''Fantômas'' () is a French silent

crime In ordinary language, a crime is an unlawful act punishable by a State (polity), state or other authority. The term ''crime'' does not, in modern criminal law, have any simple and universally accepted definition,Farmer, Lindsay: "Crime, definit ...

film serial A serial film, film serial (or just serial), movie serial, or chapter play, is a motion picture form popular during the first half of the 20th century, consisting of a series of short subjects exhibited in consecutive order at one theater, gene ...

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'' ...

, based on the novel of the same name. The five episodes, initially released throughout 1913–14, were restored under the direction of Jacques Champreaux and released in this new form in 2006.

Series

The series consists of five episodes, each an hour to an hour and a half in length, which end in

cliffhanger A cliffhanger or cliffhanger ending is a plot device in fiction which features a main character in a precarious or difficult dilemma or confronted with a shocking revelation at the end of an episode or a film of serialized fiction. A cliffhang ...

s. Episodes one and three end with Fantômas making a last-minute escape, and the end of the second entry has Fantômas blowing up Lady Beltham's manor house with Juve and Fandor, the two heroes, still inside. The subsequent episodes begin with a recap of the story that has gone before. Each film is further divided into three or more chapters that do not end in cliffhangers. # ''Fantômas I: À l'ombre de la guillotine'' (Fantômas: In the Shadow of the Guillotine) (1913) ## Le Vol du Royal Palace Hotel (The Theft at the Royal Palace Hotel) ## La Disparition de Lord Beltham (The Disappearance of Lord Beltham) ## Autour de l'échafaud (By the Guillotine) # ''Fantômas II: Juve contre Fantômas'' (Juve vs. Fantômas) (1913) ## La Catastrophe du Simplon-Express (Disaster on the Simplon Express) ## Au "Crocodile" (At the Crocodile) ## La Villa hantée (The Haunted Villa) ## L'Homme noir (The Man in Black) # ''Fantômas III: Le Mort Qui Tue'' (The Murderous Corpse) (1913) ## Le Drame rue Novins (The Tragedy in Rue Novins) ## L'Enquête de Fandor (Fandor's Investigation) ## Le Collier de la princesse (The Princess's Necklace) ## Le Banquier Nanteul (The Banker Nanteul) ## Elizabeth Dollon ## Les Gants de peau humaine (The Human Skin Gloves) # ''Fantômas IV: Fantômas contre Fantômas'' (Fantômas vs. Fantômas) (1914) ## Fantômas et l'opinion publique (Fantômas and Public Opinion) ## Le Mur qui saigne (The Wall that Bleeds) ## Fantômas contre Fantômas (Fantômas vs. Fantômas) ## Règlement de comptes (Getting Even) # ''Fantômas V: Le Faux Magistrat'' (The False Magistrate) (1914) ## Prologue (The Theft at the Château des Loges) ## Le Prisonnier de Louvain (The Prisoner of Louvain) ## Monsieur Charles Pradier, juge d'instruction (Charles Pradier, Examining Magistrate) ## Le Magistrat cambrioleur ( The Burglar Judge) ## L'Extradé de Louvain (The Extradited Man)

Cast

René Navarre René Navarre (8 July 1877 – 8 February 1968) was a French actor of the silent era. He appeared in 109 films between 1910 and 1946, and was often credited simply as Navarre. His most famous role was probably the master criminal Fantômas. ...

as Fantômas aka Gurn, Tom Bob and many other aliases *

Edmund Breon Edmund Breon (born Iver Edmund de Breon MacLaverty; 12 December 1882 – 24 June 1953) was a Scottish film and stage actor. He appeared in more than 130 films between 1907 and 1952. Life and career Born in Hamilton, South Lanarkshire, Br ...

as Inspector Juve *

Georges Melchior Georges Melchior (15 September 1889 – 2 September 1944) was a French actor of the silent era A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative an ...

as Jérôme Fandor, reporter for the ''Capital'' newspaper and Juve's collaborator *

Renée Carl Renée Carl (10 June 1875 – 31 July 1954) was a French actress of the silent era. She was born in Fontenay-le-Comte, Vendée, France, and died in Paris, France. Between 1907 and 1937, she appeared in 186 films. A favorite of film directo ...

as Lady Beltham, Fantômas' mistress * Jane Faber as Princesse Danidoff * Volbert as Valgrand * Naudier as Nibet * Maillard as Valgrand's dresser *

Yvette Andréyor Yvette Andréyor (born Yvette Louise Pauline Royé, 6 August 1891 – 30 October 1962) was a French actress most popular in the era of silent film. She appeared in more than 100 films between 1910 and 1962. Biography Yvette Louise Pauline R ...

as Josephine

Reception

''Fantômas'' was enormously popular upon its release in France, and made Navarre, who played Fantômas, an overnight celebrity. In a rave review from a 1914 issue of the French journal ''Chronique cinématographique'', critic Maurice Raynal wrote that "There is nothing in this involved, compact, and concentrated film but explosive genius." In his contemporary critical review of the ''Fantômas'' serial, Peter Schofer observed that contrary to some modern understandings of the series, ''Fantômas'' was not interpreted by its audience as a suspense film. Based on a previously published and widely read newspaper serial, audiences of the time were already extensively familiar with the plot, characters, and outcome of the story, making the film much more about ''how'' the story might develop as opposed to ''what'' might happen next.Schofer (1973), p. 2

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Fantomas (1913 Serial) Fantômas films 1913 films 1914 films 1913 drama films 1914 drama films 1910s crime drama films French silent films French black-and-white films Films directed by Louis Feuillade Film serials Films set in Paris Articles containing video clips French crime drama films Silent drama films

Series

Cast

Reception

See also

References

External links