Fritz Lang was a truly fine and influential director, on top of many of them being truly interesting in terms of concepts and themes all of his films are visually striking. The best of them still looking amazing and technical achievements back then. The best of his work, such as 'Metropolis' and 'M' (genre and cinematic landmarks), is masterpiece level and even lesser work is better than the weakest work of a lot of directors and recommendable in so many others.
His swansong 'The 1000 Eyes of Dr Mabuse' is not one of his best, though not a lesser work either. 'Dr Mabuse the Gambler' and 'The Testament of Dr Mabuse' are superior and more influential films, with a personal preference for the latter and the former being more important. 'The 1000 Eyes of Dr Mabuse' is unmistakably Lang though and one can certainly understand his appeal watching it. Despite its flaws, it is worth watching and a worthy swansong for a great director and stands surprisingly well on its own without having to see the aforementioned Dr Mabuse films.
'The 1000 Eyes of Dr Mabuse' does drag quite badly in the middle act, where the tension and excitement dissipated and are replaced by padding and too much talk that is not that compelling.
It can get a little confusing, as a result of having a few too many red herrings and characters.
On the other hand, 'The 1000 Eyes of Dr Mabuse' looks wonderful, especially the cinematography which not only looked gorgeous and has style galore but it is also very atmospheric with many clever but never gimmicky shots. The sets are similarly audacious. Lang never disappointed on a visual and technical level, even when the execution of everything else varied.The film is hauntingly scored and with the direction one can see a master of his craft at work.
Furthermore, 'The 1000 Eyes of Dr Mabuse' is scripted thoughtfully, with plenty to be entertained by. While the story intrigues from the get go and the final act has suspense and a real sense of danger, which is why it is regrettable that it meanders in the middle. There are plenty of turns that are diverting and unexpected, nothing is obvious even the blast of an ending. Gert Frobe stands out of a strong cast, in a role that suited him to the ground. Peter Von Eyck is also effective and his character is not as bland as it sounds on paper. Wolfgang Preiss is imposing, though Dr Mabuse's screen time here isn't large.
Altogether, definitely worth watching if not as good as 'Gambler' or 'Testament'. 7/10
His swansong 'The 1000 Eyes of Dr Mabuse' is not one of his best, though not a lesser work either. 'Dr Mabuse the Gambler' and 'The Testament of Dr Mabuse' are superior and more influential films, with a personal preference for the latter and the former being more important. 'The 1000 Eyes of Dr Mabuse' is unmistakably Lang though and one can certainly understand his appeal watching it. Despite its flaws, it is worth watching and a worthy swansong for a great director and stands surprisingly well on its own without having to see the aforementioned Dr Mabuse films.
'The 1000 Eyes of Dr Mabuse' does drag quite badly in the middle act, where the tension and excitement dissipated and are replaced by padding and too much talk that is not that compelling.
It can get a little confusing, as a result of having a few too many red herrings and characters.
On the other hand, 'The 1000 Eyes of Dr Mabuse' looks wonderful, especially the cinematography which not only looked gorgeous and has style galore but it is also very atmospheric with many clever but never gimmicky shots. The sets are similarly audacious. Lang never disappointed on a visual and technical level, even when the execution of everything else varied.The film is hauntingly scored and with the direction one can see a master of his craft at work.
Furthermore, 'The 1000 Eyes of Dr Mabuse' is scripted thoughtfully, with plenty to be entertained by. While the story intrigues from the get go and the final act has suspense and a real sense of danger, which is why it is regrettable that it meanders in the middle. There are plenty of turns that are diverting and unexpected, nothing is obvious even the blast of an ending. Gert Frobe stands out of a strong cast, in a role that suited him to the ground. Peter Von Eyck is also effective and his character is not as bland as it sounds on paper. Wolfgang Preiss is imposing, though Dr Mabuse's screen time here isn't large.
Altogether, definitely worth watching if not as good as 'Gambler' or 'Testament'. 7/10