DR MABUSE THE GAMBLER (1922) TESTAMENT OF DR MABUSE (1933)

[geneweigel]

I just watched these back to back on a lark. 6 and 1/2 hours later...

Last night, I saw the second one and I had to wait up for my daughter to get back from her date. I was so hypnotized by this movie that I was like what was the weird concept inspired from? Then I found out there was an original movie and I just watched the sequel. So I clicked on it this morning not realizing that it was 4 and 1/2 hours long! What a trip.

Well, this a movie about an evil bastard who stages elaborate crimes with some aid of psionic powers. The first film seems more grounded in reality with slight phantasmagoria and the supernatural but still definitely psionics. Then the second one jumps in deep with really weird psionic sequences.
I'm thinking psionics because he stares at the victims from behind and they touch the backs of their heads.

Anyway, it turns out Fritz Lang, the director of the first two, continued it later with The Thousand Eyes of Dr. Mabuse (1960) then that spawned a pile of sequels.

[GRWelsh]

I'll have to check those out. Of Fritz Lang's movies, I've only seen METROPOLIS and M. I went through a phase watching a lot of old movies and I still have a VCR tapes upstairs from when I was taping them off of TCM 20+ years ago. My favorite era was the 30's and 40's. I admit it is harder to get into the silent films, but some are worth the effort like NOSFERATU, THE CABINET OF DR. CALIGARI, THE PASSION OF JOAN OF ARC, INTOLERANCE, BIRTH OF A NATION, THE BATTLESHIP POTEMPKIN and the comedies of Harold Lloyd, Buster Keaton and Charlie Chaplin. I think it was you that pointed me to WITCHCRAFT THROUGH THE AGES (Häxan) which I really liked.

[geneweigel]

The first one is silent and the second one is a "talky" with subtitles.