Louis Feuillade - Complete Crime Serials

A rare treat for fans of influential French filmmaker Louis Feuillade, this epic box set contains ten discs comprised of four of his most famous silent film crime serials: FANTOMAS, LES VAMPIRES, JUDEX and TIH MINH – made between 1913 and 1918 and now painstakingly restored in 4K Blu-ray for this Limited Edition release.

Hailing from a conservative and religious background and initially working as a journalist (only interrupted by compulsory military service), Louis Feuillade did not become involved with the world of film until he had reached his early thirties. Initially penning scripts for Gaumont, he was later invited by the company’s artistic director, Alice Guy-Blaché, to direct films. Although his output was to include various genres, it was his crime serials for which he would be remembered most.

Let’s start with FANTOMAS, a series comprised of five episodes of which each had a different running time (usually between 55 and 90 minutes). Adapted from different Allain and Souvestre novels, the series was released between May 1913 and May 1914. In the centre of the action is arch-villain and master of disguise Fantomas (René Navarre) who robs and kills via fake identities (Gurn / Tom Bob) and is invariably one step ahead of the intrepid Inspector Juve (Edmond Breon) and his collaborator, news reporter friend Jérome Fandor (George Melchior). Little time is wasted when Fantomas robs Princess Sonia Danidoff (Jane Faber), who resides in the Royal Palace Hotel in Paris, of her expensive jewels. While this may sound straightforward enough, things soon become a lot more complex and occasionally convoluted. Later on, he robs the princess again but in between he also blackmails and kills aristocrat Lord Beltham, only to take Lady Beltham (Renée Carl) for his mistress and later on even as his partner in crime. Various subplots include Lady Beltham helping an imprisoned Fantomas (more spells in prison are to follow) escape with the help of prison warden Nibet (Naudier) and a clever ruse involving an unfortunate stage actor by the name of Valgrand (Volbert). This is just a taste of things to come and as the adventure unfolds and the cat and mouse game reaches fever pitch, Juve leaves no stone unturned in his quest to bring Fantomas to justice… but will he succeed?

LES VAMPIRES (1915-1916), although made in more difficult and sombre circumstances courtesy of the First World War, is in its complexity and audacity an improvement on Fantomas (not suggesting that the previous serial is in any way flawed). Loosely based on the real life, notorious Bonnot gang, the Vampires of the title are not bloodsuckers but unscrupulous jewel thieves (who don’t shy away from murder, naturally), with female cat burglar Irma Vep (Musidora) at the helm. Although her character is only introduced after episode 2, Irma Vep (an anagram for vampire…) quickly establishes herself as the central villain and her tight, black bodysuit has since become the stuff of legend – no doubt the inspiration for Cat Woman’s outfit! Here, things kick off in suitably grisly fashion when roving (and rather naively courageous) journalist Philippe Guérande (Édouard Mathé) decides to take the law into his own hands (obviously with the consent of his newspaper) when he is informed that the corpse of a trusted colleague (sans head) has been found in a ditch. Oui! This outrage has been perpetrated by the notorious Vampires and anyone setting themselves up against this lot (run by a criminal mastermind called Grand Vampire) is indeed putting their very life at risk. Fortunately for Philippe, he is eventually joined in his fight by an old colleague who he had once done a good turn: Oscar-Cloud Mazamette (comedian Marcel Lévesque) - a slippery, crafty individual who...well, that would be giving too much away. Bringing ‘Les Vampires’ justice is, as you can imagine, a herculean task and it may have been made a little easier had it not been for the duplicitous Irma Vep - proof positive that the female of the species is deadlier than the male! Really, if a cat has nine lives than Irma has ten… or so it would seem! On her own she is really far too smart for our brave but not too quick journalist, she also has a sideline as a burlesque performer with a following of drooling males. As if this isn't enough for our journalist to take on, another near super- villain comes into the frame: a fellow by the name of Juan José Moreno (Fernand Herrmann), initially a rival to the Vampires gang. How he comes into contact with the Vampires is just a little contrived to say the least but hey, this is a rollicking crime serial after all. Moreno even worsts the Vampires, leaving the second Grand Vampire Satanas (Louis Leubas) little alternative but to.... By now, Moreno and the kohl-rimmed Vep are an item. Once again we are only touching on the tip of a gigantic iceberg. The methods the Vampires come up with to dispatch their adversaries are seemingly endless and always ingenious.

Up next is JUDEX (1916-1917) – a relatively tame affair compared with the violence of the previous two serials though with a significantly more complex plot. Some of the actors from LES VAMPIRES are aboard again for Judex, albeit playing different characters, obviously. Musidora is once again a rotten egg, this time going under the name of Diana Monti (not to mention her various aliases). Édouard Mathé, who played investigating journalist Philippe Guérande in Les Vampires, here plays Judex’ brother Roger de Tremeuse. Judex himself is played by René Cresté. Also back is Marcel Lévesque, who was Guérande’s sidekick (and ex-Vampire) in Les Vampires, whereas here he is a (pretty useless) private detective by the name of Cocantin. Louis Leubas, who was Grand Vampire Satanas in the previous adventure, is once again cast as a bad lot – this time round as wealthy banker Favraux, whose dastardly decisions resulted in the ruin and suicide of multiple clients. Favraux’ deeds are the main reason as to why Judex comes across like a caped crusader and whose real identity and reason as to why he seeks revenge on Favraux will be revealed only gradually. Things are not made easier for Judex, who has nothing but hatred for the corrupt banker, but has feelings for his grown-up daughter Jacqueline (Yvette Andréyor) – a single mother who had no idea about her father’s foul character. In a subplot, homeless Pierre Kerjean (Gaston Michel), who spent 20 years hard labour thanks to Favraux, now also seeks revenge and his long lost son (who, unbeknownst to him, happens to be in cahoots with Diana Monti). This really is about multiple identities and cleverly constructed kidnap plots among other capers. We also have two nifty kids among the cast, foremost child actress Olinda Mano, who plays Jacqueline’s little son Jean. This might explain why ‘Jean’ never stops kissing street urchin The Licorice Kid (René Poyen), an Artful Dodger-type figure whom he befriends and who briefly stays with Jean and her mother. Quite why director Feuillade decided to cast the part of Jean with a female child actress is anyone’s guess but hey, I’m sure he had his reason. Another baffling fact is that little René Poyen’s ‘Licorice Kid’ never stops smoking cigarettes… something that would never be allowed these days for even one puff! Really, smoking fags at his tender young age (if only for a movie part)… was he on Class A drugs by the age of 10?

Last but definitely not least is TIH MINH (1918), a rip-roaring spy adventure, albeit with occasionally bleak undertones set in France just after the First World War. Here, ‘Judex’ actor René Cresté returns in the role of explorer Jacques d’Athys who, after a lengthy expedition to Indochina, returns home to Nice. With him is Tih Minh (Mary Herald), a young mixed race woman from Laos who is his romantic interest. Other members of the d’Athys household are his mother (Madame Lacroix), his sister Jane (Lugane) and servants Placide (Georges Biscot) and Rosette (Jeanne Rollette), who are both betrothed to one another. In true Feuillade fashion, it doesn’t take long before trouble ensues when Tih Minh gets kidnapped by jewel thieves in disguise: Kistna (Louis Leubas), an apparent Hindu, and Dr. Gilson (Gaston Michel), who inject their victims with a serum that causes them to forget everything – even who they are. In cahoots with the two criminals is the Marchioness Dolorés de Santa Fé (Georgette Faraboni), who is under their influence and carries out their orders under hypnosis. As it soon turns out, both Kistna and Gilson are in reality German spies who are after a book belonging to Jacques, which contains a coded message and government intelligence (something our explorer is unaware of) - while Tih Minh seemingly holds the key to it all. Although Tih Minh is returned to the d’Athys household, the ensuing adventure sees Jacques and his loyal servant Placide embroiled in all sorts of derring-do, though it must be said that Placide turns out to be the real hero who, thanks to his resourcefulness, saves his pretty useless superiors from all kinds of trouble and even certain death...time and time again! Later on, Jacques is joined by his friend Sir Francis Grey (Édouard Mathé), who not only takes a shine to his sister Jane but he has something to do with a certain ‘Document 29’ and the dastardly spies are after the document as well. There’s action galore and countless twists and turns. Dr. Gilson, a man of many disguises, and his partner-in-crime Kistna can easily be described as forerunners of Fritz Lang’s master villain ‘Dr. Mabuse’. Quite why this serial is called TIH MINH is a puzzle, seeing how her character is rather passive and not even a central figure. Really, it should have been called ‘Document 29’.

While all four adventures are doubtlessly inventive and arresting in their plot devices, the first two serials pale slightly by comparison due to the consistent use of a fixed camera, resulting in consistent static shots, whereas in the later serials there is considerably more movement. Other characteristics include the repeated use of same sets and above all, Feuillade’s obsession with letters and newspaper articles… In every other scene actors read letters of articles, which wouldn’t be so tiresome were it not for the English subtitles running across the screen in white (often against a white background). That said, this may not be an issue for those fortunate enough to possess a huge TV-screen! However, these points are relatively minor when considering the films as a whole, which will provide endless hours of entertainment. As ever with Eureka, we are treated to a plethora of bonus material and a booklet.