Perhaps I should have researched this film before purchasing it because it took a while ago understand the plot. Part of a series of films, this appears to be a combination of crime film, espionage thriller and psychological horror. It focuses on a mad doctor, being held in an institution and the impact that his genius has through possible assumed mind control. Dubbed from German into English, this features actors familiar to American audiences, and you may find yourself laughing at the sight and sounds of "Hogan's Heroes" veteran Leon Askin being dubbed with a voice white different than his own. Gert Frobe, best known to me as the comically evil Baron from "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang", is unrecognizable to me in the title role, but it has Bern many years since I've seen his most famous role, Goldfinger.
The fact that this doesn't seem to fall into one genre of film makes it a major curiosity, but there are a few scenes which gave me pause for thought. I really wished that I had seem the previous entry. I mention this for the benefit of anybody who gets this first. Artistically, this is superb, reminding me of early German expressionism and the French new wave which lead to American film noir. The conclusion seems to have been influenced by "The Lady From Shanghai", making me wonder how Orson Welles might have fit into this. I know that I will re-visit this after seeing its predecessor(s).
The fact that this doesn't seem to fall into one genre of film makes it a major curiosity, but there are a few scenes which gave me pause for thought. I really wished that I had seem the previous entry. I mention this for the benefit of anybody who gets this first. Artistically, this is superb, reminding me of early German expressionism and the French new wave which lead to American film noir. The conclusion seems to have been influenced by "The Lady From Shanghai", making me wonder how Orson Welles might have fit into this. I know that I will re-visit this after seeing its predecessor(s).