A Surprisingly Unforgettable Movie!

It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

"Das Testament des Dr. Mabuse" or "The Testament of Dr. Mabuse" or "The Terror of Doctor Mabuse" is a West German black-and-white film from 1962, so this one has its 55th anniversary this year already. If you read the names Klingler, Fodor and Stemmle, you have a bunch of people who made this that were very experienced back then and very known too as they also worked on quite a few films that are still known today from back then. Anyway, the title is of course already a giveaway that this is one of the many German films about Dr. Mabuse and it is actually a remake of the 1933 film that was already a sound film as well. And fittingly with the popularity of the Mabuse character, it is no surprise that the likes of Gert Fröbe, Wolfgang Preiss, Rolf Eden and Harald Juhnke are in here. Also a very young Senta Berger plays the most important female character, even if this was not even from the very early days of her career. The story is similar to what you would expect if you have seen some other Mabuse stuff. It may sound a bit unfair, but I do believe that in terms of story, contents and characters you have seen all of the later Mabuse films if you have seen one of them. There is always a touch of mystery and a lot of crime. Cops investigating and nobody really ever knows how much Mabuse is involved in everything. The horror component is missing though in my opinion, even if the IMDb genre description thinks otherwise. The story here did not convince me either and as I wrote in the title of my review, this is quite a pity because the case offered potential for much more, especially also in my very subjective case because I like Fröbe quite a lot. But he just did not have the material here to shine and even his physical approach to the character was not working this time too much. The final scene with him (maybe that was a bit of horror) cannot make up for all the mediocrity before it. Having seen pretty much all the German Mabuse films (even one by Jess Franco), I must say that the character's appeal back then and still today remains a mystery to me. I give this movie here a thumbs-down as well and don't recommend watching it. 85 very forgettable minutes overall.

This movie is not bad but it's a too simple entry in the Dr. Mabuse movie franchise.It's part of the long running Dr. Mabuse franchise and a remake of the 1933 movie with the same title, directed by Fritz Lang. It's a bit weird that they decided to do a remake this time, as if they ran out of original ideas of its own. But then again, can you really call this a remake? It changed quite a lot, including the characters. It doesn't have an awful lot to do plot-wise with the 1933 movie and only a few sequences are similar. It also almost exactly copies the car chase in the finale of the movie but it of course can't beat the brilliant original.The movie is not really mysterious since it show Dr. Mabuse and his intentions pretty early on in the movie. In the original version it was still kept a mystery for long that Dr. Mabuse was still alive and that he still was just as much in control as always. This movie chooses a far more simplified approach of things.The movie is instead now often more silly than really tense or mysterious. It has some certain clumsiness's and silliness's in it, which makes the movie feel far more outdated than its 1962 year of production would normally suggest it is. And even though it's not a slow or boring movie, it just isn't a very exciting one either really.At least a real positive thing was that Gert Fröbe returned again in his role as Kriminalkommissar Lohmann. The same role he had played before in "Im Stahlnetz des Dr. Mabuse". And what he great actor he was! Also Wolfgang Preiss reprises his role of Dr. Mabuse once more, for the fourth time already. Luckily his role in this movie is much larger again and he is better than ever before in this movie.It's OK to watch, if you also liked the previous Dr. Mabuse movies.6/10http://bobafett1138.blogspot.com/

While TESTAMENT is preferable to the rather weak THOUSAND EYES OF DOCTOR MABUSE, you'd still be better off looking for the silent Mabuse films -- DOCTOR MABUSE, THE GAMBLER, for example. It just isn't the same without Fritz Lang, though Lang is not at his best after 1960, in my opinion (apart from his INDIAN TOMB two-parter, a stylish classic and direct influence on INDIANA JONES AND THE TEMPLE OF DOOM). Klingler tries, but he's just not up to the Master's standards.

This is the 1962 remake of Fritz Lang's 1933 Testament Of Dr Mabuse.Dr Mabuse (Wolfgang Priess) has been locked away in an asylum for the insane for some time now.Well, since the end of Invisible Dr Mabuse anyway. The movie opens with a series of clockwork precision crimes.An armored car full of gold is heisted;the diamond exchange is robbed;a train carrying paper for the government to use to print money is hijacked.All of these crimes point to a very dangerous organization under the leadership of one man.But who is that man? Many clues including tips from a former corrupt police officer lead Inspector Lohman(Gert Frobe) to suspect Dr Mabuse.Lohman visits the asylum run by Dr Pohland(Walter Rilla) where Mabuse is being held.No one but the doctor has contact with Mabuse.All Mabuse does is write frantically 24 hours a day. Soon we find out that Mabuse has been hypnotizing Dr Pohland to carry out these crimes for him.Things get wild and wooly when Dr Pohland/Mabuse subjects Inspector Lohmann to shock treatments.Will Mabuse bring the country to its knees? This film is a lot better than critics will have you believe.I feel it ranks just behind 1000 Eyes Of Dr Mabuse and Scotland Yard Vs Dr Mabuse.My viewing pleasure was enhanced by watching a widescreen dubbed dvd version along with the commentary track as well.