1933: Das Testament des Dr. Mabuse (Fritz Lang)

1933: Das Testament des Dr. Mabuse (Fritz Lang)

I'll start by saying that of all my top picks, this is absolutely one of the most tenuous.  I like this Lang film, but there are probably another seven or eight by him that I like even better (The Big Heat, Metropolis, M, Beyond a Reasonable Doubt, Moonfleet, The Woman in the Window, You Only Live Once, and Destiny).  And I still have some Lang films to see.

My pick has a lot to do with 1933 being a slightly less stellar year, and admittedly I still have some major gaps to fill.

I first saw Mabuse at a great place that used to be in Paris called the "Videotheque de Paris".  It was a film library that also had one fantastic theater.  I'm not sure why it closed, but I had several very memorable nights there.  I saw Claire Denis present a screening of her film J'ai pas sommeil, and it was there that I saw a favorite of mine, Rossellini's Germany Year Zero, for the first time.  

Anyway, as I remember it, the thing that most impressed me with this film was Lang's extraordinary inventiveness.  I remember watching it and being in awe of all that he was doing for such an early film.  It has a fairly complex narrative for a film of this era and just felt formally years ahead of other films I had seen from this period.  I believe I've only seen it once so it is a bit vague in my memory.  But I remember it having a terrific finale, as well, if I'm not mistaken.

Other contenders for 1933:  My  inspiration for doing these posts, Dave Hicks, has a film at the top of his list for this year that I've never seen.  That film, The Bitter Tea of General Yen, is something I want to see as soon as possible.  Other films I still need to see from this year are:  Howard Hawks' Today We Live, Merian Cooper and Ernest Schoedsack's King Kong (embarrassed but I've never seen it in its entirety), Alfred Green's Baby Face, Mervyn LeRoy's Gold Diggers of 1933, and Frank Borzage's A Man's Castle.  Of the films I've seen from this year, I remember Max Ophuls' Liebelei having some of the greatest woods and snow cinematography in the history of film.  And, I love Duck Soup.  It's one of the funniest films I've ever seen.  I ultimately though decided to give the edge to the Lang film for its sheer formal innovation.


5/15/10 I watched Merian Cooper and Ernest Schoedsack's King Kong. There are some tremendous moments, particularly the unveiling of Kong at the New York theater.  But some of the action scenes in the jungle went on too long for me and didn't really maximize the suspense. An incredibly impressive accomplishment though for its time.


5/24/10 I watched Mervyn LeRoy's Gold Diggers of 1933.  Some of the dance sequences are absolutely mind-blowing.  But much of the story in between felt a little heavy-handed to me and didn't move me as much as I would like.  Busby Berkeley's work though is really something to see.  


9/13/10 I watched Howard Hawks' Air Force.  Hawks definitely demonstrates a love and knowledge for the material, but I find this to be one of his more overlong pieces.  Some wonderful moments, and an extraordinary performance from Harry Carey, but still a little underwhelming, relative to some of his better work.


2/25/12 I watched Ernst Lubitsch's Design for Living.  One of the very strongest of all the Lubitsch films that I've seen and probably the clearest display of the famous "Lubitsch touch".  Lubitsch had this ability to go from mania to pathos almost within the same shot.  Bold, sexy, and probably a major influence on Jules and Jim, as well as the entire French New Wave.


2/26/12 I watched Lloyd Bacon's 42nd Street.  A loose, free-form musical with loads of energy and insight into the behind-the-scenes world of theater.  Most memorable for its passion.  The grace and personality of the best Astaire pics though resonate more with me.