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drug abuse flourished, as old moral engineers market crashes and inflations Germany’s Master Villain restraints evaporated. This is the climate (the belief that the great inflation of the by Cora Buhlert that bred Mabuse. early 1920s was engineered by nefarious The novel begins with the young powers was a popular conspiracy theory The history of Norbert Jacques’ villain, Dr Mabuse prosecutor Von Wenk investigating a at the time) to create chaos and usher in series of gambling frauds, which have a reign of crime. Mabuse also wants to He was a true mastermind of evil, a led the easy living Count Todd and his found his own kingdom, called villain on the scale of Fu Manchu or wife to their ruin. The trail leads to a Eitopomar, in the Amazonian jungles. Blofeld. His criminal career spawned criminal syndicate headed by Dr. What makes Mabuse so dangerous are more than six decades, from the unrest Mabuse (who incidentally got his name his hypnotic powers, which he uses to of the Weimar Republic to the fall of the from a 15th century Flemish painter). By control his victims. Only Von Wenk is Berlin Wall, and even death itself could day, Mabuse is a respected psychologist immune to Mabuse’s powers, making not stop him. Dr Mabuse, respected (psychoanalysis was only becoming him the only man who can take Mabuse physician, crazed genius and master popular at the time and was still viewed and his organisation down. Von Wenk’s mesmerist, always plotting to plunge the with suspicions by many people). By resolve is strengthened when he falls in world into chaos and usher in an age of night, he controls criminal operations love with Mabuse’s lover, the dancer crime. ranging from gambling fraud via Cara Carozza. Mabuse was the brainchild of writer prostitution, drug trading and Modern day critics are not sure what Norbert Jacques. Jacques was born in counterfeiting to murder. Given the to make of Jacques’ novel. Is it a deeply Luxembourg in 1880. After studying law economic problems in Germany at the conservative text and is the aristocratic at the University of Bonn, he became a time, it is not surprising that Mabuse prosecutor Von Wenk a symbol for the journalist and world traveller. His also sets his sights on the economy. He old German empire, beleaguered by the experiences led him to writing travel new republic and its vices as symbolised memoirs and adventure novels. His first Below: The cover of the DVD of Fitz Lang’s Dr by Mabuse. Or is it a highly prophetic novel, Funchal, appeared in 1909. It was Mabuse the Gambler. novel with Mabuse as a Hitler-like followed by dozens of other novels in a figure? One thing is clear however: variety of genres. Was Norbert Jacques a Although a villain, Mabuse is the true pulp author? He himself would probably star of the novel. have disputed that claim. After all Norbert Jacques was good friends Jacques never wrote for the German with Thea von Harbou, who worked as a pulps, his novels were serialised in screenwriter for the German film respectable newspapers of the day. And production company UFA. Thea von Jacques was hardly a hack, considering Above: Cover of the 1996 edition of Doctor Harbou introduced Jacques to her that even Thomas Mann lauded his Mabuse, the Gambler husband, director Fritz Lang. Lang had abilities as a writer. Nevertheless, many just had his first big success with the unstable and had very little support of his works have a certain pulpy feel to jungle adventure The Indian Tomb and among the population. Elections were them. This is particularly true for the was looking for a follow-up picture. frequent and majorities changed every novel that would make Jacques famous, Thea von Harbou suggested an few months. There was rioting in the Dr Mabuse, der Spieler (Dr Mabuse the adaptation of Dr Mabuse, the Gambler, streets and various uprisings both from Gambler), which was serialised in the which premiered later in 1922. In the the left and the right. Inflation reached newspaper Berliner Illustrierte Zeitung film, Mabuse was played by Rudolf incredible heights, even everyday items between September 25th, 1921, and Klein-Rogge (best know for playing the such as bread cost millions and billions January 29th, 1922. mad scientist Rotwang in Fritz Lang’s of marks. The big cities, most notably In Germany, the early 1920s were a Metropolis). Berhard Goetzke was Von Berlin, had developed a very active time of political and social uproar. The Wenk. Norwegian actress Aud Egede nightlife with all the attendant Weimar Republic, which had risen from Nissen played Cara Carozza. Somewhat problems. Prostitution, gambling and the ashes of the old empire, was highly overshadowed by the better known Metropolis, Dr Mabuse, the Gambler is features one of the first crossovers in Testament would not see a cinematic nevertheless one of the gems of German cinema history. Because Mabuse’s release until after the war. And as the silent cinema. It can also be seen as a nemesis in Testament is none other than film was noticeably dated by then, it precursor to M, Lang’s 1930 masterpiece Inspector Lohmann, a character who had never had the success it deserved. about the hunt for a serial killer. first appeared in M. Lohmann, whose Even though two of his films had The film was a faithful adaptation of gruff manners and overweight body been banned, Goebbels asked Fritz Lang the novel. The only difference was the concealed a sharp mind, was a much to stay in Germany and even offered him end. In the novel, Mabuse was killed. more interesting character than Mabuse’s the post of director of the film The final scene of the film shows previous adversary Von Wenk. Otto production company UFA. However, Mabuse in his lair, playing with Wernicke played Lohmann in both M Lang refused. He divorced Thea von banknotes, beyond punishment, utterly and Testament. Rudolf Klein-Rogge Harbou, who supported the Nazi cause, mad. The film’s ending has a much more returned as Mabuse. and left Germany for Hollywood not sinister air than the tidy solution of the Testament begins with a man spying long after. Lang would continue making novel. Incidentally, it also left open the on a counterfeiting workshop, only to be films throughout the 1940s and 50s, possibility for a sequel. And given the brutally murdered soon after. Other even though he could never repeat his success of both the novel and the film, a murders follow. Inspector Lohmann is early successes. Meanwhile, Norbert sequel was almost inevitable. convinced that Mabuse is the Jacques continued working as a Norbert Jacques was the first to mastermind behind the crimes. The screenwriter for the UFA, a career revisit the character in his 1930 novel audience is convinced as well. After all, launched by the success of the first Mabuses Kolonie (Mabuse’s Colony), they see and hear Mabuse — only Mabuse film. But Jacques too found which remained unfinished. Mabuses appearing as a shadow on a screen — Above: Programme booklet cover for the 1933 himself increasingly at odds with the Kolonie, which concerned the jungle giving orders to his gang. But the real version of The Testament of Dr Mabuse. Nazi regime, because his Luxembourger kingdom of Eitopomar, was only Mabuse is safely locked away in an citizenship made him suspicious. published in 1997, together with insane asylum. Or is he? Upon visiting testament are floating on the water. Nevertheless, Jacques stayed in Germany Jacques’ novellas Ingenieur Mars the asylum, Lohmann sees Mabuse Testament was filmed in the fall of throughout the war years. His refusal to (Engineer Mars, 1923) and Chemiker sitting in his cell, tirelessly scribbling 1932 and set to premiere on March 24th, leave later got him in trouble with the Null (Chemist Zero, 1934). what he has termed his testament. A 1933. However, the situation in Germany Allied authorities and he was even Meanwhile, Fritz Lang himself was testament which accurately describes had changed. For on January 30th Adolf briefly arrested. considering a sequel to the highly the very crimes Lohmann is Hitler had come to power. Although It would seem that Mabuse had been successful Mabuse film. He approached investigating. Yet Dr Baum, the director Fritz Lang had Jewish ancestors, both forgotten, but that was not the case. And Norbert Jacques to write a second of the asylum, assures Lohmann that Hitler and Goebbels were fans of his after the war, he quickly reappeared. In Mabuse novel. Instead of finishing Mabuse cannot possibly escape. The work and listed Metropolis and Die 1950, Norbert Jacques finally published Mabuses Kolonie, Jacques came up with situation becomes even more baffling, Nibelungen (The Nibelungs) among their The Testament of Doctor Mabuse under an entirely new novel which was when Mabuse is found dead in his cell. favourite films. But the parallels the title Mabuses letztes Spiel (Mabuse’s entitled Das Testament des Doctor It turns out that Dr Baum himself has between the situation in described in last gamble). The film version also Mabuse (The Testament of Doctor fallen under the influence of Mabuse’s Testament and the Nazi’s rise to power finally received a theatrical release in Mabuse). The sequel was finished in hypnotic powers and has been were too close for comfort and so the Germany. Meanwhile, the rights to the 1932 and adapted for the screen. orchestrating the crimes as detailed in film was banned a day before the two Mabuse films had ended up with However, Testament was not published, the testament.

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