An early cinematic pioneer with an undeniably pervasive influence,
Louis Feuillade made hundreds of films in a short career spanning
only a few decades. Today, he is best remembered for his landmark serials
Fantômas, Les Vampires, Judex and Tih Minh, four crime epics that have had an immeasurable impact on popular
culture around the globe. Eureka's Masters of Cinema series is set to
present these silent masterworks on bluray for the first time in the UK
from 4K restorations.
Adapted from a series of popular novels by Marcel Allain and
Pierre Souvestre, Fantômas stars
René Navarre as the eponymous criminal mastermind. Across the
serial’s five episodes, Fantômas is pursued by Inspector Juve (Edmund Breon) and newspaper reporter Jérôme Fandor (Georges Melchior) as he
carries out his nefarious schemes. In Les Vampires, journalist Philippe Guérande (Édouard Mathé) attempts to
investigate an enigmatic criminal gang operating in the Parisian
underworld – a group known only as the Vampires. In Judex, a mysterious vigilante (René Cresté) sets out to bring down a
corrupt banker named Favraux (Louis Leubas). Finally, in
Tih Minh, a young man (Cresté) returning from an expedition in Indochina becomes
embroiled in a game of espionage and thievery with a gang of mysterious
jewel thieves.
Feuillade's crime serials had an enormous impact on some of the greatest
filmmakers of the twentieth century, chiefly Fritz Lang and Alfred
Hitchcock. They also played an important role in the development of the
criminal mastermind and masked vigilante characters that would proliferate
in pulp magazines, film, television, radio and comic books over the next
few decades, including Dr Mabuse, The Shadow and Diabolik.
A 10-disc limited edition bluray boxset will be released on September
30th.
Special features include new audio commentaries on select serial
chapters, new interviews with film critics and historians, and
archival interviews and featurettes. The set comes with a book
featuring new and archival writing on Louis Feuillade and the serials.
Check out Eureka's trailer and artwork below.
