Dr. M (film)

Last updated
Dr. M
Dr. M film.jpg
French theatrical release poster
Directed by Claude Chabrol
Screenplay byClaude Chabrol
Sollace Mitchell
Story byThomas Bauermeister
Based onDoctor Mabuse der Spieler
by Norbert Jacques
Produced byHans Brockmann
François Duplat
Christoph Holch
Starring Alan Bates
Jennifer Beals
Jan Niklas
Cinematography Jean Rabier
Edited byMonique Fardoulis
Music by Mekong Delta
Paul Hindemith
Production
companies
N.E.F. Filmproduktion und Vertriebs
Ellepi Films
Italian International Film
Cléa Productions
Solyfic
ZDF
Telefilm Saar GmbH
La Sept
Release date
  • 24 May 1990 (1990-05-24)
Running time
111 minutes
CountriesWest Germany
France
Italy
LanguageEnglish

Dr. M. is a 1990 crime film co-written and directed by Claude Chabrol. The film is loosely based on the plot of Fritz Lang's Dr. Mabuse the Gambler , which was in turn based on Mabuse der Spieler by Norbert Jacques. [1]

Contents

Plot

In the near future, there is an outbreak of dramatic suicides in Berlin. A police detective suspects that the suicides are really caused by a lone madman, Dr. Marsfeldt, who is using a form of mass hypnosis. His investigations lead him to a beautiful, enigmatic woman whose image is being used to manipulate the populace.

Cast

ActorRole
Alan Bates Dr. Marsfeldt / Guru
Jennifer Beals Sonja Vogler
Jan Niklas Lt. Claus Hartman
Andrew McCarthy The Assassin
Hanns Zischler Moser
Benoît Régent Stieglitz
Alexander Radszun Engler
Daniela Poggi Kathi
William Berger Penck
Michael Degen Reimar von Geldern
Wolfgang Preiss Kessler
Jean Benguigui Rolf
Isolde Barth Mrs. Sehr
Béatrice Macola Anna

Critical reception

Steve Simels of Entertainment Weekly gave the film a C−:

[T]his is a standard-grade, low-budget European B movie. The plotting is absurd (with anachronistic elements; though the film is set in the future, the Berlin Wall has not yet come down); the stars — including the still fetching Jennifer Beals and the usually cool Alan Bates (doing what seems like an eccentric imitation of Albert Finney doing Hercule Poirot) — either overact or sleepwalk; and the pacing is lethargic verging on comatose. [2]

Jackson Adler of TV Guide gave the film 3 out of 4 stars:

Club Extinction is something of a mishmash. But it's a mostly engaging mishmash with Chabrol operating in a satirically sinister mode that should come as no surprise to his devotees... In contrast to many American genre pictures, the problems with Club Extinction stem from aiming too high rather than too low... [M]ostly to Chabrol's credit, the going never gets boring, no matter how many times one views it. Club Extinction is an absorbing and even amusing thriller with brains--even if it does take more brains than should be necessary to follow its helter-skelter plot. [3]

Release

Home media

The film was released in the United States as Club Extinction on VHS. [4]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Claude Chabrol</span> French film director (1930–2010)

Claude Henri Jean Chabrol was a French film director and a member of the French New Wave group of filmmakers who first came to prominence at the end of the 1950s. Like his colleagues and contemporaries Jean-Luc Godard, François Truffaut, Éric Rohmer and Jacques Rivette, Chabrol was a critic for the influential film magazine Cahiers du cinéma before beginning his career as a film maker.

<i>The Man with Two Brains</i> 1983 film by Carl Reiner

The Man with Two Brains is a 1983 American science fiction black comedy film directed by Carl Reiner and starring Steve Martin and Kathleen Turner.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dr. Mabuse</span>

Dr. Mabuse is a fictional character created by Norbert Jacques in his 1921 novel Dr. Mabuse, der Spieler, and his 1932 follow-up novel Das Testament des Dr. Mabuse (1932). The character was made famous by three films about the character directed in Germany by Fritz Lang: Dr. Mabuse the GamblerThe Testament of Dr. Mabuse (1933) and the much later The Thousand Eyes of Dr. Mabuse (1960). Five other films featuring Dr. Mabuse were made by other directors in Germany in the early 1960s, followed by Jess Franco's interpretation The Vengeance of Dr. Mabuse in 1971.

<i>The Testament of Dr. Mabuse</i> 1933 film by Fritz Lang

The Testament of Dr. Mabuse, also called The Last Will of Dr. Mabuse, is a 1933 German crime-thriller film directed by Fritz Lang. The movie is a sequel to Lang's silent film Dr. Mabuse the Gambler (1922) and features many cast and crew members from Lang's previous films. Dr. Mabuse is in an insane asylum where he is found frantically writing his crime plans. When Mabuse's criminal plans begin to be implemented, Inspector Lohmann tries to find the solution with clues from gangster Thomas Kent, the institutionalized Hofmeister and Professor Baum who becomes obsessed with Dr. Mabuse.

<i>The Cry of the Owl</i> (1987 film) 1987 French film

The Cry of the Owl is a 1987 French-Italian psychological thriller film, adapted from the 1962 novel The Cry of the Owl by Patricia Highsmith. The film was directed by Claude Chabrol and stars Christophe Malavoy, Mathilda May and Virginie Thévenet.

Wolfgang Preiss was a German theatre, film and television actor.

<i>C.H.U.D. II: Bud the C.H.U.D.</i> 1989 film by David Irving

C.H.U.D. II: Bud the C.H.U.D. is a 1989 zombie comedy film, directed by David Irving, written by M. Kane Jeeves and stars Brian Robbins, Tricia Leigh Fisher, Bianca Jagger, and Gerrit Graham in the title role.

<i>Dr. Mabuse the Gambler</i> 1922 film

Dr. Mabuse the Gambler 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).

<i>Crazy as Hell</i> 2002 American film

Crazy as Hell is a 2002 psychological film that is based on the 1982 novel Satan: His Psychotherapy and Cure by the Unfortunate Dr. Kassler, J.S.P.S. by Jeremy Leven and follows Dr. Ty Adams, an aggressive and overconfident psychiatrist producing a documentary film about a nearby state-run mental hospital. While treating a new patient who claims to be Satan, Dr. Adams begins to question his own perceptions.

<i>Legionnaire</i> (film) 1998 American film

Legionnaire is a 1998 American drama war film directed by Peter MacDonald and starring Jean-Claude Van Damme as a 1920s boxer who wins a fight after having been hired by gangsters to lose it, then flees to join the French Foreign Legion. The cast includes Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Daniel Caltagirone, Nicholas Farrell and Steven Berkoff. The film was filmed in Tangier and Ouarzazate, Morocco.

<i>Les Cousins</i> (film) 1959 French film

Les Cousins is a 1959 French New Wave drama film directed by Claude Chabrol. It tells a story about two cousins, the decadent Paul, played by Jean-Claude Brialy, and the naïve Charles, played by Gérard Blain. The film won the Golden Bear at the 9th Berlin International Film Festival.

<i>Les Biches</i> (film) 1968 romantic tragedy

Les Biches is a 1968 drama film directed by Claude Chabrol. It depicts a tortured love triangle between characters portrayed by Stéphane Audran and Jacqueline Sassard; Jean-Louis Trintignant also stars. Audran won the Silver Bear for Best Actress at the 18th Berlin International Film Festival. The film had a total of 627,164 admissions in France.

<i>Innocents with Dirty Hands</i> 1975 French film

Innocents with Dirty Hands a.k.a. Dirty Hands, or in the original French Les innocents aux mains sales, is a 1975 psychological thriller film written and directed by Claude Chabrol from a novel The Damned Innocents by Richard Neely. It stars Romy Schneider and Rod Steiger.

<i>Masks</i> (1987 film) 1987 film

Masks is a 1987 French mystery thriller film directed by Claude Chabrol. It was entered into the 37th Berlin International Film Festival.

<i>The Bridesmaid</i> (film) 2004 French film

The Bridesmaid is a 2004 psychological thriller film co-written and directed by Claude Chabrol. Its title in French is La Demoiselle d'honneur. The film is based on the 1989 novel The Bridesmaid by Ruth Rendell.

<i>The Color of Lies</i> 1999 French film

The Color of Lies is a 1999 psychological mystery film co-written and directed by Claude Chabrol. The film was entered into the 49th Berlin International Film Festival.

<i>The Breach</i> (film) 1970 film by Claude Chabrol

The Breach, also titled The Breakup, is a 1970 French–Italian–Belgian drama film written and directed by Claude Chabrol, based on the novel The Balloon Man by Charlotte Armstrong. It follows a mother's struggle for custody of her son against her husband's parents.

<i>Inspecteur Lavardin</i> 1986 French film

Inspecteur Lavardin is a 1986 crime film co-written and directed by Claude Chabrol. It is the sequel to his 1984 film Cop au vin.

<i>The Horse of Pride</i> 1980 French film

The Horse of Pride is a 1980 rural drama film directed by Claude Chabrol. Its title in French is Le cheval d'orgueil. It is based on Le cheval d'orgueil, an autobiography by Pêr-Jakez Helias. The film takes place in the Bigouden area south of Quimper.

Murder is a series of Indian thriller films produced by Mahesh Bhatt and Mukesh Bhatt under the banner of Vishesh Films. The first film directed by Anurag Basu was released in 2004, second film by Mohit Suri was released in 2011, and third film by Vishesh Bhatt was released in 2013. A fourth film currently titled Murder 4 is stated to be under production.

References

  1. Claude Chabrol (2011-08-04). "Docteur M. - Cast, Reviews, Summary, and Awards". AllRovi. Archived from the original on 2011-11-30. Retrieved 2011-08-22.
  2. Steve Simels (1991-04-05). "Club Extinction Review". EW. Retrieved 2011-08-22.
  3. "Club Extinction Review". TV Guide . Retrieved 2011-08-22.
  4. Club Extinction VHS. ASIN   6301954882.