I saw the film! It was rather different than what I was expecting. Although my feelings about it are mixed, I will say that our DS actors were magnificent. Jerry Lacy is particularly superb as the titular Dr. Mabuse: part-Moriarty, part-Svengali, this criminal mastermind holds the unnamed metropolis in a grip of fear. (Per Faraj, the film takes place “in the world of the Universal Monsters.” It’s not England or Germany, or America. It’s a noir fantasy world). Lacy’s line delivery is appropriately threatening, and he’s made up to look very severe and sinister. Some of Lara Parker’s best acting on DS was silent, and so I was pleasantly surprised to find that her role is largely silent. Traumatized by a previous encounter with Mabuse years before, Mme. Carrozza communicates via facial expression, Tarot cards, and her signature laugh. KLS plays her sister, the elegant and intense Mme. Von Harbau.
Mabuse’s adversaries are City General Oscar Lang and Inspector Carl Lohemann, a brilliant young detective whose mentor, Norbert Von Wenk, died in pursuit of Mabuse. Surrounded by whispers of a conspiracy and rumors that Mabuse has resurfaced after a lengthy unexplained absence, Lang directs Lohemann to investigate Mabuse’s return. He picks up with Von Wenk’s leads, among whom are psychic sisters Madame Carrozza (Parker) and Madame Von Harbau (Scott). Soon, he finds himself trying to unravel a kidnapping and a plot to develop weapons of mass destruction. Lohemann is alternately aided and side-tracked by femme fatale Christina Novello, a self-procalimed “pawn of Dr. Mabuse’s” who may yet hold the key to his overthrow.
Although it is overwhelmingly a crime film, Dr. Mabuse also contains supernatural overtones, particularly in its ending.
I had anticipated a polished, theatrical release. Instead, DM is more akin to a student film. Within the first few minutes, I felt distracted by how bright and artificial the colors and backgrounds looked (flashbacks are shot in B&W and I wish the entire movie had been so). Also, the picture and sound quality were not the best, which further impacted my enjoyment of the film. Once I resigned myself to the production values though, I was able to better appreciate the story elements and the artsy presentation. Indeed, the otherworldliness of the picture contributed to the eerie tone of the film. It was rather like a David Lynch film. I applaud the moody, Hitchcockian musical score for enhancing the suspense.
As we later learned during the Q & A, the director basically shot the film in his basement with his digital camera and inserted the backgrounds with a computer in the final cut. Knowing limited his resources were drastically increased my appreciation for the movie. Though I still wouldn’t put it in same caliber as a Spencer Production.
I found the movie hard to follow in places and could not tell who certain characters (Mme. Hecate, Lady Levana) were supposed to be. Evidently, Faraj plans to reveal more of the tale in his sequel, which begins shooting in June. I truly feel that his production could have been helped if he’d done a better job of casting certain supporting roles. Derek Mobraaten is sadly unconvincing as Mabuse’s right-hand henchman. The weakest link, IMO, was Bahia Garrigan, who seemed more like a self-conscious, play-acting child than an alluring and dangerous woman.
While Dr. Mabuse was certainly entertaining, I came away from it feeling a bit let down. Nevertheless, it was great fun to see our actors on the big screen, with lines, working together once again in an ambitious labor of love.
ProfStokes
