Rhymed Editing in Fritz Lang's "The Testament of Dr. Mabuse"
The film ‘The Testament of Dr. Mabuse’ by Fritz Lang features an innovative style in editing that can be referred to as rhymed editing. In these rhymes the scenes are linked by a common theme, visual, or sound, that bridges the scenes together through the director's creative use of editing. Through the use of sound, themes, and visual cues, the director goes to great lengths to cover gaps in space and time and link scenes together with these rhymes. What results is a new type of continuity in which time becomes a tool for the filmmaker to play with.
Traditionally film form relies on cause and effect to push the narrative. In this regard, this film strays from the norm by linking sequences through common themes, visuals, and sounds, rather than through a series of cause and effect actions. Jumps in space and time are accounted for by these rhyming edits and thematic connections. The narrative continuity is preserved by these connections as sequences blend together to create a new reality in the film that promotes a vision of an interconnected world.
From the beginning of the film we can see the extent to which the rhymed editing can bridge together scenes through the use of a common theme. As Hofmeister is walking out of the warehouse he is almost struck by a falling mass of concrete. He begins to run but finds some of Mabuse's men waiting for him at the corner. He turns around and the two men in the truck release a metal drum of what appears to be nitroglycerin as it explodes just after Hofmeister can get away. The explosion fades to black and we can hear the voice of Captain Lohmann speaking the words of, “Fire magic, old man. Fire magic.” In this cut space and time become secondary to the thematic link between the scenes. The fire on the screen correlates to the fire in the words of Lohmann as the film jumps through time and space into Lohmann's office. This jump through space and time creates a reality through which all of our actions are linked together; a world in which all the events leading up to the outcome become important.
Along with the thematic link of fire between the two scenes the characters are also connected. Hofmeister's escape ultimately leads Lohmann to Mabuse. When Hofmeister returns to his apartment he calls the Captain to tell him what he has discovered. It is then revealed that the two characters have a history together, and that Hofmeister had been spying in the warehouse to get back in good graces with Lohmann. This link between the characters is another way of showing the interconnectivity of events in the world. Hofmeister is trying to get away so that he can report to Lohmann, and as he escapes, the film cuts to the Captain's office.
This idea that space and time are linked through common themes is reinforced in the next cut between scenes as Professor Braum seemingly finishes the sentence of Captain Lohmann. Lohmann, having been cut off with Hofmeister on the phone, says, “He must have gone out of his mind from the terror.” The film then cuts to Professor Braum who says, “A pathological condition that is not as rare as one might suspect.” Through this common theme, the film jumps through space and time into the classroom of Professor Braum. Both visually and thematically the scenes are linked together, and the time structure becomes secondary to the rhyme. The men are both shown in a medium shot in the same part of the frame, suggesting that the two men are talking about the same thing.
The two men are sharing a thought and the film moves along with this thought rather than the action. There is also a connection between the content of the scene before and Professor Baum, which is revealed later in the film. Hofmeister has called to tell the captain who is behind the robbery. The phone call is cut off and Lohmann is now aware there is a man pulling the strings behind the recent string of crimes. As he is contemplating the new information, the scene cuts to Professor Baum, the man who Mabuse possesses, and who in turn becomes the one giving the orders.
Some of these rhyming edits may seem arbitrary at first glance, but as the film plays out, the connections are revealed. An example of this can be found in the scene in which Dr. Kramm has discovered the similarity between Mabuse's writings and the recent crimes in the newspaper. He brings his findings to Baum, who lets him leave to go to the police. Outside of Baums office, the servant Winkler tries to open the door but the Professor's voice is heard saying 'I do not wish to be disturbed.' The film then cuts to a shot of a phone ringing. One of Mabuse's men picks up the phone and is given orders to kill Dr. Kramm. At first, this link can be seen as quite arbitrary, the connection between the Professor's announcement behind the closed door and the voice on the phone can brushed off as insignificant. But by the end of the film, it is discovered that this voice is in fact a recording on a phonograph, the same tool used to give orders to the men at the secret lair. The link in this cut is the hidden character giving orders. In both scenes directly before and after the cut Professor Baum is heard and not seen. This can also be seen as a form of foreshadowing, as the film introduces the idea of the hidden man giving orders from outside of Baum's office.
The idea that broader themes link together people and actions is one that permeates throughout the film. In the scene in Hofmeister's apartment where Lohmann and his crew are inspecting the place, Lohmann finds the writing in the window pane. As he is examining the scratches he says 'I wonder what is behind this.' The film then cuts to Mabuse, who is frantically writing in his cell. The link is revealed later as the handwriting expert deciphers the writing on the window pane which reads 'Mabuse.' This helps to push the thematic and literary aspect of the film world through foreshadowing. The film jumps through space and time once again, but preserves the continuity of the film through the common theme of Mabuse.
Characters can also serve as the link between scenes. When Kent is in town and he reads the poster, he speaks with another one of Mabuse's men about their situation as part of the organization. Kent says, “No one in the organization gets out of it alive, it's hopeless, there's no turning back.” As he is finishing this statement the film cuts to a close-up of a letter being written. Kent's voice-over is then heard dictating the letter as it is being written. He is writing to his lover Lilli, to break contact with her because of his hopeless situation. The link between these scenes is both the common character, and the continuation of the thought from the previous scene. In both scenes, Kent is speaking or thinking about his hopeless situation. When the film cuts to Kent writing a letter to Lilli, we can see that he is thinking of his lover in regards to his hopelessness.
The next rhyme is one that bridges the gap of space and time through a common theme. In this case, the common theme is handwriting. When Kent finishes his letter, the scene fades to black, and the film cuts to the handwriting expert studying the window pane that had been scratched by Hofmeister. This thematic link may seem small at first, but once again, as the film plays out the significance of this rhyme becomes apparent. The handwriting expert reveals the name written on the glass to Lohmann, and later in the film Kent reveals the man giving the orders for Mabuse. The two characters are therefore linked by their similar relationship to Lohmann, as both men end up revealing the identity of the man Lohmann is looking for.
Another example of the jumps through space and time can be seen once again in the sequence in which the handwriting expert reveals to the Captain the name that was inscribed onto the window. The Captain is repeating the name, “Mabuse... wasn't he that,” and the scene cuts to a shot of the librarian reaching for his files with the diegetic voice-over of the Captain finishing his statement, “Dr. Mabuse.” This is an example of the thematic rhyming that occurs throughout the film. The scenes are linked by both character and content. The character is thinking about Mabuse and in the next scene the Librarian answers him. The second scene seems to be the completion of the thought started in the room with the handwriting expert. This rhyme then accounts for the continuity by providing a thematic link in which the two scenes are blended together through a conversation. Visually, the two scenes seem to be unrelated at first, but the reverse shot of the Captain looking up at the Librarian reveals that we are viewing the Librarian from Captain Lohmann's point of view; so the sequence is an elaborate shot/reverse shot sequence between the two scenes, linked by a common theme in the conversation.
In the scene before the cut, Lohmann is sitting in front of the mirror with the piece of paper that reads, “Mabuse,” thinking to himself. The camera is eye-level and Lohmann is to the left gazing toward the upper right. In the next scene the Librarian is seen from a low-angle in the upper right of the screen reaching for the files. After this we see the reverse shot of Lohmann from a high angle on the steps looking into the camera up at the Librarian. With this shot/reverse shot set up, it becomes apparent that along with the audio thematic rhyme, there is also a visual rhyme in which Lohmann becomes the link between the scenes.
In the example above one can see the multiple dimensions that can be used in a single rhyme. Lohmann is thinking to himself about Mabuse while gazing toward the direction of the subject of next shot. In this shot the Captain is having a conversation about Mabuse through voice over with the Librarian who is reaching for the files on the Doctor. Then the reverse shot reveals that it was Lohmann who was looking up at the Librarian. Through the common theme and visual cues, the scenes match together in a way that jumps through space and time yet preserves the narrative continuity of the film.
While these rhyming edits serve to preserve the film's continuity through jumps in space and time, they can also be used to freeze time and show simultaneous action. In the scene in which Kent and Lilli are trapped in the secret lair, we can hear the ticking of the bomb that has been set in place to kill the two. We continue to hear the ticking sound as the film cuts to cracking of the egg in the hideout of Mabuse's men. What follows is a cross-cut sequence in which the hideout is discovered and Kent attempts to escape the lair. This rhyme cut, along with the editing show that the two scenes are happening simultaneously. As the bomb is ticking, the man is cracking the egg, and the two scenes begin to play out at the same time. This link through diegetic sounds in both scenes suggests that the scenes are happening at the same time, and the cross-cutting shows how the two scenes move along during the same stretch of time. This style of editing highlights the connection between events as the groups are in similar situations at the same time. While Lilli and Kent are locked in the lair, the men are trapped in the hideout by the police. The sequence continues as Mabuse's men are taken to the station for questioning. Soon Lohmann asks, "Who is pulling the strings...” and the film cuts back to the lair to a shot of the cut-out used to give the appearance that Mabuse was there. This rhyme furthers the idea that the two scenes are connected by providing a thematic link between them.
Through the use of common sounds, visuals, and themes, the film ‘The Testament of Dr. Mabuse’ seamlessly flows through sequences. The use of rhymed editing creates a continuity that preserves the narrative rather than the spacial relations of the film. The cause and effect form of traditional narrative is replaced by one of literary devices that link together actions between scenes. Fritz Lang executed a series of rhymes throughout the film that bridged the gap in space and time through common themes. Whether it was similar sounds, matches in content, or visual connections, these rhymes served as a tool to connect sequences and allow for an artistic flow throughout the film.
