DR MABUSE, THE GAMBLER (Fritz Lang, 1922)
(Directed by Fritz Lang from a script by Lang and Thea Von Harbou based on the original novel by Norbert Jaques. Starring Rudolf Klein-Rogge, Aud Egede-Nissen, Gertrude Welcker, Alfred Abel, Bernard Goetzke, and Paul Richter. Released 27 April 1922 (part one) and 26 May 1922 (part two); watched 2023w34 via Kino Blu-Ray)
FritzFest thus begins: this first viewing of DR MABUSE, THE GAMBLER being the start (to be followed by a first of DIE NIBELUNGEN, a rewatch of METROPOLIS, a first of SPIES, a rewatch of M, and an inaugural of TESTAMENT OF DR MABUSE – on Criterion Channel not, unfortunately, as with the others, on Blu - yet - though it might be if I have a region-free Blu player. Do I? Mem: check).
Happy that I was able to watch MABUSE not only as a 270-minute, two-film historical document, as a template for pretty much every great villain since – Ledger's Joker, among many others – but as the compulsively watchable, exhilarating tapestry of fascinating – and devastating, especially the Tolds and Carozza – characters at the mercy of the ruthless, titular force of nature played with mad-scientist-mold-defining aplomb by the great Rudolf Klein-Rogge, whose capture at the conclusion of Lang's four and a half hour epic is an epic in and of itself, a firefight wrapped in gunsmoke and sewer escape devolving into entrapped madness, a template for all great action denouements to come: THE THIRD MAN, HEAT and countless others, off the top of my head.
MABUSE’s true power is, like all of Lang's films, that it remains – in spite of being the century-old mold-forming work that it is – first and foremost a ripping yarn, a rare feat that exemplifies one of Lang's great hallmarks: his works always feel as though they were released yesterday – though some, like MABUSE, were released more than a century of yesterdays ago.
Highly, highly recommended.
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Another night of weather, of watching a live feed of local news station, midnight tornado warnings and storm warnings resulting in... pretty much nothing. Other than a lack of sleep. And a fascination with the head meteorologist's water-down-a-cutting-board / tornado formation analogy.
Potential for a good mail day = solid. MABUSE postscript coming later this morning, once I take another post-food crack at it.
Think I want to officially title these morning posts which are seeming to become a thing. Not sure what. For now, sticking with the zettelkasten ID... thoughts welcome.
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Still learning to be bald, still liking it – though my head does get cold, which is a new thing.
Moderately exciting weather last night, severe storm warning, et al: ended up being nothing major but we did have a definite downpour along with some flashy lights and the occasional gust. Power went out for a second or two (having gone out for about two hours yesterday afternoon) overnight, long enough to make one clock blink but not enough to require re-setting. Seems as though I won't need the chainsaw today but I won't be surprised if I do; can only see so much with a flashlight at 0500 and heavy leaves and broken tree limbs do, after all, have a precedent in this yard. While we had no indoor flooding or anything like that (yay windows), we did have a terrified Morkie (thunder scares the literal piss out of her).
Postscript on DR MABUSE, THE GAMBLER coming later today (or perhaps tomorrow, depending on if I can find the words to say what I want to say). TLDR version: loved it.
