Blu-ray Review: 'Dr. Mabuse', 'Oedipus Rex' (MoC)

★★★★☆

Eureka Entertainment kick off a busy fourth quarter of business this week with the rerelease of three classic cinematic treats on Dual Format DVD and Blu-ray, courtesy of their acclaimed Masters of Cinema label. Restored gems include Cecil B. DeMille's hammy-yet-enjoyable epic rough diamond Cleopatra (1934), German auteur Fritz Lang's expressionist crime sequel The Testament of Dr. Mabuse (1933) and Italian filmmaker Pier Paolo Pasolini's inaugural colour feature Oedipus Rex (1967) - yet another fine addition to Master of Cinema's growing Pasolini catalogue, now available to own.

An intriguing partner piece to the Elizabeth Taylor Hollywood blockbuster of the 1960s, DeMille's Cleopatra is a remarkably racy (released just before the Hays Office censorship crackdown), consummately melodramatic depiction of the famed Queen of the Nile and her Roman suitors. Claudette Colbert is well-cast as the deity-like diva, a ruthless yet likeable siren responsible for leading both Julius Caesar (Warren William) and Marc Anthony (a less successful Henry Wilcoxon) to their untimely demises: "Beware the ides of March." However, whilst the sets and costume design are suitably lavish, Cleopatra still lacks the erotic energy of some of DeMille's earlier outings.

Easily more accomplished in terms of artistic vision, Lang's The Testament of Dr. Mabuse - the long-awaited follow-up to his 1922 crime thriller Dr. Mabuse: The Gambler - is yet another dark, dystopian morality tale set in pre-Second World War Berlin. Now institutionalised, arch-criminal and master-of-disguise Mabuse (Rudolf Klein-Rogge) spends his days in a locked cell, scribbling inanities onto reams of paper. However, outside the asylum, the sociopath's dream of an "Empire of Crime" begins to be realised, leading baffled police officers to question their own belief In the supernatural.

Rounding off this trio of new MoC rereleases - and arguably the pick of bunch - is Pasolini's vivid Greek odyssey, Oedipus Rex. A loose adaptation of the Theban play of the same name, Pasolini inserts his own unique sensibilities into the piece, once again book-ending a tragic tale of antiquity within a complementary modern-day narrative. Regular collaborator Franco Citti is superb as the unhinged Oedipus, fated to kill his own father and fornicate with his mother, horrifically blinding himself in the presence. As per usual, Pasolini pulls no punches.

For those yet to sample the delights of Eureka's Masters of Cinema strand - or any of the aforementioned auteurs, for that matter - this new round of rereleases offers a rare opportunity to re-evaluate some truly challenging artefacts from cinema's history.

Win a copy of Fritz Lang's The Testament of Dr. Mabuse on Dual Format with our brand new competition. Follow the link to enter.

Daniel Green