The Master of the Adventure Serial.

Louis Feuillade was one of the early masters of the early film years. During his two decades at Gaumont, he produced a body of work that still enthralls viewers. His work defined the suspense and thriller genres in film and his influence can be seen in the work of Fritz Lang and Alfred Hitchcock, not to mention the fact that he more or less invented the costumed crime fighter.

Son of a wine merchant, he got involved in film initially as a screen writer in 1905; by 1907 he was supervising all productions in Gaumont Studios, as well as directing. Although he directed more than 800 films in his 18 years at Gaumont, he is remembered today for three serials he directed between 1913-1917: Fantômas (1913-14), Les Vampires (1915-16), Judex (1916-17).

Starting in 1913, Louis Feuillade filmed his Fantômas serial, which is considered not only germane in the development of the adventure film but the definitive version of Fantômas. Fantômas follows the exploits of the title character, a master criminal of the most sinister variety. Much has been written elsewhere about the influence the Fantômas novels had on the Surrealist movement, but the films are as important if not more so. In early 2010, this series was finally released on a region 1 DVD.

Feuillade's second serial is the terrific Les Vampires, made in 1915-16. The story again deals with master criminals, in this case the secret criminal society of the title: The Vampires. The hero is crusading reporter Phillipe Guerande ( Édouard Mathé) who pursues the secrets of Les Vampires throughout the ten episodes. Like Fantômas, the films are largely improvised by the actors, feature very little title card text (relying on the actors to convey the sense of conversations), and were originally tinted films (green for outdoors/daytime, sepia/brown for indoors, red for outdoors/night and blue for indoors/night) . Also, as with Fantômas, the shots are static setups, i.e. filmed theatrical presentations, that Feuillade intercuts occasionally with close-ups . There are a number of interesting uses of dual sets separated by a "wall" with either simultaneous action or a peephole for spying from one set to the other. Constantly surprising story twists and fascinating characters make this one of my favorite films.

Les Vampires was immediately followed by Judex, which owing to flack from critics that Feuillade's films glorified criminals, is a tale of justice and crime-fighting. The series follows the revenge of the title character (his name is Latin for "Judge") against a callous, wealthy businessman and his associates. Judex has a hideout with secret passages below a castle and is assisted by his brother, calling up the Batcave and Alfred from Batman. He wears no mask but his hat and cloak definitely suggest The Shadow, who would appear in American pulps in 15 years.

Perhaps the most enjoyable aspect of all Feuillade's work are the performances of the actors, which are charming and, while a bit hammy , exemplary examples of early film acting. This especially the case in Les Vampires. Musidora is a highlight of that series as the villainous vamp Irma Vep. With her heavily kohled eye makeup highlighting her expressive eyes, she is truly one of the great film bad girls. Her trademark arms akimbo stance and self-assured style must have been unique at the time these were made. Unlike the thin flapper-like starlets of the era, she has a curvy, womanly figure that sets her apart from the rest of the females in the series. Also highly entertaining is Mazamette, Phillipe Guerande's sidekick and the primary comic relief of Les Vampires. Portrayed by Marcel Lévesque, a nimble and elastic performer who creates an endearing character that prefigures Inspector Clouseau in his bumbling ineptitude that constantly manages to work out for good. He also is the one character who frequently acknowledges the audience/camera through side glances and raised eyebrow mugging. Interestingly, Mazamette's son, who shows up in episode eight, does the same. There's a great bit in that episode where the son accidentally shoots Mazamette in the nose, which results in an extraordinarily funny nose bandage for the remainder of the episode. Both Musidora and Lévesque feature heavily in the Judex serial.

While the films are full of wonderful shots of wartime Paris, full of empty streets and horse-drawn carriages sharing the road with automobiles, they are perhaps more interesting in how they create traditions and conceits that will continue thorough film to the present day. In the seventh episode of Les Vampires, Satanas, there is the first use (?) of a vocal recording being utilized for evil purposes - in this case the recorded voice of a businessman is used to fool a banker over the phone into releasing a large sum of money. Fifteen years later it would be the central device of Fritz Lang's 1931 masterpiece The Testament of Dr. Mabuse. The films also have some of the most imaginative, bizarre and ingenious modes of death - a tradition from the Fantômas novels and the Theater of the Grand Guignol. These include a spiked glove that delivers a paralyzing drug, a poison ring, a pen that shoots poison, a portable cannon that sinks a ship from a hotel room, a poisonous letter eaten by a captured bad guy and my favorite, a bomb concealed in a top hat.

Les Vampires and Judex have terrific scores written by Robert Israel - mostly piano with a strings. He captures the essence of the mood and period without being overbearing or getting in the way of the film. Unfortunately, Fantômas doesn't get an Israel score. Maybe in a future edition.

Return to main menu