In the steel network of Dr. Mabuse

Movie
German title	In the steel network of Dr. Mabuse
Original title	In the steel network of Dr. Mabuse / Le retour du Docteur Mabuse / FBI contro Dottor Mabuse
Country of production	Federal Republic of Germany , France , Italy
original language	German
Publishing year	1961
length	89 minutes
Age rating	FSK 12
Rod
Director	Harald Reinl
script	Marc Behm , Ladislaus Fodor
production	CCC Filmproduktion GmbH ( Arthur Brauner ), Critérion Film SA, SPA Cinematografica
music	Peter Sandloff
camera	Karl Löb
cut	Hermann Haller
occupation
Gert Fröbe : Commissioner Lohmann Lex Barker : Joe Como Daliah Lavi : Maria Sabrehm Fausto Tozzi : Prison Director Wolf Werner Peters : Böhmler Rudolf Forster : Professor Julius Sabrehm Rudolf Fernau : Pastor Brietenstein Joachim Mock : Criminal Assistant Voss Laura Solari : Mrs. Pizarro Ady Berber : Alberto Sandro Henry Coubet : the blind man Jean-Roger Caussimon : Sexton Albert Bessler : Junk dealers Lou Seitz : Mrs. Lohmann Zeev Berlinsky : Man with a wooden leg Alexander Engel : Professor Griesinger Wolfgang Preiss : Dr. Mabuse Herbert Weißbach : Coroner Erik Radolf : Colonel Haag K. Lippert: Double from Mrs. Pizarro
synchronization

In the steel network of Dr. Mabuse is a crime film that was shot in West Berlin in 1961 under the direction of Harald Reinl . It is the second part of the Dr. Mabuse film series from the 1960s with the criminal figure invented by Norbert Jacques . The black and white film produced by Artur Brauner was made with the financial participation of Critérion Film SA ( Paris ) and SPA Cinematografica ( Rome ). The film premiered on October 13, 1961 in the Mathäser -Filmpalast in Munich .

action

Inspector Lohmann, who is preparing a well-deserved vacation with his family, receives an urgent call from his assistant Voss. The Interpol official Colonel Haag was murdered in one train . There is no trace of his briefcase, which contained evidence against a criminal syndicate in Chicago . Lohmann also receives a telegram from the FBI announcing the arrival of the Syndicate Mrs. Pizarro. The inspector interrogates the imprisoned contract killer Alberto Sandro in the local prison about the criminal organization. But Sandro is silent and the witness Mrs. Pizarro falls victim to a cruel attack with a fire thrower. In her handbag there is a book that contains a reference to the criminal Dr. Mabuse contains.

Lohmann takes over the case and meets the reporter Maria Sabrehm, the mysterious Joe Como and the dubious Pastor Brietenstein. Little by little, everyone seems suspicious, perpetrators become victims and witnesses are eliminated in cold blood. Maria wants to prove the innocence of her father, Professor Julius Sabrehm, who is sitting in prison. Was the scientist wrongly accused of espionage? Lohmann is able to pick up the prisoner Alberto Sandro, who allegedly fled the prison without the knowledge of the prison director Wolf and the responsible department head Böhmler. Sandro is apparently stunned by a drug that made him do the will of Dr. Forcing Mabuse on and driving him to suicide in front of the inspector. A little later, director Wolf, one of the main suspects, fell victim to a bomb attack.

Como, who has since revealed himself to be an FBI agent, is smuggled into the detention center. In fact, he too receives an injection with the drug developed by Professor Sabrehm. Under their influence, the prison inmates are said to carry out an attack on several nuclear power plants . Como can take an antidote in good time and pass a hint to Lohmann. Ultimately, however, he ends up in a life-threatening trap with Maria Sabrehm. At the last moment, the two can free themselves and, together with Commissioner Lohmann, prevent the attack on the nuclear power plants. In the end it turns out that the believed dead and striving for world domination Dr. Mabuse had masked Wolf as a prison director to cooperate with the Chicago crime syndicate. The possessed criminal can escape. His escape ends, however, in a railway tunnel into which a train is currently driving.

History of origin

prehistory

By Fritz Lang staged films Dr. Mabuse, the Gambler (1922) and The Testament of Dr. Mabuse (1933) have been considered a classic in German film history at least since the re-screenings in the post-war period . As early as 1953, the film producer Artur Brauner had acquired the naming rights of the famous criminal figure from Norbert Jacques , the author of the novel. In the course of the successful Edgar Wallace film The Frog with the Mask (1959) of the Rialto Film , Brauner also wanted to start a crime film series. So in 1960 the crime thriller Die 1000 Augen des Dr. was created by CCC-Film and directed by Fritz Lang. Mabuse .

The film, which premiered on September 14, 1960 and was marketed by Prisma-Filmverleih, a subsidiary of Constantin-Filmverleihe , developed into an extraordinary commercial success. With the gloomy and threatening atmosphere, Brauner had found an original counterpart to the ironically distant Edgar Wallace films of the competition. In addition to other Wallace adaptations, another Dr. Mabuse film was planned for 1961, which the Constantin Distributor was to market itself this time.

Pre-production and script

The Taborkirche in Berlin-Kreuzberg can be seen in the film as Thomaskirche.

As a template for In the steel network of Dr. Mabuse served a script written by Marc Behm and Ladislas Fodor with free use of the title character invented by Norbert Jacques . Since Fritz Lang had finally withdrawn from directing work, the experienced Constantin contract director Harald Reinl was engaged . Some of the actors who were already firmly scheduled included Gert Fröbe , who appeared in the predecessor Die 1000 Augen des Dr. Mabuse was seen as Commissioner Kras. This time he was supposed to take on the recurring role of Inspector Lohmann , who appeared in the Fritz Lang films M and The Testament of Dr. Mabuse was embodied by Otto Wernicke . In addition, the original casting proposals by producer Artur Brauner included the following actors:

• Maria Sabrehm: Marianne Koch , Sonja Ziemann , Maria Perschy , Sabina Stuhlmann , Elke Sommer ,
• Joe Como: Rik Battaglia , Jerome Courtland
• Professor Sabrehm: Walter Rilla
• Criminal Assistant Voss: Peter Carsten , Harry Meyen , Hans von Borsody
• the blind: Fritz Rasp

Finally, the actress Daliah Lavi was hired as reporter Maria Sabrehm , who first appeared in a leading role in the 1960s Israeli-German film Brennender Sand . FBI agent Joe Como was eventually cast with Lex Barker , who made his debut in a German film production company. Artur Brauner met the American actor in early 1960 at the premiere of the film The Sweet Life in Rome and offered him a contract for several films.

production

The arrest of Alberto Sandro was filmed in front of the former army bakery in Berlin-Kreuzberg.

The scenes on the nuclear reactors were created in the vicinity of the Reuter thermal power station in the Berlin district of Spandau .

The German-French-Italian co-production was shot from mid-August to September 11, 1961 in West Berlin and in the CCC studios in Berlin-Haselhorst . For the Design the film architect Otto Erdmann and were Hans-Jürgen Kiebach responsible.

In the original concept, “authentic and particularly typical” outdoor and archive recordings of the city of Berlin were provided. Kurfürstendamm , Kaiserdamm , Ernst-Reuter-Platz , Victory Column , Spree and Havel bridges , Hansaviertel and a “typical Berlin panorama” were listed in a sequence of scenes . Ultimately, however, such locations were not used. No place name is mentioned in the entire film and it ultimately remains open in which city the story takes place. The anonymization of the location may have something to do with the construction of the Berlin Wall , which began parallel to the filming , which made it difficult for the police to work at the border to obtain filming permits . At the beginning of the film you can see a shot of Hamburg Central Station . The Kreuzberg Taborkirche is referred to in the film as the St. Thomas Church. The license plates visible in the film begin with a “P”, which did not exist at the time of filming and which was already intended for Potsdam in the event of the reunification of Germany .

The following locations can be seen in the film:

• Central station , Hamburg (possibly archive recording): arriving train
• S-Bahn station Savignyplatz , Bleibtreustraße and Else-Ury-Bogen, Berlin-Charlottenburg : Surroundings of the bimbo bar
• Taborkirche , Berlin-Kreuzberg : Thomaskirche
• Former army bakery , Brommystraße, Berlin-Kreuzberg: Alberto Sandro is arrested
• German Patent and Trademark Office, Gitschiner Strasse / Alexandrinenstrasse, Berlin-Kreuzberg: Police headquarters
• Intersection Muskauer Strasse / Pücklerstrasse, Berlin-Kreuzberg: Maria Sabrehm before the kidnapping
• Köpenicker Straße , Berlin-Kreuzberg: kidnapping of Maria Sabrehm
• Sewage treatment plant, Berlin-Ruhleben and Reuter thermal power station , Berlin-Siemensstadt : nuclear reactor

Film music

The film music was composed by Peter Sandloff . The theme music, whose motifs run through the entire film, is an orchestral version of the song "Crossfire", which was released in 1958 by Johnny and the Hurricanes . Three tracks from the soundtrack were released in 2000 on CD Kriminalfilmmusik No. 4 :

1. Theme music 2:09
2. Assault on the train 1:56
3. Mabuse unmasked 1:58

synchronization

Since it was a co-production with actors who were partly foreign languages, they had to be dubbed . In addition, German-speaking actors with different voices could be heard. The famous voice actors and their roles were:

role	actor	Voice actor
Joe Como	Lex Barker	Horst Niendorf
Maria Sabrehm	Daliah Lavi	Margot Leonard
Prison Director Wolf	Fausto Tozzi	Curt Ackermann
Dr. Mabuse	Wolfgang Preiss	Curt Ackermann
Alberto Sandro	Ady Berber	Hans Schwarz
sexton	Jean-Roger Caussimon	Jochen Schröder
Dr. Mabuse	Voiceover	Joachim Mock

reception

publication

The FSK released the film on October 9, 1961 for ages 16 and up. The film, which premiered on October 13 of the same year, was able to follow on from the great commercial success of its predecessor. The audience liked Harald Reinl's fast-paced and exciting staging. Critics complained, however, that one increasingly turned away from the original Mabuse theme in order to adapt more to the content of contemporary thrillers. Regardless of this, the sequel The invisible claws of Dr. Mabuse .

For the DVD release in 2005, the age rating of Im Stahlnetz des Dr. Mabuse downgraded to 12 years. For the entire box set, because of the film it contains, Scotland Yard is chasing Dr. Mabuse , but still a release from 16 years.

Reviews

"A story that doesn't win any new pages from the stressed material, but [...] conveys some tension."

- Paimann's film lists , November 7, 1961

“The net of this mysterious film villain consists only of the powerful title made of steel - in reality, the noble thief who is looking for international contacts works on the basis of soul-killing drugs - and this from a prison of all places. Of course, this does not go hand in hand without drama; on such an unlikely stage, however, this rather utopian crime thriller - especially because it is obviously meant seriously - involuntarily slips into comical areas. After all, there is a reunion with the eternally enigmatic Rudolf Fernau, Gert Fröbe miemt tried and tested originality, this time on the side of the law, and the young Daliah Lavi bravely stumbles to the end as a feast for the eyes. "

- Hamburger Abendblatt , December 1961

"Trash thriller with horror and gangster types that defy description."

- Heyne Film Lexicon, 1996

“Another infusion of the crime film series, which repeats the thematic set pieces of its predecessors without any style will of their own; nothing more than a strikingly illogical trivial film with horror effects and a little suspense of crime. "

- Lexicon of international film

"The demonic from Fritz Lang's three Mabuse classics turns into a humorous crime fair in the style of the Edgar Wallace films."

- cinema.de

“Again the star of the film is Gerd Fröbe. The German screen hero is terrific in his role and exudes pure authenticity. The rest of it is also gruesome and filmed in the best Edgar Wallace fashion. Here you can immerse yourself in the 60s, which is extremely fun. "

- Thomas Ays : Moviesection.de

literature

• Solveig Wrage: Dr. Mabuse in the film . Reinhard Weber Verlag, Landshut 2011, ISBN 978-3-943127-00-3

Audio book

• Susa Gülzow: In the steel network of Dr. Mabuse , read with interim texts by Wolf Frass. Eichborn Verlag, Frankfurt am Main 2005, ISBN 978-3-8218-5382-6 .

Web links

• In the steel network of Dr. Mabuse in the Internet Movie Database (English)
• In the steel network of Dr. Mabuse at filmportal.de
• In the steel network of Dr. Mabuse ( Memento from December 26, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) at deutscher-tonfilm.de

Individual evidence

1. ↑ 89 minutes for cinema projection (24 images / second), 85 minutes for television playback (25 images / second), film length: 2427 meters
2. ↑ ^{a b} Joachim Kramp: Hello! This is Edgar Wallace speaking. The history of the crime film series from 1959 to 1972. Third, revised and expanded edition . Schwarzkopf & Schwarzkopf, Berlin 2005, ISBN 3-89602-645-3 , p. 452-454 .
3. ^ People directory. In: filmportal.de. Retrieved on August 3, 2019 ((PDF; 107 kB), with handwritten additions by Artur Brauner ). 
4. ↑ Preliminary sequence of scenes and decorations. In: filmportal.de. Retrieved on August 3, 2019 (PDF; 1.3 MB). 
5. ↑ Daily report No. 12. In: filmportal.de. August 15, 1961, accessed on August 3, 2019 (PDF; 159 kB). 
6. ↑ Daily report no. 17. In: filmportal.de. August 21, 1961, accessed on August 3, 2019 (PDF; 164 kB). 
7. ↑ Daily report No. 25. In: filmportal.de. August 30, 1961, accessed on August 3, 2019 (PDF; 165 kB). 
8. ↑ CD crime film music No. 4 . BSC Music. 2000. Order no. 398.6560.2
9. ↑ In the steel network of Dr. Mabuse in the German dubbing index
10. ↑ In the steel network of Dr. Mabuse . In: Paimann's film lists . No. 2668 , November 7, 1961 ( In the steel network of Dr. Mabuse on Paimann's film lists in nano.reizfeld.net ( Memento from January 4, 2015 in the Internet Archive )). In the steel network of Dr. Mabuse ( Memento of the original from January 4, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  
11. ↑ In the steel network of Dr. Mabuse . In: Hamburger Abendblatt . December 9, 1961, p. 21 (  ( Page no longer available , search in web archives )).
12. ↑ In the steel network of Dr. Mabuse. In: Lexicon of International Films . Film service , accessed August 3, 2019 .  
13. ↑ Thomas Ays : In the steel network of Dr. Mabuse. In: Moviesection. Archived from the original on July 19, 2011 ; accessed on August 3, 2019 .