| Description |
by Perry Seibert |
The most respected name in home video, Criterion, has turned its attention to Fritz Lang's The Testament of Dr. Mabuse. This two-disc set offers a standard full-frame transfer that preserves he original theatrical aspect ratio of the film. The German soundtrack is rendered in Dolby Digital Mono. Supplemental materials include a commentary track by author David Kalat; footage from a 1964 interview with Lang; comparisons of the German, French, and English versions of the film; production design drawings; the complete French version of the film; and an essay on the great director by Tom Gunning. This is, as expected, a superb title from Criterion. |
| Features |
- New high-definition digital transfer, with restored image and sound, presented here in its original aspect ratio of 1.19:1 for the first time
- Audio commentary by David Kalat, author of "The Strange Case of Dr. Mabuse"
- New and improved English subtitle translation
- Optimal image quality: RSDL dual-layer edition
- Complete French-language version of the film, Le Testament du Dr. Mabuse, filmed simultaneously by Lang with French actors
- Excerpts from "For Example Fritz Lang" (Zum Beispiel Fritz Lang), a 1964 interview with Lang, directed by famed German documentarian Erwin Leiser (Mein Kampf)
- Mabuse in Mind (Mabuse im Gedächtnis), a 1984 film by Thomas Honickel, featuring an interview with actor Rudolf Schündler
- Comparison between the 1933 German version, the French version, and The Crimes of Dr. Mabuse, the edited and dubbed American version of the film
- Interview with German Mabuse expert Michael Farin about writer Norbert Jacques, creator of the Mabuse character
- Rare production design drawings by art director Emil Hasler (M, The Blue Angel)
- Collection of memorabilia, press books, stills, and posters
- New essay by Tom Gunning, author of "The Films of Fritz Lang: Allegories of Vision and Modernity"
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