sendmemovies lists THE DR. MABUSE COLLECTION as upcoming from Image in early January. The titles included are: THE RETURN OF DR. MABUSE, THE INVISIBLE DR. MABUSE, and THE DEATH RAY MIRROR OF DR. MABUSE.

Since its Image, does anyone know if these are new transfers or is this a Retromedia release of 16mm TV prints? I haven't seen any of these and I might grab it on impulse even if it isn't pristine or uncut.

It's definitely a Retromedia release. Here's what Fred Olen Ray said about it on his forum:

The MABUSE films are all very nice and sharp. Also included is one of those repro's of the original German program books that we've done in the past.

Not much, I know.

Did anyone get this yet?

I’ve got it. These seem to be the same prints we have seen from Sinister Cinema, including the splice cuts and purring sounds. The three movies do look better than before. They have a cleaner and more cohesive look about them. Rika Dialina sure looks better this time around. If only DR. MABUSE VS. SCOTLAND YARD was on the disc but you can't have everything. Give me a couple of weeks and I'll write up a review.

Here's DVD Beaver's take on the set, with screen captures as usual.

I love a good dare.

I'm dying for this set and I can't find it anywhere. I didn't order it online because I knew I was going into Mahattan today and I thought for sure I'd find a copy, but nope. Not even at the Virgin Megastore. The Borders in Penn Station said they had a copy, but it couldn't be located on the shelves. Has anyone actually seen this in Best Buy or Borders anywhere?

D.

If you're New York based, with (sigh) Tower gone, I would think the only likely sources are Kim's Video on St. Marks place in the village and J & R Music World. Borders does have a "Cult" DVD section that usually has titles you wouldn't expect, but you never quite know what's going to be in it...

My local Borders on the West Coast does seem to carry Retromedia titles regularly as well as stuff from Cult Epics, Blue Underground, and Image Entertainment. I'm guessing they have a distribution deal with... is it RYKO?

...Discouraging review, there. What a shame that Mabusenthusiast David Kalat and AllDay Entertainment couldn't have given these the same splendid treatment as they gave THOUSAND EYES and TESTAMENT...

Do I recall Kalat posting here on Mobius previously?

Yep, he does. Any thoughts on the Retromedia release, David?

I've assumed that since David didn't issue these, there aren't any good source materials extant for the original versions.

Those screen captures actually look quite a lot better than most offerings of this era from Retromedia. I need to pick up this set, since Image doesn't seem to be sending me a screener.

Did I hear my name?

Superb elements exist for all of these, and are already available in German only in a fine box set from Polyband.

I had dearly wanted to give these the same, ahem, "splendid treatment" as for the other two, but I was unable to agree to satisfactory terms with the German rights owners, so I did not.

It is unclear from the packaging on the DVD whether Retromedia licensed these versions from Germany and just used crappy sourece elements instead of the fine videos they could have had shipped over... or more likely, issued these in a gray market disregard of GATT and the fact that CCC Filmkunst "owns" these films regardless of their currnet copyright status in the US.

Hmm...just guessing, but I think it's the last of our two choices there David. So...is this considered grey market then?

Does this German set have any Englihs subtitle or audio options?

Michael

None whatsoever, unfortunately.

Indeed, not only does the German 6 DVD set not have English audio, but apparently the contracts stipulated that. A few years ago, I licensed my masters for 1000 EYES and TESTAMENT to Polyband for German editions, and we provided our subtitle tracks and English dubbing tracks only to be told that they were not permitted to use them. The new set from Ufa (and yes it's Ufa, I said Polyband in my earlier post and I was misremembering--Polyband did the single editions of the same two Allday titles) interestingly uses new masters for the two titles I had done. I think my version of 1000 EYES looks substantially sharper, but maybe that's sour grapes on my part.

And to answer the "gray market" question: CCC never formally filed for copyright when these movies were originally distributed here in the 1960s. The terms of GATT make it such that CCC can still claim copyright regardless, and can retroactively claim it despite the films having previously been in the public domain. I filed their paperwork to do so for the two titles I handled, but not for the other 4. So, while a copyright search on those 4 titles would show them as PD now, that's not technically true, and at any point CCC can re-establish copyright control. Unless Retromedia have a license for their release, they're able to do this only as long as CCC doesn't step in.

Jamie S. Rich over at DVD Talk calls this set "a crime against DVD." I'm starting be thankful I didn't drop the cash on this one. I might Netflix it, but this whole thing sounds like bad news.

Ouch!

That's absolute elitist nonsense. I've watched the first two films in the set and am finding it quite enjoyable. After watching each film I've been comparing them to the official UFA releases from Germany. The worst that I've noticed about the Retromedia versions is that they are cropped; there is some speckling under the main titles of THE INVISIBLE DR. MABUSE and one noticeable splice. If an official release was undertaken here in the States, they might have English audio tracks, but I would bet the English title sequences would be lost along with the English language inserts of newspaper headlines and malicious notes. These are from surviving prints of the English variants, rare as hen's teeth, and since their distributors are long gone, this may be the only/last opportunity we'll have to see them. The disc is less than $20 and less than $15 in some places -- for three features. I don't know if these were transferred from the Sinister prints or not (can THE INVISIBLE DR. MABUSE be theirs? wasn't theirs called THE INVISIBLE HORROR?), but if so, the improvement of the picture quality alone is reason for Eurocult collectors to snap this up. It's not the definitive presentation of these movies, but it's the best presentation of these versions we're likely to see and good value for the money. There was a time not so long ago when we gladly paid three times the pricetag on this set for the three Sinister tapes, which looked far less crisp in comparison.

The German program book included in the set does inadvertently match the front and inside pages for one film with a back cover intended for another. A strange mistake, but even this I wouldn't categorize as a crime.

"I don't know if these were transferred from the Sinister prints or not (can THE INVISIBLE DR. MABUSE be theirs? wasn't theirs called THE INVISIBLE HORROR?),...."

Retromedia claimed that INVISIBLE came from its personal collection of film prints. I'm not sure about the others. My Sinister print is titled THE INVISIBLE DR. MABUSE. In the catalogue, it shows a repro of the INVISIBLE HORROR poster work. I too am glad that the movies are on DVD. Retromedia does a good job of making movies available. I was surprised by the bad reviews for INVISIBLE as it is my personal favorite. I even like DEATH RAY because it shows Peter Van Eyck in such a good mood.

I believe THE INVISIBLE HORROR denotes the theatrical release, while THE INVISIBLE DR. MABUSE was the TV title. Unless the onscreen title was actually the same for both, any copy bearing the MABUSE title should originate from 16mm. I think Retromedia's INVISIBLE looks awfully good for a transfer from 16.

I talked to a guy at work today who picked up the Retromedia MABUSE set and he seemed generally pleased with it, saying "Well, it's not Criterion, but the online reviews have been a little harsh. They don't look that bad at all." Plus, I didn't really consider the relative rarity of these particular English variants, much the way I used to scoff at those 50-movie packs from Mill Creek until I read the Video WatchBlog column on the Italian muscleman set (what was that, WARRIORS?). I didn't pick that up yet, but I certainly will. When will we EVER see those again?

And now, to see Tim's seal of approval with the MABUSE set--maybe I'll part with $20 for this. Historically, I've found Lucas endorsements generally reliable and totally BS-free, so if it works for him, it works for me.

I agree with Tim. The disc is fine, especially given the price tag, and the movies are enjoyable (although I haven't watched DEATH RAY yet). This actually isn't the DVD debut of RETURN - it showed up on one of those weird "50 movies for $20" collections some time ago - but the Retromedia disc is much better than that one, which was clearly just a dupe from a VHS.

There's such a tiny audience for these films that I'm grateful *someone* thought to put them out. Having all three on a single disc is a bargain. If pristine versions come along, I'll be more than happy to upgrade as I always do with Eurocult films. Until then, however, I'm using this as an opportunity to watch all the Mabuse films in order. I watched the Lang films before Christmas, then watched RETURN and INVISIBLE. Tonight, I'll watch the remake of TESTAMENT and wrap it up with DEATH RAY. Too bad MABUSE VS. SCOTLAND YARD isn't on there, but it's out there. I'll track it down later.

I have to wonder about comments like "It's a crime against DVD." It's a critique designed to be a clever catchphrase but carries no genuine critical heft. I know clever turns of phrase seem to be replacing actual insight everywhere, these days, but don't let it keep you from picking up the disc. These are really fun films.

On another note, I'm really interested in the comparisons people make between Lang's MABUSE films and Feuillade's serials. Certainly Feuillade was an inspiration to Lang (take a look at SPIDERS) but watching MABUSE: THE GAMBLER right after a second viewing of some of the LES VAMPIRES chapters, reveals them to be the works of very stylistically different filmmakers. The material is similar to be sure, but the directorial approach of each is very different.

But that's a discussion for a new thread, I suppose.

D.

It's like saying "Any movie not directed by Steven Spielberg is a crime against cinema."

There's definitely at least one Spielberg film that is a crime against cinema...it may star Robin Williams, Dustin Hoffman, and Julia Roberts, and it may not...I ain't sayin'. :)

Sorry, I'll trouble this thread no more with ridiculous off-topic posts.

I watched THE DEATH RAY MIRROR OF DR. MABUSE tonight, which features a short but startling scene of Rika Dialina (the child's mother in BLACK SABBATH's "The Wurdalak," cast against type as a ditzy blonde) bouncing up and down on a bed in an impressively sheer nightgown.

Let no man say that this transfer fails to deliver the goods.

“Bob, what’s the matter with me?”

Those are two very good points of DEATH RAY. Although, I have a preference for the “nightmare” exchange. Rika Dialina hides under a bed, trembling at the thought of a large Frog at the window.

“What are you doing under the bed? Are you hiding from me?”

“I had a nightmare love”

Thus, prompting Peter Van Eyck to pull her from underneath the bed. What a view! Then the he oh so casually points the gun at her.

“Baby to bed.”

DEATH RAY has such a bad reputation but it’s a romp. It is a good screenplay that is marred by poor direction. It may make for a better radio play than a movie. But that I wouldn’t be able to see Rika. Anyways….DEATH RAY is not really a spy thriller but an anti-spy thriller. A photo-negative parody if you will. The secret is out that everyone is some sort of spy. “Everyone knows.” Peter and Rika make a good team. It is a shame that they this couldn’t have segued into there own series. They look like they are having fun. The relationship anticipates the closing reels of the Sean Connery /Jill St. John teaming in DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER. The movie is full of little bits; the score, the bulletproof vest, the girls, Admiral Quincy, aspirin as a pass word, the bordello, the Frogmen at night, Rika’s detective “skills”. It is also a neat little take on the “Thunderball” mystique. DEATH RAY is not up to the same standards as the James Bond production. Yet the concept for the conclusion is an improvement compared to the slow paced version that was to come. The shoot outs are divided between a beach assault and an underwater attack.

While this is not a classic, it has as many thrills as Claude Charbrol’s WHO’S GOT THE BLACK BOX, Roger Moore’s CROSSPLOT or the KOMISSOR X films.

All right, you guys have sold me. I've gotta pick this up now. And while I'm at it, I'm gonna pick up all the rest of the Mabuse films (I've seen them, but via rental). I've put it off for way too long.