Der grosse Spieler–ein Bild der Zeit). At once the Expressionist portrayal of its times-the malaise of post–World War I Berlin-and a breathtaking detective story, this silent masterpiece gives us the sensational adventures of "the great unknown," the man who holds all the cards: Dr. Mabuse, the master of disguises. In the frenetic and duplicitous city, Mabuse (Rudolph Klein–Rogge) constantly reinvents his own identity (he is the psychoanalyst, the stockbroker, the hypnotist, the professional gambler, the crowd agitator) in order to manipulate the destiny of others. Both actor and director in the spectacle of modern life, he asserts control by virtue of the piercing and hypnotic power of his gaze. Everybody (his victims, his lover, the state's attorney who resolutely pursues him) becomes, at some point, spectator of his terrifying will. Only at the end, as the system sustaining his authority is breached, will Mabuse become the spectator of his own nightmares.

-Domietta Torlasco, for PFA

Part I tells of Mabuse, renowned psychiatrist, seducing and defrauding his victims through the lure of gambling and sexuality.
Part II (showing on Sunday) follows the various story threads and details Mabuse's descent into madness.