The Death Ray of Dr. Mabuse

1964 1h 32m DE

😐

6.2

MID

★6.2TMDB · 12

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Synopsis

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The evil Dr. Mabuse develops a death ray with which he threatens the world.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Cast

Peter van Eyck
Maj. Bob Anders
O.E. Hasse
Prof. Larsen
Yvonne Furneaux
Gilda Larsen
Walter Rilla
Prof. Pohland
Ernst Schröder
Chefarzt
Dieter Eppler
Kaspar
Wolfgang Preiss
Dr. Mabuse
Rika Dialyna
Judy

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Hugo Fregonese
Writers: Ladislas Fodor
Languages: German
Countries: France, Germany

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

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Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

ERA

Did you know

62 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 2 countries: France, Germany.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

CINEMA

Did you know

Part of the "Dr. Mabuse Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Hugo Fregonese, shot by Riccardo Pallottini. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Oskar Sala. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Alfred Srp shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Peter van Eyck and O.E. Hasse and Yvonne Furneaux carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0058667 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Hugo Fregonese directs. Riccardo Pallottini behind the camera. Oskar Sala scores. Alfred Srp cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in France, Germany. Dialogue in German.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

162 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
2International production across 2 countries: France, Germany.
3Part of the "Dr. Mabuse Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
4Directed by Hugo Fregonese, shot by Riccardo Pallottini. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Oskar Sala. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Alfred Srp shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Peter van Eyck and O.E. Hasse and Yvonne Furneaux carry the top of the cast.
8IMDB entry: tt0058667 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Only 12 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

The technical file

Cinematography: Riccardo Pallottini
Original score: Oskar Sala
Editing: Alfred Srp
Production design: Ernst H. Albrecht
Costume design: Trude Ulrich
Runtime: 92 min · 1h 32m
Status: Released
Original language: DE
Certification (US): 16
IMDB: The Death Ray of Dr. Mabuse (1964)

Part of

Dr. Mabuse Collection

Dr. Mabuse the Gambler (German: Dr. Mabuse, der Spieler) is the first film in the Dr. Mabuse series about the character Doctor Mabuse who featured in the novels of Norbert Jacques. It was directed by Fritz Lang and released in 1922. The film is silent and would be followed by the sound sequels The Testament of Dr. Mabuse (1933) and The Thousand Eyes of Dr. Mabuse (1960). It is four and a half hours long and divided into two parts, originally released a month apart. The title, Dr. Mabuse, der Spieler, makes use of three meanings of the German Der Spieler which can mean gambler, puppeteer, or actor. The character Dr. Mabuse, who disguises himself, manipulates people, and is a notorious gambler, embodies all senses of the word. Therefore, the Player might be a more appropriate translation of the title. The film is included in the book 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die, being the first of five Lang films to be entered.