''Fantômas'' is a 1946 French

crime film Crime films, in the broadest sense, is a film genre inspired by and analogous to the crime fiction literary genre. Films of this genre generally involve various aspects of crime and its detection. Stylistically, the genre may overlap and combine ...

directed by

Jean Sacha Jean Sacha (1912–1988) was a French film editor Film editing is both a creative and a technical part of the post-production process of filmmaking. The term is derived from the traditional process of working with film which increasingly i ...

and starring

Marcel Herrand Marcel Herrand (8 October 1897 – 11 June 1953) was a French stage and film actor best remembered for his roles in swashbuckling or historical films. He appeared in over 25 films between 1932 and 1952, but Herrand's best remembered role i ...

Simone Signoret Simone Signoret (; born Simone Henriette Charlotte Kaminker; 25 March 1921 – 30 September 1985) was a French actress. She received various accolades, including an Academy Award, three BAFTA Awards, a César Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, a ...

and

Alexandre Rignault Alexandre Rignault (14 February 1901 – 2 April 1985) was a French actor. He appeared in more than a hundred films between 1931 and 1985. Selected filmography External links * {{DEFAULTSORT:Rignault, Alexandre 1901 births 1985 deaths ...

The context

The film features the fictional master criminal

Fantômas Fantômas () is a fictional character created by French writers Marcel Allain (1885–1969) and Pierre Souvestre (1874–1914). One of the most popular characters in the history of French crime fiction, Fantômas was created in 1911 and appear ...

, created in 1911 by

Marcel Allain Marcel Allain (15 September 1885 – 25 August 1969) was a French writer mostly remembered today for his co-creation with Pierre Souvestre of the fictional arch-villain and master criminal Fantômas. Career The son of a bourgeois family, ...

and

Pierre Souvestre Pierre Souvestre (1 June 1874 – 26 February 1914) was a French lawyer, journalist, writer and organizer of motor races. He is mostly remembered today for his co-creation with Marcel Allain of the fictional arch-villain and master criminal Fa ...

. The tremendous popular success of the

novels led to the production of many films based on the series. A first series of 5 silent films was directed by

Louis Feuillade Louis Feuillade (; 19 February 1873 – 25 February 1925) was a French filmmaker of the silent era. Between 1906 and 1924, he directed over 630 films. He is primarily known for the crime serials '' Fantômas'', '' Les Vampires'' and '' Judex ...

from April 1913 to May 1914. An American version of the brilliant serial was produced in the early 1920s. Shortly after the advent of sound,

Paul Fejos Pál Fejős (27 January 1897 – 23 April 1963), known professionally as Paul Fejos, was a Hungarian-American director of feature films and documentaries who worked in a number of countries including the United States. He also studied medicine i ...

directed a feature-length ''

'' film which combined elements from the novels and several of Feuillade's films, together with "modernized" plot twists. Two remakes/updates of the Fantômas films were produced in France shortly after the end of World War II (''Fantômas'', 1946, directed by Jean Sacha, and ''

Fantomas Against Fantomas ''Fantomas Against Fantomas'' (french: Fantômas contre Fantômas) is a 1949 French mystery thriller film directed by Robert Vernay and starring Marcelle Chantal, Aimé Clariond and Alexandre Rignault Alexandre Rignault (14 February 1901 � ...

'', 1949, directed by

Robert Vernay Robert Vernay (May 30, 1907 in Paris – October 17, 1979 in Paris) was a French director and screenwriter. Career In 1937, Vernay worked as assistant director to Julien Duvivier on ''Pépé le Moko''. In 1944, Vernay directed an adaptation of ...

). In the mid-1960s three films were made in rapid succession starring

Jean Marais Jean-Alfred Villain-Marais (11 December 1913 – 8 November 1998), known professionally as Jean Marais (), was a French actor, film director, theatre director, painter, sculptor, visual artist, writer and photographer. He performed in over 100 f ...

(of Cocteau's ''La Belle et la Bête'') in the double role of Fantômas and Fandor.

The Plot

Fantômas, once thought dead, has just prevented the marriage of his daughter Hélène with the journalist Fandor, killing the mayor who was to unite them. Then he poses an ultimatum to the Minister of the Interior: he demands a billion in gold, else a million Parisians will die. Inspector Juve decides to hide Hélène and Fandor with Arthur, a former villain in whom he has confidence. Meanwhile, Lady Bentham, anxious to prevent Fantômas from committing new crimes, telephones to Juve the whereabouts of the criminal. Fandor, overhearing the conversation, follows Juve to the hideout, but is trapped by the villain. Juve soon finds him while investigating at Lord Grimsay’s, where Fantômas has settled. Both men, however, manage to escape while Hélène in turn falls into the clutches of the criminal. Fantômas destroys his secret laboratory before disappearing, then continues to assassinate passersby at random with his death ray. Following Burette, one of Fantômas’ accomplices, Juve and Fandor locate the new criminal lair in the catacombs. But after killing Lady Beltham, Fantômas flees once more, taking Hélène hostage. Fandor manages to free the girl while the truck which Fantômas had boarded explodes on a mined bridge. Fandor and Hélène finally get married but Juve, their witness, doubts the death of the Prince of Terror.

Cast

: Fantômas *

: Hélène *

: le commissaire Juve * André Le Gall : Fandor * Yves Deniaud : Arthur *

Françoise Christophe Françoise Christophe (1923–2012) was a French film actor, film and television actress.Goble p.201 Partial filmography * ''Premier rendez-vous'' (1941) - Une pensionnaire de l'orphelinat (uncredited) * ''Mariage d'amour'' (1942) - La secrétai ...

: la princesse Daniloff *

Georges Gosset Georges may refer to: Places * Georges River, New South Wales, Australia * Georges Quay (Dublin) *Georges Township, Fayette County, Pennsylvania Other uses *Georges (name) * ''Georges'' (novel), a novel by Alexandre Dumas * "Georges" (song), a 19 ...

: Burette *

Renaud Mary Renaud Mary (31 July 1918 – 5 May 1977) was a French stage and film actor An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern ...

: Germain *

Lucienne Le Marchand Lucienne Le Marchand (15 November 1908 – 9 February 1992) was a Belgian stage, film and television actress.Goble p.115 Selected filmography * '' Song of Farewell'' (1934) * ''Crime and Punishment'' (1935) * ''The Mysteries of Paris'' (1935) * ...

: Lady Beltham *

Paul Faivre Paul Faivre (3 March 1886 – 5 March 1973) was a French actor. Selected filmography * ''The House Opposite'' (1937) * ''Behind the Facade'' (1939) * '' Vidocq'' (1939) * '' Annette and the Blonde Woman'' (1942) * ''The Count of Monte Crist ...

: le chauffeur *

Pierre Labry Pierre Labry (1885–1948) was a French stage and film actor.Capua p.122 He was active in the French film industry between 1920 and 1948, appearing in more than a hundred films. Selected filmography * ''La croisade'' (1920) * ''Gigolette'' (1921 ...

: M. Paul * Robert Moor : Professeur Cauchard * Denise Kerny : l'adjointe * Marcel Lestan : Théo *

Paul Amiot Paul Amiot (29 March 1886 – 26 January 1979) was a French film actor. His career spanned some 63 years and he appeared in nearly 100 films between 1910 and 1973. In 1920 he appeared in Robert Péguy's ''Être aimé pour soi-même''. He was n ...

: le directeur de la Sûreté *

Jacques Dynam Jacques Dynam (30 December 1923 – 12 November 2004) was a French film actor. He appeared in more than 150 films between 1942 and 2004, among which the ''Fantomas'' saga. Selected filmography * ''La symphonie fantastique'' (1942) - (uncre ...

: le préparateur * Raymonde La Fontan : la standardiste *

Frédéric Mariotti Frédéric Mariotti (1 April 1883 – 22 February 1971) was a French stage and film actor whose career spanned more than four decades through the early silent film era into the early 1950s. Biography Frédéric Mariotti was born in Marseille and ...

: un ouvrier

References

Bibliography

* Hardy, Phil (ed.). ''The BFI Companion to Crime''. Continuum, 1997. * Hayward, Susan. ''Simone Signoret: The Star as Cultural Sign''. Continuum, 2004.

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Fantomas (1946 film) 1946 films French crime films 1940s French-language films Fantômas films Remakes of French films Sound film remakes of silent films 1946 crime films French black-and-white films 1940s French films