The Invisible Dr. Mabuse

The evil Dr. Mabuse is after a scientists invisiblity formula to create an invisible army in order to take over the world. Thankfully a top FBI agent is on his trail. This film has good serial type thrills and is fun to watch if one is willing to suspend disbelief. Its great to see Lex Barker in a role other than Tarzan for a change. However, the poor English dubbing make his performance hard to judge.

Dr. Mabuse, the nefarious supercriminal who regularly confounds the authorities with his ill-conceived and far-fetched world domination schemes, is ready to do battle once more with the forces of good. This time he's after a invisibility gizmo invented by a disfigured scientist seeking to hide his ugliness. One time Tarzan, Lex Barker, plays Mabuse's nemesis--FBI Agent Joe Como. The scientist likes to hang out at a theater where he can spy on the actress of his dreams. Apparently, he thought that by making himself invisible she wouldn't be frightened of him. Evidently, it never occurred to him that moving things around and touching her while he's invisible might frighten her. Is this guy a loser or what?

Eventually, Mabuse gets his evil hands on the device and creates a small army of transparent thugs. The plan is for them to wreak havoc and plunge the world into chaos. It's up to Joe Como and his band of incompetent German cops to thwart the scheme.

The writing for this film is incredibly bad. For example, since when did the FBI's jurisdiction extend to Germany? How did Mabuse know about the invisible man's obsession for the actress? In fact, how did Mabuse know there was an invisibility gadget? I also don't know how the scientist knew that Mabuse knew. Since the scientist was invisible why didn't he use that advantage to locate Mabuse and thwart his plans? Or better yet, since he allegedly cared so much for the actress why didn't he just make another device for her? She could then become invisible if Mabuse's goons threatened her? In my opinion, Dr. Mabuse isn't half as crazy as the folks who produced this turkey.

Criminal mastermind Dr. Mabuse is suspected by FBI agent Joe Como (Lex Barker) of being involved in a plot to obtain an invisibility formula devised by Professor Erasmus (Rudolf Fernau). In between his attempts to stop the villains' mad scheme, Joe finds time to romance stage performer Liane Martin (Karin Dor).

"The Invisible Dr. Mabuse" is definitely a decent entry in this series, even as it takes this little side-step into science-fiction. Barker is a charismatic hero, Dor of course is very easy on the eyes, and the supporting cast is good. Basically, there is enough comedy, action, and atmosphere to make this an okay viewing, as well as a (predictable) plot twist or two.

Gert Frobe as the Commissioner IS missed, but all in all this shows its audience a pretty good time.

This was the fourth entry in the series, and the second to utilize American star Barker.

Six out of 10.

This is the fourth in the 1960 west German Dr Mabuse series.While it is above average for the series it does mean that it is a cut above most other thrillers of the time.

A young actress (Karin Dor as Liane)in a Grand Guigonol/circus troupe seems to be haunted by a ghost.A government operative is investigating the troupe and meets his end via a killer clown.The FBI sends in Joe Como(Lex Barker from the 2nd in the series,The Return of Dr Mabuse).Joe and Liane cross paths.

Liane's former boyfriend had created an invisibilty gadget.But he presumably was killed in a car accident.Dr Mabuse and his gang think that Liane knows the whereabouts of the invisibilty device.The boyfriend is in fact not dead but horribly mangled due to the crash.He is using the gadget to stay near his love.

Mabuse & Joe Como both attempt to wrest the gadget from the boyfriend.But it looks like Mabuse may have the upper hand and chaos will reign supreme.An invisible gang of super criminals would be hard to beat.

In the series of Mabuse thrillers this one grades out at #5 of the 6 but way above the stinker Death Ray Of Dr Mabuse.It would be nice to see this film get the dvd treatment.

Second appearance for Joe Como - Lex Barker and Karin Dor against Doctor Mabuse

And again the FBI sends its best man to Berlin, no, to an unnamed German city with P (that didn't mean Potsdam at the time) as the license plate. FBI agent Nick Prado (Alain Dijon, who was also seen in "La dolce vita") died violently there. Before that, he was at the Metropol Theater (on Nollendorffplatz in Berlin-Schöneberg) to admire Liane Martin (Karin Dor) in a play about the French Revolution. But she is also being admired by someone who seems to be invisible...

All stops are pulled out here. A professor (Rudolf Fernau) who has disappeared! An invention that makes you invisible! A persecuted innocence that smart Joe meets while looking at corpses in the morgue! A smart inspector ("DER ALTE / The Old One" Siegfried Lowitz) with a Swiss (but dubbed) sidekick (Walo Lüönd) as an assistant! A more than strange clown (Werner Peters) who loses his beautiful blonde hair as a result of his misdeeds! And of course Doctor Mabuse (Wolfgang Preiss), who, like later Michael Myers or Jason Vorhees, simply cannot be killed.

Artur Brauner (1918-2019) had the right feeling when he resurrected the character of Doctor Mabuse, created by the Luxembourg writer Norbert Jacques (1880-1954), by director Fritz Lang. In the Mabuse films, post-war German-language cinema is all about itself: dark secrets from the past, megalomaniacal world domination junkies, technical gimmicks not used for the benefit of humanity.

In this episode, which premiered on March 30, 1962 at the City in Hanover, Karin Dor's husband ACADEMY AWARD nominee Harald Reinl (1908-1986) took over the direction.

Oh yes, the Schlosshotel Wallgraben, where Karin Dor (1938-2017) and Lex Barker (1919-1973) stay, is actually the Palais Mendelssohn in Berlin-Grunewald.

A big movie theater! Must see!