Directed by:
Louis FeuilladeScreenplay:
Louis FeuilladePlots(1)
"Les Vampires" follows the exploits of a brazen and resourceful band of arch-criminals who rob the rich, transfix the elite of France, and almost elude the obsessive pursuit of crusading journalist Phillipe Guerande and his sidekick Mazamette. A series of Grand Vampires with names such as Satanas and Venomous share the irresistible Irma Vep (an anagram of "vampire") as strategist and mistress. Sometimes seductively garbed in a black body stocking and a black hood, sometimes disguised as a boy or hidden in plain view as a maid, stenographer or bourgeois spinster, feared and desired by both her cohorts and stalkers, Irma is perhaps the first liberated screen woman. (official distributor synopsis)
(more)Reviews (1)
I like the concept of this film series. It's a collection of ten films ranging in length from fifteen minutes to one hour. The films were screened between 1915 and 1916, and it's evident that they are not something that would fade into obscurity. As a comic book enthusiast, I can confidently say that films like Les Vampires inspired adventurous stories filled with villains, secret rooms and corridors, planned murders, and more. Such references can often be found in literature, including such comics as "The Extraordinary Adventures of Adèle Blanc-Sec" or "The Adventures of Tintin." There are disguises, substitutions, dark characters, far-fetched plots, and everything works absolutely perfectly. Yes, it's somewhat slapstick and exaggerated at times, lacking a proper resolution, but when you see in the fifth film how the Vampires move among people who have all been mesmerized into unconsciousness, there's something deeply unsettling about it. Humor and thriller blend here in an amazing combination. It's a shame that the format for movies has become such that a feature film is typically an hour and a half or more. Short film series also have their charm. But obviously we need to standardize. Unfortunately.
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