barely noticed, so engrossing the story, and so very good the acting. In fact it is a plot that even holds resonance today: some would say the world as we know it is at risk of terrorist-like plans for dominance, whilst the desperation of those who cannot find work is very real. A fantastic restoration here—of the 1951 duplicate, the original too damaged—is part of what is a superb package from Masters of Cinema, the usual informative booklet and steelbook a suitable tribute to a timeless film.

NAILA SCARGILL

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