The Testament of Dr. Mabuse
"Magic fire music," old man.
Homicide Department Head of Department
Photographers Forensics
Do you know that, Müller?
That's from the 'Valkyrie'.
Those are the girls
who carry the dead police inspectors... directly to heaven.
On horseback.
Horseback?
Well, as you know, my expenses won't cover a car.
Oh, Inspector, as soon as it's about dead people,
the government sometimes...
...has a fit of generosity.
You think so, do you?
Believe it or not, Müller, today will be the first time
I make it to the theatre in time for the first act.
Knock on wood, Inspector.
See, I told you so.
Unfortunately, I'm dead.
Police headquarters, Lohmann's department.
Inspector...
What now?
Ho... Hof...
Hofmeister would like to speak with you, Inspector.
What?
The guy who used to work with us? Who did those dubious currency deals?
That villain!
Tell him his call is the most shameless affront
I've ever experienced!
And tell him to go to hell!
Unfortunately, Inspector Lohmann has already gone, and he... and you...
...and you can go to hell!
Oh, my Lord!
You know, Müller,
I had the greatest hopes for Hofmeister.
I gave him his first chance, and what does the sod do?
He goes ahead and accepts bribes.
From a money-launderer!
How disgusting!
The man I would have staked my life for
disgraces me by getting fired from the service
...like a rotten egg.
Police headquarters, Lohmann's department.
I beg you, for God's sake, he has to listen to me!
Tell him it's a matter of life and death!
Inspector, I think you really ought to -
Typical. I'm going to miss the first act again.
I want to redeem myself in his eyes!
I finally figured out their scheme. It's a monstrous business!
They've nearly done me in three times!
I hardly dare cross the street!
This is Lohmann. What's up?
Inspector! Thank you so much!
Don't make a fuss.
Tell me what's going on.
Yes, sir, Inspector.
Well, I found out...
Just a moment, please.
Inspector, just in case...
please have a record made of my report.
Headphones! Copy!
I was actually tracing counterfeit money,
because I wanted to make amends with you, Inspector.
For four days - 96 hours! -
I lay up there near the vent,
and now I know who's behind it all.
But you will think I've gone mad...
- Well, who is it, then? - I swear, I'm telling the truth.
I know who's behind it all! I heard his name with my own ears!
And now they know I know the name.
Oh, my God! The light went out!
Lohmann, help me, for God's sake!
Lohmann!
Get to the phone, find out where he called from!
Hofmeister! Bloody hell!
What's the number?
- Hofmeister! - Which street? Number 23. Thank you.
...Gloria! How beautiful are the girls of Batavia...
Dear God. He must have gone out of his mind from terror.
A pathological condition that is not as rare
as one might suspect.
Exposure to catastrophes such as explosions,
earthquakes, train disasters...
in short, exposure to fright and horror
very often mental disturbances occur.
Perhaps the most interesting case
of such a disturbance
is the case of...
...Dr. Mabuse.
There he is, at his favourite subject again...
I will briefly outline his case history.
The patient led a double life.
He was a renowned doctor with a large private practice.
Aided by an almost superhuman logic,
he used his profound knowledge of hypnosis
to perform crimes that nobody had thought possible until then.
For months afterwards, the police look for the brain
that has conceived these crimes -
the man behind these plans.
Finally, they discover him,
Mabuse decides not to flee,
but to put up armed resistance,
and he barricaded himself in his house
with four of his most loyally devoted followers.
He refused demands to surrender to state authorities, saying,
"I am the state."
A barrage of bullets forced the police to retreat.
Finally, soldiers stormed the house with hand grenades.
Two of the defenders die. Two of them are arrested.
Mabuse himself vanishes.
One of the prisoners gives away Mabuse's last hideout -
a forgery, from where he intended to direct a large scale blow
against the German currency system.
The police advance, find him,
but...
...he has gone completely mad.
Judging by his incoherent remarks,
during that night, he saw the ghosts of his murder victims, and
apparently it was the horror of that experience
that overpowered this phenomenal mind,
which for so long had straddled the fine line between genius and madness,
and literally deranged it.
Mabuse was detained in a lunatic asylum
and he has not spoken a word to anyone ever since.
He remained silent and unmoving just as you can see him here.
The patient withdrew into his own ego,
and did not give us any access to his emotional life.
Finally, his symptoms changed.
We observed that Mabuse's hand continuously made writing motions
in the air, on the wall, on his blanket.
We gave him a pencil and paper
which, initially, he covered with completely senseless scribblings.
Two years ago, however,
certain words began to appear on the paper.
Then phrases - initially meaningless and confused.
Gradually they grew more coherent and logical,
and ultimately they gave us an insight
into the unique phenomenon of this mind.
His mind revolves around criminal ideas just as it did previously.
What Mabuse writes
is an instruction manual for committing crimes,
based on irrefutable logic,
elaborated to the smallest detail.
No, no, according to the Doctor's methods nothing can happen to us!
- Yeah, right! - Why "Yeah, right"?
OK, the first attempts on the informer's life went wrong.
Well, that happens.
After that, following the rules, we phoned Section 2B.
They've taken over the matter, and if it all goes well, OK.
And if not, there's a danger the informer will blow the whistle on us.
Then one phone call will be enough to blow the whole thing here sky-high.
Stop scratching yourself, Fritzi. It won't come to that.
Before that guy can even open his mouth, he'll be finished.
I'd feel better if they didn't resort to murder.
How is it murder?
Things can crop on people's heads, can't they?
A nice, clean little accident.
I didn't mean the way it's going to be covered up.
But I don't want anything to do with murder.
You're shit-scared, aren't you?
Can't bear the sight of blood?
Let me tell you something,
though it's really none of your damn business.
I've killed two people.
I know what 'murder' means.
And that's exactly why I don't want anything to do with murder.
Get lost, Fritzi. What do you know about Kent, anyway?
Phone!
Yes...?
It's done? Excellent!
Really?
Just 20 minutes later?
Lohmann himself?
...and write, "Hofmeister himself has vanished."
"The carpet... next to the window..."
He was on the phone when the lights went out.
- Where's the light switch? - Here by the door, Inspector.
So it came from there -
the Unknown, the Terrible, that drove him insane.
And step by step, he retreated from it...
...up to the window.
To the window. Would he...?
No, he couldn't have gotten out of here.
And definitely not down.
Incredible! These are indeed letters!
Scratched into the glass with a ring.
So he was trying to tell me something.
'W...', 'D...', Nah.
Is that supposed to be a name?
Reckon we won't find that out in a rush.
- Hey, Krüger! - Yes, Inspector.
Remove that glass panel and take it over to police headquarters.
In one piece, I might add, or I will bite you!
Fascinating! Who knows what's behind all this?
30 pages today, Professor!
Yes, thank you.
Tonight, you will have to watch him closely.
I don't like his pulse at all.
In any case, give him a shot later so he can get some rest.
Yes, Professor.
The famous iced-chocolate?
- And one mocha double? - With hot cream!
As always, at your service.
Well, now...
...tell me, Tom,
why did you absolutely have to talk to me today, of all days?
Don't you know what day it is today, Lilli?
Today?
Pity...
Don't you want to tell me, Tom?
Yes...
An iced-chocolate and a mocha double with hot cream.
Well?
Tom...
You ask what day this is, Lilli?
Today, exactly one year ago, at the job centre...
No smoking, gentlemen!
Good heavens, my friend, are you back again?
I've told you 50 times already,
there's no point in coming every day.
As soon as we have a job for you, we will definitely notify you.
I've been waiting for three months now!
Look, be reasonable!
Reasonable! Reasonable!
What's it got to do with being reasonable if a man goes to the dogs?
I want to work! But they keep on pushing you down...
Outrageous!
You... you downright force people into committing crimes!
Please!
In the end you have to become a criminal!
- Quit it, will you? - Don't get so excited.
Come, come!
Leave him be! He's a sick man.
Come on!
Don't touch me! I'll leave on my own. You won't see me here again!
Next, please.
You're rid of me!
Just a moment, please!
I... I don't want you to go away like that.
Here's 20 marks.
At the moment I don't have any more myself but I can give you that much.
Maybe it'll help you along for a while.
I don't want charity, I want a job. I don't want any handouts.
It's not a handout.
It's just a loan.
I'm sure you'll be able to pay me back.
Please!
Well!
And half a year later you found a job
and you punctually paid back the 20 marks.
Yes.
Tell me, Lilli...
...have you ever loved a man?
It's really time for me to go now, Tom!
There's my bus!
Please stay, Lilli!
No, no, impossible, I have to go! Goodbye, Tom! Give me a call.
Goodbye!
Goodbye.
Doctor, please take a seat. The professor will be with you shortly.
He's already at ward number three.
Thanks, Winkler. I'll find what I'm looking for.
Where the...?
Oh, he's got it on his desk.
Oops! Oh, my goodness...
How the heck do I fit this together again?
This rubbish isn't even numbered!
What the heck is this anyway?
Notes of Dr. Mabuse 1 September - 31 October
Now, how the...?
No, no, this way.
And this...
"Jewel..." No. Where does that continue?
"Jewel..." No. "Jewel..."
Aha! "...lery shop"!
"Jewel...lery shop."
"A jeweller which specialises in high-grade..."
What?
"As the least inconspicuous, hence, most appropriate, security measure
against interference by police, passers-by or customers
the shutters are to be lowered
and a sign is to be hung in the entrance,
'Closed for stocktake from 10:00 to 2:00.'"
Have I gone...
Closed for stocktake from 10:00-2:00
I'll be...
Unbelievable!
Madness!
Immobilise the staff by using gas in bulbs of thin glass,
which will burst almost inaudibly when tossed.
Gas. Gas! That's fantastic! Almost exactly the same!
The criminals appear to have tossed bulbs of thin glass filled with gas.
What a mad story!
Just like following a manual! A manual!
What are you doing?
Baum! This is the most unbelievable thing you could imagine!
Here! Now what is this?
Well?
- How did you get those notes? - That doesn't matter now.
You know what they are?
Well...
...of course.
Well, then! Read this!
"Cunning jewellery theft, Unter den Linden..."
Yes, yes, yes, just read!
"...jewellery stolen valued at 250,000 marks."
- Gas used against staff? - Exactly, old chum!
Just as if they were following
the instructions of your Dr. Mabuse.
- Weird coincidence. - Come on! Coincidence?
Baum, old man, coincidences like that just don't happen.
Good heavens, Baum! Coincidences like that don't exist!
There must be a causal connection, I'll bet my hat!
Hey, I've got a fantastic idea!
What if Mabuse...
...is only pretending?
You know, maybe the fellow isn't nuts after all!
Tell me, do you believe I'd not be able to tell
whether or not a man I treated for several years was pretending?
Baum! That's not what I meant!
But there must be something behind all this.
You know what a genius this fellow was.
Maybe...
Just imagine - this dead brain comes alive again!
Couldn't it be that Mabuse writes these things as a kind of...
...a kind of... instruction manual for some accomplices...
Yeah, right. You've always had a great imagination!
Just wait a second!
What if Mabuse, with his tremendous hypnotic capabilities...
...from within his cell, using some kind of long-range hypnosis...
- Nonsense! - Nonsense?
You can talk till you're blue in the face. Something is fishy here!
Tell me - who, apart from you, knows anything about Mabuse's notes?
You're asking questions like a police officer.
Well, in my opinion
the police will have to be informed of this peculiar coincidence.
- The police? - Most certainly!
Well, perhaps -
Of course you're right. The police would want to know of this.
Exactly! You know what? I'll drive over right now...
If possible, I'll give you a call from police headquarters. Goodbye!
Doctor, please drive cautiously. It has been raining.
- Yes, thank you, Winkler. - Goodbye, Doctor!
I do not want to be disturbed now!
Section 2B. Yes!
Yes.
I repeat - little blue DKW,
1A 74259,
intersection of Grüner Winkel and Köhrner Street.
Will do!
Köhrner Street, DKW 74259. Go!
Faster!
Go faster, or we'll be too late!
Cunning jewellery theft, Unter den Linden!
Stolen jewellery valued at 250,000 marks.
Pearls, platinum, gold...
You can do a lot of things with that, hey?
'Can'?! Could! Could!!
But what will happen to it, I ask you?
What's going to happen to the quarter million, eh?
Oops...
I ask you, wha...
Will you stay down?!
What becomes of it, I ask you? We buy cocaine with it,
morphine, heroin and opium, whatever you call that crap.
And instead of generating some decent money from it
and properly fleecing the mob that's craving it,
they practically give the stuff away!
Jeez, I ask you, what's the Boss on about,
supplying all of mankind with drugs
when he doesn't even earn this much on it?
The stupid things won't stay down!
He won't get anything out of it...
I follow his instructions and drive ten people nearly crazy
with threats and blackmail.
And when they're ready to pay any sum we ask,
then I'm told to back off and forget about the money.
And the whole result
is that 10 people are scared out of their wits of a scandal?
Does that concern you, old chum?
Did you ever fail to get your pay on time?
Damn it, no.
Well, then!
You go blackmail, I provide your alibi,
we get paid on time.
So what are you growling about?
I'm not grumbling at all.
I just don't get it. If a woman throws herself out the window,
or a fellow blows his brains out, like that bank director,
blackmail letters aren't of much use.
150 grand tossed in the gutter.
I ask you, does that make any sense?
...or these new jobs with the explosives depot
and stealing poison from drugstores - that's scary business.
As it's meant to be, my dear fellow.
But why, in the devil's name?
I think you're asking a few too many questions.
The Boss doesn't like that at all.
What you know the Boss?
No more than you do, or anyone else in our gang.
I'm not curious at all.
I learned my lesson from your predecessor.
He just had to find out what the man looked like,
the man behind the curtain, the Boss.
So, without a summons, one day he snuck into the famous room...
...the room with the closed curtain.
And that's where we found him. Or rather...
...whatever was left of him.
Phew, stop it, man,
you're spoiling my appetite.
Let me give you a hint -
mind your own business, not the Boss's.
We're getting a decent salary - more than decent.
If anything should go wrong, we'll have cast-iron alibis
or a really great lawyer.
The Boss thinks of everything, he takes care of everything,
...and he won't even claim a single pfennig for himself
from the whole business -
not a single pfennig!
See! That's exactly it! Why?
Why doesn't he claim a single pfennig?
That's exactly why I'm not happy about this business.
And I reckon some of us would like to get out of this whole game
but don't quite know how.
My dearest Lilli!
This afternoon you ran away so fast that I didn't get a chance
to tell you what I really wanted to say.
I -
Tonight at 1:00 Dr. Mabuse
Yes, yes, into the most outlying districts
and no trace of Hofmeister?
And his description has been passed on...
Yes... yes, indeed, yes.
Inspector Lohmann wants to know whether you checked hospitals...
Oh, already done! And Hofmeister hasn't been admitted anywhere.
- Bloody hell! - You'll call me then? Thanks.
Ah, your expert witness report. One moment.
Go find some photos of Hofmeister.
We'll probably have to print some posters.
Now, what's your report regarding the car murder?
For the time being,
we only know that the perpetrator used a Dreise pistol, calibre 7.65,
year 1906 - production ceased in 1916 -
and that this projectile was fired
from a distance not greater than eight metres.
Neither on the road nor on the footpath
could a cartridge be found.
Furthermore, the direction of the point of entry
suggests that the shot was not fired from a window,
but approximately at head level.
Therefore it seems reasonable
that the murderer fired the shot from a car.
From a car?
That would indeed be very interesting.
That would open completely new horizons.
Police headquarters, Lohmann's department.
Not bad.
Excuse me, Inspector, it's Habermann.
This is about the Kramm homicide.
Well, Inspector,
we have established exactly how the victim spent his day
up until 6:10 pm.
Where he was from then until the time of death
we have not yet been able to establish.
But that's the crucial point!
Alright, go find out his whereabouts during his last two hours.
Müller, arrange to have - No, wait.
Where's the text for the Kramm homicide poster?
Ah, there it is.
"...relevant information,
which will be treated strictly confidentially..."
We need a new phrase here.
"...especially in the time from 6pm to 8pm."
Have those changes made.
Müller! No, don't bother. Scram.
I'll do it myself.
Photo department!
Weber, the old man wants to talk to you.
- What's up? - Dunno.
Weber speaking.
I'm doing it right now.
Or course, enlargements.
And then, on those prints, try to trace the scratches
and complete them.
See if you get a name, a word, whatever.
I'm totally convinced that Hofmeister wanted to tell...
- Inspector! They found Hofmeister! - Where? Where is he?
At the police station at Schöneberger Ufer.
One of the patrols found him.
First they thought he was a drunk
because he was prattling and talking to himself all the time.
But then he mentioned your name.
Inspector Lohmann! For God's sake, please listen to me!
Inspector, you have to listen to me! It's a matter of life and death!
Inspector! Inspector Lohmann! Listen to me, for heaven's sake!
Gloria!
How beautiful are the girls
when they are 17-18 years old...
Oh, my God!
You see, whenever he feels observed, he starts to sing.
When he thinks he's alone, he calls your name.
I'll leave you alone now.
...the girls of Batavia.
Gloria! How beautiful are the girls...
Hofmeister! Hofmeister, don't you recognise me?
...of Bata... Bata... Bata... Batavia...
Damned!
...the girls when they are 17...
Hofmeister! It's me, Lohmann!
Your old friend!
- Hofmeister! - No! No! No!
My God, dear God...
Hello? Hello, Inspector?
Inspector Lohmann?
Please answer!
Hello, hello?
Inspector? Why don't you come to the phone?
Please answer, Inspector!
Inspector Lohmann!
Hello? Hello? Inspector? Inspector Lohmann?
Hello. This is Lohmann. Police Inspector Lohmann.
Who am I talking to?
Hello, hello? Inspector?
Hello, is that you, Hofmeister?
Hofmeister, this is Lohma...
Gloria! Gloria! How beautiful are the girls...
Hopeless.
Well, then, we can't do much else but admit him to the loony bin.
Listen to me, for heaven's sake!
Answer me, Inspector!
The poor sod, eh?
Heaven help me if I ever get my hands on that scoundrel!
All of a sudden he stopped writing
and now he's sitting there like a living dead.
And he got this expression on his face... and his eyes!
His eyes! They practically paralyse you!
Those are the eyes of someone who...
I firmly believe, if this fellow wasn't insane,
he could force his will on anybody, even from within his cell!
The professor has to come!
The professor's working and expressly said he mustn't be disturbed.
But, Winkler, this is about Mabuse!
Stop yelling, damn it!
- The professor will fire me! - Alright, alright!
I do not wish to be disturbed!
To my great disappointment I have discovered
that in the Hofmeister matter,
the surveillance of the printers has failed
in the most irresponsible manner.
Don't interrupt me! I did not ask your opinion!
The Hofmeister affair would have culminated in a catastrophe,
if it hadn't been for the excellent work by Section 2B,
who corrected the error.
I'll get back to that eventually.
Nonetheless, in future, the methods for safeguarding the organisation
will have to be tightened.
Any individual who compromises the organisation
is to be eliminated without exception.
Kent!
It has come to my ears that you -
apparently in consideration of your past -
do not approve of certain of my organisation's measures.
I warn you, Kent!
And I give warnings only once!
Very soon you will have to prove that you are fully aware
of your obligations towards the organisation,
and that you know what you are being paid for!
Murder 2,000 RM reward
Murder.
- No! - Kent!
It's none of my business, but...
...I don't think you're taking the Doctor's warning seriously enough.
Oh, sure, I know. Section 2B!
No one in the organisation gets out of it alive.
There's no hope and no turning back.
...goodbye for ever.
I can't even tell you why.
But there is no other way out
if I want to remain a decent man in your eyes.
You can't imagine what you meant to me in my ruined life.
It is so hard to say goodbye to you, Lilli...
Forget me -
I will never forget you!
Ma...
Bu...
Ma...
Bu...
Se...
It spells 'Mabuse'.
What spells 'Mabuse'?
The scratches on the window glass, Inspector.
It took me forever to discover he was writing as if in a mirror,
with is hand behind his back - with his left hand, what's more.
If you turn it over, then...
...there!
Ma-bu-se.
It's obvious!
Yes.
Mabuse.
Mabuse?
Wasn't that the... the...
...doctor with the inflation!
Exactly, Inspector.
I've got him. 1920-21.
Dr. Mabuse, "The Gambler."
Well, then, give it to me!
Alright, let's see what he's got to do with window panes.
As soon as Lohmann has untwined that knot,
you can sweep around as much as you like.
Until then, he'll be hopping mad at anyone who touches anything,
and he bites!
Let him try and bite me!
Müller!
The old man's coming. Get out!
Müller! Come here!
Call 919 902.
That's Professor Baum's lunatic asylum
where some time ago a certain Dr. Mabuse was admitted.
I'd like to know if he's still there.
When?
Thank you.
Dr. Mabuse died this morning.
Today?
Today, of all days?
Very, very peculiar.
Tonight at midnight Dr. Mabuse
Well, you too?
Why, "you too"?
Big thing tonight, apparently.
We, as well as Sections 5 and 9, have been ordered in...
...and Section 2B.
- Damnation! - It's pointless, Kent.
The doctor is more powerful than you.
Is your curiosity satisfied now, Inspector?
And there are no doubt about the identification of this corpse
as Dr. Mabuse?
Unfortunately not, Inspector.
Unfortunately it is all too certain that this body is Dr. Mabuse...
...or rather, was.
Unfortunately.
This assessment of the deceased -
- May I smoke here? - Suit yourself.
It seems to me, let's say...
- Er, do you smoke? - No, thank you.
...let's say, slightly exaggerated.
In Mabuse, we're certainly not dealing with a human being of worth
but with a rather evil villain,
who escaped the gallows
only because he was delivered to a lunatic asylum.
One less insane criminal in this world.
Be quiet, you! You have no idea.
No one has any idea what kind of phenomenal, superhuman mind
has ceased to be with Mabuse's death!
This mind would have reduced this, our rotten human race, to rubble -
this godless world which is without kindness and justice
consisting only of selfishness, cruelty and hatred.
This mind would have destroyed a people
who don't know anything other than destruction and annihilation,
who would have been purified through fright and terror in their last hour!
- With Mabuse the villain? - With Mabuse the genius!
Through Mabuse's intellectual legacy,
your whole safeguarded system will be completely turned upside down!
His legacy?
You speak of Mabuse's testament?
No... Yes...
Of course, not a will in the literal sense...
Notes by Mabuse,
of interest only to physicians
and men of science.
Professor, I believe you're underestimating
the number of subjects I'm interested in.
For example, there is a case of great personal significance for me.
Wasn't there a certain Hofmeister
admitted to your hospital this morning?
May I see that man?
I am infinitely sorry, Inspector.
That man appears to have been exposed to extreme terror
which he relives again and again as soon as somebody comes near him.
Then he starts singing like a small child that is afraid of the dark.
I must ask you, out of consideration for the patient,
to refrain from visiting him.
What is it?
Forgive me, Professor. We only wanted to -
They're all waiting for you at the anatomy theatre.
Yes, yes, of course.
Well? The doctor's cell is already occupied again?
It's the new arrival from last night.
The professor ordered that he be isolated.
The doctor's cell just became vacant,
so we put him in there.
It's curious, come to think of it -
for 10 years I took care of the doctor,
and now he's down there in the anatomy theatre.
What else can you do?
Tonight at midnight Dr. Mabuse
The Doctor!
Section 5! To the Boss!
Notes by Dr. Mabuse February 15 - March 31
Gas
The Reign of Crime
The reign of crime!
"Humanity's soul must be shaken to its very depths,
frightened by unfathomable and seemingly senseless crimes.
Crimes that benefit no one,
whose only objective is to inspire fear and terror."
"The ultimate purpose of crime is to establish
the absolute reign of crime...
...a condition of complete insecurity and anarchy,
built upon the perished ideals of a world.
As soon as people are ruled by the terror of crime,
when they have been driven insane by horror and fright,
when chaos has been established as the governing law,
then it will be the time of the reign of crime."
Attacks on railways, gasometers, chemical plants.
Do you have the special maps of the north?
Yes, sir!
The targets in the chemical plant -
grid squares E9 and K14.
Repeat!
They're to be treated in such a way
that the fire will spread mainly to the storerooms and stockrooms.
- Is that clear? - Yes, sir!
When the fire engines arrive, it must be impossible to extinguish the fire!
Section 3
and Dr. Hauser to the Boss.
Attacks against banks and the currency system
- Section 3! - Yes, sir!
And Dr. Hauser.
Report!
Per my orders, the letters incriminating
the signatory of the overseas bank were not returned to him,
even when very large sums were offered,
until he agreed to comply completely with our demands.
We are now in possession of duplicates of all the keys
to the strong rooms in the bank,
codes for the safes,
and the plans of all the alarm systems.
The letters are to be returned
only after accomplishment of the task.
Good! Pass the material on to Section 3 and wait downstairs.
- I'll need you later. - Yes, sir.
In the morning, Section 3 will have to bundle the counterfeit banknotes,
and provide it with the imprint of the overseas bank.
According to the documents you just received,
tomorrow night at 11pm sharp,
you will break into the bank,
the banknotes in the safes
will have to be swapped for the counterfeit money.
This way, the bank itself will be distributing the counterfeit notes.
The bank guards will have to be killed.
They must be killed!
Nothing must betray the fact that the safes have been tampered with.
Once everything has been executed according to plan,
the bank's alarms must be set off
so as to give the impression of an interrupted break-in attempt.
- Is that understood? - Yes, sir.
Section 3 is no longer needed.
I love you!
- Lilli! - Good evening, Tom!
Lilli...
I was here around noon too, Tom.
But you weren't home.
Not even in the afternoon.
So I waited, Tom.
I've been waiting for a terribly long time.
Won't you at least offer me a seat in return, Tom?
What a lovely place you have here, Tom!
I like rooms that have such tall, wide windows.
Beautiful!
Lilli!
Lilli... is that true?
Yes, Tom!
- But didn't I write to you, Lilli? - And I gave you my answer, Tom!
But, Lilli, you don't even know who I am!
My dear Tom, isn't that entirely beside the point?
Beside the point?
Entirely beside the point!
We'll see right now whether it's beside the point!
There, in black and white is who I am! Official confirmation!
With stamp and signature by the prison governor.
Everything that goes with it!
Prison...
Yes! Prison! Four and a half years prison!
Released 6 months early for good behaviour.
So!
That's none of my business, Tom.
I love you!
Lilli, you don't know why I went to prison.
I killed two people - two people who...
My lover...
...and the man who I believed to be my best friend.
It's none of my business, Tom!
I love you!
Then I will also have to tell you the final thing, Lilli.
I...
...I lied to you, Lilli!
I told you I had found a job, didn't I?
Well, I did.
You know where?
In a forgery!
They had good use for a former convict and engineer!
If I had known...
...what I know now!
Simultaneously with the destruction of the harvest
water supplies must be poisoned.
Epidemics of all kinds shall weaken the resistance of the population.
A warning to unreliable elements will not be issued again.
The slightest sign of treason will be punished with the death penalty!
See, Lilli...
This time you don't say,
"Why should I care, Tom? I love you."
Look, Tom...
...when I got your letter...
...did you really think me so dense
that I wouldn't sense the despair in your heart?
So I thought...
...what he's missing is a belief in himself
and faith that everything will be well.
So I thought, maybe I will be able to give him this belief
if I tell him how much I love him...
...and that I will stand by him for better or for worse.
So I came to you.
Tell me, are you determined to drive me completely out of my mind?
Yes, Tom.
You! Oh, you.
You have to report that he's failed to show up!
We should wait.
Finished!
Well...
...then I don't have a choice.
Section 2B? This is Section 3.
I must report that Kent didn't show up.
Believe me, Tom. Your real life will start now!
A whole new life! Clean and clear and... good.
Yes, Tom!
Let's forget about the past.
Do you know who's going to help us with that?
Us? Help?
Yes, Tom!
The man who once...
...had to arrest you -
who treated you in such a decent and humane manner.
Lohmann?
Inspector?
Inspector!
- Inspector! - What is it?
Voberg is here. He claims to have some important news.
Give me a cigar!
Open the blinds and let him in.
Good morning, Inspector!
What's up?
Well, Inspector, the thing is...
...Scholz and I believe we have found out...
Damn! Close those blinds!
Stupid idiot!
...so we found out something
that could possibly lead us to the jewel thieves.
Indeed?
We were tailing a girl running around with an enormous pearl necklace.
Well, I'm not an expert -
you could tell me she bought it for 50 pfennig -
but Scholz, he knows about these things
and he swears that the necklace is genuine.
Well, then, is it genuine?
So far all we know is that she's the sweetheart of a scoundrel
who's an expert on anything having to do with jewellery robberies.
What's keeping the others?
They've got to deal with some minor business.
Alright, get going! But let me tell you, be careful!
You're dealing with a cunning international criminal!
- Is that understood? - Yes, Inspector!
- Good luck! - See you, Inspector!
Kent!
You were ordered to prepare
the strike against the overseas bank.
You did not carry out the orders!
Failure to obey is tantamount to treason.
The only penalty for both offenses is death.
Let the woman go!
You can do whatever you want with me, but let the woman go!
You and this woman will not leave this room alive!
- Monster! - Tom!
- Tom! For heaven's sake! - Let me go!
Great God!
You will not leave this room alive!
You have three hours left
before you die.
What is that?
Tom, what is that?
Tom, what is that, Tom?
Whatever it is, Lilli, we have to find it.
We have to find it and disable it.
By the way, you'll have to take over from Kent.
He won't be...
...available anymore.
- What do you mean? - He's otherwise engaged.
Who's that?
How should I know? Maybe it's the mailman.
Annie!
Why don't you move yourself and see who it is?
Just wait!
- Who is it? - The gas man.
I would like to check your gas meter.
- Hello, young lady. - What do you want?
Check the gas meter? Come back another time!
I've got visitors, you know.
- This is preposterous! - Police! Don't fuss, let us in.
Look out! Police!
Don't shoot! Don't...!
Shut your face, idiot!
Piss off!
- Everyone out! Use the back door! - We don't have a back door!
What? You idiots rented an apartment with only one exit?
- There's the windows. - We're on the fourth floor!
And I who wanted an elevator!
Now we're in a fine mess!
That cop is alerting the whole bloody cavalry!
And on a Sunday, of all days!
What do you want? It's your own fault with all your stupid shooting!
Leave me alone, you hear me? Don't give me the shits!
Listen, try to knock a hole through the ceiling.
Maybe we can escape via the rooftops.
In the meantime, I'll finish the guy outside
or at least keep him from the door.
Stay down!
Alert the homicide squad and notify...
Damned arsehole!
Who am I supposed to notify?
Homicide department! Inspector Lohmann!
It's no use. We'll never get out this way.
Tom! The window, Tom!
We could try to break through that.
Cement!
But maybe the brick...
Damn it!
Hey! How far are you in there? I can't hold this door forever.
Lohmann and his whole gang are here.
Lohmann?
That's it! I'm out!
Get yourself killed, all of you!
What's that supposed to mean?
What does that mean? I'll tell you what that means!
Get to the door!
Get lost!
Hardy, be reasonable! It's useless! We won't get out through the roof.
Let me talk to them.
Let me tell you something.
Whoever gets near that door, from outside or inside, is finished!
Got me?
Go keep an eye on them! Move it!
Nearly!
Now!
And now...
What's wrong, Tom?
It's useless, Lilli.
There's a steel plate behind those bricks.
Dear God, Tom!
Bloody hell, stay low! He'll shoot your head off.
Is he dead?
Karetzky!
Damn it, what a mess!
Annie, towels!
Yes, yes!
Hurry up, will you!
It's no use.
Better keep an eye on the door.
- Why didn't you let me handle it! - That stupid shoot-out!
Gregor! Shoot down anybody who gets close to the door!
- You hear me? - You bet your life!
I've had it!
Bloody shits!
Alright, now I'll bust your muttonheads!
Open! This is Lohmann!
- What's going on? - It's Lohmann!
- Oh, Lord! - I forbid you to go!
You can't forbid jack shit!
You think I'm going to prison because of you?
You cowardly bastards can't just hand me over!
Screw you!
Have some sense. It's useless!
We've got hand grenades.
I'm giving you a last chance.
If you're open to discussion, so are we.
Good boy!
That makes my father's son a happy man.
Alright, now open the door and hands up!
- How many of you are in there? - Five, Inspector.
One, two, three...
Oh, it's Jewellery Anna! Don't catch cold, my dear.
Four...
Where's number five?
Oh, kids, don't get in any deeper!
A Dreise pistol.
Well, well, well.
A Dreise pistol, of all things.
Year 1906, calibre 7.65.
Apparently the former owner -
...was actually a friend of yours.
- No. - No?
Very peculiar.
It says here that the two of you were close friends.
Attested to by Karetzky, Jewellery Anna and her lover.
It's not appropriate to deny a dead friend.
I'm not denying him.
That's the way.
Your friend probably kept the gun because he was familiar with it.
Actually, aren't those gadgets practically obsolete?
I'm not an expert in guns.
That's right.
You're more of an expert on automobiles.
What make of car did Dr. Kramm drive?
Hanomag or DKW?
Who?
Dr. Kramm, the guy you two rubbed out from your car.
I don't know what you're talking about, Inspector.
Oh, is that right?
Müller.
It's no good, Lilli.
I can't find a thing.
Lord. Oh, Lord!
There, there.
Lilli. Oh, Lilli, my girl!
Lilli, maybe there is a chance!
A small chance.
If we could flood the room...
- Flood it? - Yes, flood it.
- Where is it? - What?
My knife!
Water will dampen the force of the explosion...
There it is!
...and maybe it will open a way out for us.
What if it doesn't? What if the water rises and we...
Let's try, Tom.
- Here you are, Inspector. - Thank you.
So, you don't know anything about the murder of Kramm?
No, Inspector, this is the first I've heard of it.
Come here, I'd like to show you something.
Have a look at this still-life here.
You already know that one - Dreise pistol, calibre 7.65, built 1906.
It belonged to your friend. He shot himself with it, didn't he?
Yes.
Alright.
But do you know...
...what's in there?
No.
Well, then, have a look.
Now, take a magnifying glass and take a look at those Easter eggs,
a really close look.
Well, do you spot any kind of difference?
No. Not the slightest bit.
See, my boy, that's the peculiar thing.
Not even the police could see the slightest difference.
Neither with a magnifying glass nor on a photographic image.
Those two projectiles are terribly similar to each other,
which can only happen if they've been fired from one and the same weapon.
Yet one was taken from the skull of the deceased Dr. Kramm,
and the other was found in the skull of your dead friend Harry.
- Well, my boy? - Cigarette!
And now I want to know why your friend Hardy shot Dr. Kramm.
- But I don't know, Inspector. - Liar!
Kill me if you like, but I don't know what Harry's orders were!
So you had orders?
Not me. Harry.
From whom?
I couldn't tell you, Inspector. I've never seen the man in my life.
Now enters the mystery man.
Just what we needed:
the man in the shadows.
So, you don't know this man's name?
On my honour, I have no idea who gave Hardy the order.
Well, nothing to be done there.
Just put whatever you know about the whole story in your statement.
- Sure, Inspector. - Go ahead.
Well, Mr. Crime Secretary, it was like this -
I was just about to...
Well, I was washing my car,
because, like, everything has to be tip-top, because of competition.
Suddenly the phone rings, and Harry picks it up.
Then he came and said we were to catch up with Dr. Kramm's car
at the intersection of Köhrner Street and Grüner Winkel.
We take off and there he comes, along Grüner Winkel.
Constable, take away this man.
Say, Müller,
isn't Professor Baum's insane asylum on Grüner Winkel?
Yes, Inspector.
Then, Dr. Kramm must have spent his last two hours...
See whether there are any files on psychiatrist Dr. Baum.
Baum - Bertha, Anna, Ulrich, Max.
No files on him. Oh, well, it was only... Thank you.
Get me on the line with Professor Baum.
Yes?
Professor, it's the police headquarters.
Inspector Lohmann desires to talk to you.
This is Professor Baum.
This man claims to have been under your treatment until two months ago.
Apparently he's just trying to establish an alibi.
That's why I'd like to confront him with you -
of course, without him knowing who you are.
Could you come over right away?
That's very kind of you, thank you very much.
If I'm on the right track this time,
I'll be laughing hard tonight!
That's our way out! We're saved!
Inspector, when are you going to let me out of this monkey cage?
Old chap, we're glad you're in there!
But I told you everything, Inspector, everything I know!
That remains to be seen.
Professor, if you please.
Well, Professor, do you know that man?
Oh, that was him?
No, Inspector, I've never seen him before.
I thought so.
I have troubled you for nothing.
Beg your pardon for disturbing you, Inspector. An urgent signature.
In a second. Pardon me a moment, Professor.
Maybe go to my office in the meantime.
- Room 204, at the end of the hall. - Thanks.
Do any of you know this man?
- No, Inspector. - Not at all.
Gregor, do you know the man who was with me just now?
No, Inspector, I don't know that man.
- Are you sure? - Yes.
Murder 2,000 RM reward
Sad story, isn't it?
Especially for you, since you were good friends with the victim.
Yes, we were on excellent terms as colleagues.
The day he died, he paid you a visit, the poor fellow.
Yes.
You could have saved us a tremendous amount of work, Professor,
if you had reported that to the police.
Information of any kind
especially in the time from 6pm to 8pm.
This request was published in every newspaper
and posted on kiosks all over the city, Professor!
And as you could have read in the specialist literature,
today is my first day back in town, Inspector.
Dr. Kramm came to look something up in a scientific book in my library.
He left in the best of spirits.
As for his death, it's as much a mystery to me as it is to you.
Well, I am terribly sorry to have troubled you in vain.
Inspector...
Well, I'll be! Isn't that Kent?
Kent?
- You know this man? - Who?
This man!
I asked you if you know this man.
Where would I know him from?
I have no idea, yet you just spoke his name.
Me?
It was you, Inspector.
Inspector, I must speak to you. It's terribly urgent.
If I may bid you farewell, my time is...
Of course, as you please, Professor.
Just a moment, Kent.
Thank you very much for coming, Professor.
Don't mention it. Goodbye!
- Inspector, please... - Just a moment.
Go in.
Dismissed.
Inspector, it is extremely important...
Just a moment. This is crucial:
Do you know that man who just left?
No.
- Sure? - Absolutely!
I'll bet my hat that he knows you.
I'm absolutely sure I've never seen this man before.
This is driving me crazy.
What happened to you, for God's sake?
That's why we're here, Inspector.
And what is the name of this "boss" you mention?
Dr. Mabuse.
Hell and damnation!
Mabuse again! He's dead!
He's alive and kicking, I tell you.
I've seen his corpse with my own eyes.
Bless you, well and truly.
I tell you, that man is not dead!
We're the living proof -
and it's only by chance that we're living.
Inspector, I'm completely in your hands.
You see, tonight...
...I could have escaped.
But I didn't do it
because I know there's more at stake than my life or my freedom.
My God, how can I convince you?
Is that any proof to you?
Tonight at midnight Dr. Mabuse
Typewritten letter?
That's no proof. It might just as well have been some...
Somebody else...
I will not be available for anybody, understood?
Yes, Professor.
Again and again, the evidence keeps pointing towards the lunatic asylum!
Müller, the car.
Even if it's going to break my neck, I want to drive there one more time.
You're coming, Kent.
Maybe you are right,
and Mabuse...
...is still alive!
...I would like to talk to Professor Baum.
That is impossible.
Unfortunately the professor is unavailable and can't seen anyone.
Just tell him that Police Inspector Lohmann wishes to see him.
Gentlemen, it is absolutely impossible.
The professor gave strict orders not to be disturbed in any event.
My friend, stop making a fuss.
I must talk to the professor. Go and announce me.
- But Inspector... - Will you announce me?
- But I have the strictest order... - Alright then, don't announce me!
But I'm telling you...
I do not want to be disturbed!
That's him! It's his voice!
It's the voice of the Boss!
I'd recognise it anywhere.
That is the man!
Where is the man whose voice we just heard?
Kent, come here.
What is it?
I do not want to be disturbed!
I have expressly ordered that I do not want to be disturbed!
That's his voice.
Neat mechanism.
Very crafty.
Now I don't wonder anymore
why you didn't recognise the voice of that man.
You only heard a mechanical reproduction of it.
- The professor? - Baum!
Of course!
But where the heck is he?
What have we here?
A map of the north?
That must be the chemical plant of Löhr & Stegerwald.
Chemical plant, 15 October
And today's date?
Strange.
Very strange.
What's one to make of that?
Oh, there's something else.
Pencil.
8:30 pm?
Today's date...
Now it's 9:10 pm.
Kent, call Löhr & Stegerwald.
There won't be anybody around, but they should have a night guard.
Here's something else too...
"Notes of Dr. Mabuse"? Very interesting.
Move it!
Good Lord! Kent! An attack on the chemical plant!
Fires started in this manner in a chemical factory's storerooms
cannot be extinguished by firefighters.
Tanks exploding from the heat will quickly release immense quantities
of poisonous gas into surrounding areas of the city.
Blast it! Playing poker instead of paying attention.
The line's ready, Inspector.
Hello? Police headquarters?
It's Inspector Lohmann.
Lohmann! There! Don't you see?
There, in the searchlights!
Quiet!
- Nothing. - Damn it!
There!
The parking lot! Krause!
Are you deaf? Krause!
Forget him!
I'll drive, Inspector!
Push that car out of the way.
I just hope this piece of junk can make it.
Faster! Faster!
Come on!
Danger! Railway Crossing
Get out of the way!
Faster! Faster! Come on!
We're screwed!
Quick, get the spare!
The reign of crime...
Gloria! Gloria!
How beautiful are the girls of Bata... Batavia...
Glo... ria.
May I introduce myself?
My name is... Mabuse.
Dr. Mabuse.
Mabuse!
God Almighty!
Who opened that door?
Run and get help! He'll kill him!
Professor! Professor!
Police.
We're looking for...
Hofmeister!
Inspector!
The man's name is Mabuse, Inspector.
Dr. Mabuse.
Let's go, old boy.
A mere police inspector
can't do anything more here.
The End