Les Vampires (1915-1916) on

Louis Feuillade (pronounced ‘foo-yawd’) began working in films in 1905 for Gaumont’s main studio in France. In 1907, when Alice Guy the world’s first female film director left the company, Feuillade became responsible for Gaumont’s creative output. Over the next ten years, he wrote, directed and supervised hundreds of films, from comic shorts to dramatic features. When his serial thriller of 1915 and 1916, Les vampires (pronounced ‘lay vam-peer’), was produced, Feuillade had long since matured as a filmmaker and the European film industry had confidently and irreversably embraced feature film production.

Feuillade began making feature films in 1913. By then European filmmakers were aware of the serial film form, as well. Along with the regular Gaumont output, Feuillade began making serials which soon lengthened to episodes of feature length. The serial was born of the seed of the film thriller. Soon, filmmakers were exploring and developing the fantastic crime thriller, wherein a master criminal of greater than Moriarty proportions wreaked havoc and confounded master detectives and the always-clueless police. Louis Feuillade may not have been the cinematic originator of the master criminal genre, for that distinction may belong to the Italian producers of Tigris (1913), but he may have developed some of its enduring cinematic conventions. In Les vampires we can see both some of the already well-established clichés of the genre and some of the embryonic concepts that would still thrill serials audiences decades later.

As groundbreaking as Les vampires might have been in 1915-1916, some aspects of the production both age the film and undermine its dramatic impact for modern audiences. While Les vampires was a major European film studio production, it was shot quickly and inexpensively as is evidenced by the utilization of painted flats for doors in the film’s sets. And whether the budget made it necessary or not, it is almost comical that the tinest of guns are used in the film as props. The off-the-cuff method of writing the story and the improvisational direction of the action are many times transparent to the viewer, who becomes aware that not only are the crimefighters and criminals groping for answers within the narrative, the filmmaker is occasionally himself lost. Also, the actor Marcel Lévesque as the sidekick Mazamette is allowed to play directly to the camera for comic effect much of the time, letting the audiences know that they and the filmmakers aren’t to take the proceedings too seriously.

However, the serial still plays well overall to modern audiences. The narrative is fun and the action is at times thrilling. A criminal gang named the Vampires are committing a bewildering series of both large and small crimes in France. An investigative reporter is working to uncover the secrets of the miscreants, and soon accepts the help of a former Vampire member. Our heroes are nearly killed more than once and are a moment too late to catch the criminals on a number of occasions. To give the serial some spooky atmosphere, Feuillade concocted a number of striking cinematic images that remain in one's memory.

Les vampires is not composed of a consistent string of two-reel chapters as were many of the American serials being produced at the time. The length of the ten episodes of Les vampires ranges here from 13 to 57 minutes. While the earlier episodes average a length of 30 minutes, the latter episodes push close to feature-film length. The practice might have been new in 1916, but soon feature-length serial episodes would become a European standard, particularly in Germany.

Suffice to say that no crime serial can end until the super criminals are all captured or destroyed. While the outcome is no surprise, the thrills that are presented along the way are the payoff for fans of the genre, and to this end Les vampires does not disappoint. Despite the fact that the serial has not survived in the best of prints, the film is still available to be enjoyed for many years to come. We suggest you organize a Les vampires festival among family and friends and enjoy this vintage serial classic. — Carl Bennett

The video transfer appears to have utilized a 35mm preservation print prepared from a compilation of footage from a very good 35mm print and a good 16mm reduction print. Many of the characteristics of early 16mm prints are here, including a contrasty grayscale range with slightly plugged-up shadow details and blasted-out highlights in several sections (during which facial features can be largely nonexistent). Other sections maintain a reasonable range of graytones and detail, and appear to originate from surviving (but not original) 35mm print elements. The preservation print or the video transfer has been flatly color-toned in several colors to keep what highlight details may remain in the print intact. The print is compromised by a few moments of distracting emulsion damage, and the picture does bounce about for a couple of minutes in chapter seven. The errors in the video production includes a moment when the master criminal Venomous tears the light switch from the wall in chapter nine and the color toning does not change to blue to signal the blinding darkness. Overall, the presentation appears to be largely intact and is quite watchable even when the prints are at their most contrasty (the worst that can be said of the source prints). Much of presentation is from very good 35mm materials and is reasonably clear and sharp. The video transfer has been compressed to an average 4.5 megabytes per second to accomodate the very long program (well over six hours) onto two sides of a dual-layered DVD disc. However, the image quality is not perceptively compromised by the video compression.

The French intertitles have been translated into English by Fabrice Zagury, who wrote the seven-page essay contained in the package insert booklet, and they have been set in new video intertitles which we feel could have been set at a larger font size to make the text easier to read on smaller television monitors. The intertitles are sprinkled with a potentially confusing inconsistent spelling of proper names.

Not enough can be said about the monumental music score prepared for Les vampires by Robert Israel and performed on piano with a small orchestra. As always with Israel’s work, the score is entertaining and appropriate to the film’s action, and is well performed and well recorded. With nearly six hours of music to score, arranging this accompaniment was no mean task. It is a pity, however, that the musicians are not credited.

In the supplemental section, we have For the Children (1916) a segment from a larger compilation of films prepared by the French film industry to raise money for war orphans. The brief comedy features the Les vampires cast (3 minutes). The film has been transferred from an excellent though very speckled 35mm print. If only all of Les vampires could have survived in this condition. Also included is a one-reel comedy directed by Louis Feuillade starring child star Bout-de-Zan, who appeared in episode eight of Les vampires. Bout de Zan et l’embusqué [Bout-de-Zan and the Shirker] (1915) features a story of a family that goes to a braggart’s home to witness his superior marksmanship. Bout-de-Zan discovers the man’s intended deception and swaps a stuffed animal for his ‘prey.’ An attached note reveals his plan and guilt-whips the man into enlisting in the army to fight the Germans (8 minutes). The film has been transferred from a very good 35mm print that is slightly contrasty.

USA: Click the logomark at right to purchase a Region 0 NTSC DVD of this edition from Amazon.com.
Canada: Click the logomark at right to purchase a Region 0 NTSC DVD of this edition from Amazon.ca.

This restored edition of the French serial presents the most-complete version of the serial, and includes a documentary on Louis Feuillade (32 minutes), a featurette on the serial’s restoration (6 minutes), and a 32-page booklet.

This British edition of the serial is among the shortest presentations, likely transferred from 35mm source materials.

The presentation is augmented by a music score composed by Eric Le Guen and Chateau Flight. Supplemental materials include the documentary Louis Feuillade at Work (1965), and four short Feuillade films.

United Kingdom: Click the logomark at right to purchase a Region 2 PAL DVD of this edition from Amazon.co.uk.

First episode: The Severed Head. Phillipe Guèrande (Edouard Mathé), ace reporter for The Paris Chronicle. Early on Mazamette (Marcel Lévesque), an agent of the Vampires, is caught trying to steal the Vampire files, but sways Guèrande with a photo of his family. Guèrande is tracking down clues. Staying overnight in Dr. Nox’s castle, a rich guest is robbed of her valuable jewels. Guèrande leads the police to the clues in the castle the next day but discovers a dead police inspector and a dire warning from The Grand Vampire. 31 minutes.

Second episode: The Ring That Kills. The Grand Vampire, disguised as the Count de Noirmoutier, treats a famous dancer with the gift of a poisoned ring. In one of the film’s most-striking images, modern dancer Marta Koutiloff performs on stage as a giant vampire bat, then collapses from the poison. Guèrande, pursuing, is captured by the Vampires, but his guard is none other than Mazamette who frees him. Returning with the police, Guèrande misses capturing members of the Vampires. 13 minutes.

Third episode: The Red Codebook. Guèrande decodes Vampires messages utilizing the red codebook taken from the Grand Inquisitor. With the Vampires watching his movements, he feigns illness and has a notice of the temporary suspension of his investigations printed in the newspaper. We are then introduced to Irma Vep (Musidora), an anagram of ‘vampire,’ who is undercover in the Howling Cat nightclub. Vep is instructed by the Grand Vampire to obtain the codebook in Guèrande’s possession. The reformed Mazamette provides Guèrande with a poison ink pen taken from the Grand Vampire himself. Irma enters the Guèrande home disguised as a replacement maid. Guèrande’s mother is kidnapped. Guèrande shoots a vampire and Irma Vep, but when he returns with the police they have disappeared across the rooftops. Meanwhile, Guèrande’s mother is forced into writing a note to her son for the return of the book, but uses the poisoned pen on her captor. The Grand Vampire and Irma Vep find their captive missing and the poison pen, and realize someone has betrayed them. 39 minutes.

Fourth episode: The Spectre. The Grand Vampire, disguised as a real estate broker Mr. Treps, is approached by a Señor Moreno for an apartment with a safe for valuables. Treps obliges, however, this safe has Irma Vep waiting behind its false back. Vep and the Grand Vampire discover that Moreno is actually a criminal himself. Monsieur Renoux-Deval, a bank executive, leaves instructions for the physical transfer of 300,000 francs by an employee, M. Metadier, who is a motion picture fanatic. Here, Gaumont indulges in some shameless self-promotion as a couple shots take place in front of the Gaumont Palace theatre in Paris. When he travels home that evening, Metadier is waylaid by the Vampires. The banking task falls on Miss Juliette, who turns out to be . . . you guessed it. But at the last moment the Spectre arrives in the guise of M. Metadier and is recognized by Irma Vep, who swoons in recognition. The false Metadier, followed by the Grand Vampire, escapes down a manhole. The bank soon realizes it has been taken. Guèrande arrives at the bank disguised as a workman and recognizes Irma Vep. Guèrande discovers her cover apartment and sends Mazamette there as a wine salesman to gain entry. Inside, Guèrande overhears Vep and the Grand Vampire discover Metadier and the money in the false safe. Moreno is the Spectre! Guèrande surprises them but the Vampires escape. Moreno opens the safe to discover the missing money and a waiting Guèrande, who hands him over to the police. 30 minutes.

Fifth episode: Dead Man’s Escape. Monsieur Hamel, the examining magistrate, and Guèrande question the captured Moreno, who manages to take a suicide pill. Guèrande obtains permission to accompany Moreno’s body, which is taken to a jail cell for the remainder of the evening. Of course, the pill only made Moreno appear to die and he recovers in the early morning to effect his escape. Mazamette happens to observe Moreno disappear into a hideout. Meanwhile, Guèrande is captured by the bold Vampires and placed into a costume trunk. Still, Guèrande manages to quickly escape. Going to the Pugenc costume shop the next day, Guèrande happens to arrive while Moreno is there renting police uniforms, who exits unseen. Guèrande obtains information to trace the trunk to a Baron’s residence and leaves, followed by Moreno, who confidently confronts Guèrande at a sidewalk cafe. Guèrande calls on the police, who capture him instead, being Moreno’s henchmen in disguise. To save himself from being killed, Guèrande provides information about the current identity of the Grand Vampire. Having snuck into Moreno’s hideout, Mazamette frees Guèrande, who pursues both Moreno and the Vampires to the Baron’s ball that evening. At midnight the rich guests are gassed into unconsciousness so that the Vampires may rob them of their jewelry and money. Fleeing with the loot, the Vampires are intercepted by Moreno, who pilfers their take. Led by Guèrande, the police are too late to the Baron’s residence to capture anyone. The following morning, Guèrande receives a taunting note of thanks for the information from Moreno. 35 minutes.

Sixth episode: Hypnotic Eyes. Moreno, still seeking vengeance on the Vampires, exercises his hypnotic powers on an innocent house maid. Meanwhile at a motion picture theatre, Guèrande and Mazamette recognize the Vampires in a film they are watching and travel to Fontainbleau. Mr. and Mrs. Horatio Werner are American tourists staying in a hotel there. Guèrande and Mazamette follow Mr. Werner to a remote area where he secrets a lock box. The Grand Vampire, now disguised as Count Kerlor, discovers that Werner has actually embezzled $200,000 from his American employer and is on the lam with his mistress. Guèrande and Mazamette open the lock box to discover Werner’s cash. Meanwhile, a disguised Moreno arrives at the hotel. While the false count entralls the hotel’s rich guests with an account of his great grandfather’s exploits, Irma Vep searches Werner’s room for clues to the money’s whereabouts. Discovering a map, she departs the room but is captured by Moreno, who has her carted off by his henchmen. He substitutes his hypnotized maid for Irma Vep and instructs her to take the map to the Grand Vampire. He sends a female henchman to retrieve the loot, but she discovers Guèrande’s note saying that he has the money. She is intercepted by Moreno, who learns of Guèrande’s ploy. Moreno send the woman back to the Grand Vampire with his ransom note for Irma Vep. The police raid the hotel the next morning, but are once again too late to capture anyone except the ersatz Werner couple. Meanwhile, we are told that Moreno has fallen unexpectedly in love with the now hypnotized Irma Vep, who writes a full confession of her recent activities. When the Grand Vampire arrives as Kerlor, Moreno instructs Vep to shoot him. Meanwhile, Mazamette, who has claimed the reward for capturing Werner, now lives in high fashion with his family. 53 minutes.

Seventh episode: Satanus. No sooner is the Grand Vampire out of the way, then Satanus arrives. And here is an even more ruthless leader of the Vampires, looking menacing in a Rudolph Klein-Rogge way. He quickly puts Moreno in his place, something the Grand Vampire could not do. Now here is an even more devilish foe for Guèrande. With Moreno opposing Satanas’ control, out comes the large secret weapons, something that would be a staple of this kind of genre film for many years to come. Satanas bombs the Moreno gang’s gathering place. Meanwhile, Guèrande is nearly killed in Mazamette’s apartment. And Irma Vep and Moreno come to surrender themselves to the will of Satanas. Together they conspire to to bilk an American millionaire, George Baldwin. Moreno sends his agent Lily Flower to ‘interview’ Baldwin with the intent to obtain his signature. Next, Irma obtains a recording of the millionaire under another ruse. Moreno then forges a check for $100,000 dollars. Mazamette recognizes Lily as she is cashing the check, and then follows her to her hand-off with Moreno. Moreno turns the cash over to Satanas who buys the loyalty of Moreno by handing the loot back to him. Guèrande and Mazamette go to Lily’s apartment to obtain information about Moreno’s and the Vampires’ plans. They force her into calling Moreno and Irma to her apartment, and the police finally catch Vep and Moreno. 42 minutes.

Eighth episode: The Thunder Master. Now captured, Irma Vep is sentenced to life in prison in Algeria. Moreno has also been taken care of. Meanwhile, Satanas is packing for a trip to Port Vendrés, the last French port before Africa, to rescue Irma Vep. Satanas, in disguise, passes a note with a plan to not only allow Irma Vep to escape but to be presumed dead by the French authorities. Guèrande decodes more from the red code book to determine the general area that originated the shell that destroyed Moreno’s hideout. Meanwhile, Mazamette’s son Eustache (Bout-de-Zan) is sent home from boarding school for laziness and malicious pranks. When he is enlisted to help search for the secret Vampires hideout, Eustache discovers a disguised bomb shell being transported into a building. Satanas arrives at Guèrande’s home with the intent of paralyzing the reporter long enough to kill him in an explosion. At the last moment, Mazamette averts destruction and then announces that he knows where the Vampire hideout is. Sneaking into Satanas’ headquarters, Mazamette and his son devise and execute a plan that captures Satanas with unexpected ease. Meanwhile, the not-so-dead Irma Vep arrives back in Paris to hook-up with the Vampires. Satanas has left instructions in the event of his arrest. A criminally-deranged chemist known as Venomous has provided a letter written in poisoned ink. Satanas is delivered the letter in prison, which he secretly injests. 50 minutes.

Ninth episode: The Poisoner. Now in control of the Vampires, Venomous desires only to be finished with the pesky Guèrande and Mazamette. Guèrande is now suddenly engaged to Jane Bremontier, and Venomous targets her to get to the reporter. A Vampire agent pumps the Bremontier for valuable information. The Vampires arrive at Guèrande’s engagement party as the caterers. But a maid stops the dinner party from being poisoned at the last minute and the Vampires escape over the rooftops. Seeking safe refuge for his family and fiancée, Guèrande arranges a plan for them to leave Paris. However, the Vampires already plan to strike again that evening. Irma Vep sprays the getaway car with a paralyzing chemical, but is stopped by Mazamette. He is overpowered and disposed of, and Irma Vep secrets herself in the getaway car. When the car arrives at its destination, Vep escapes detection and reports the new whereabouts of Guèrande to the Vampires. Guèrande soon stumbles onto Irma Vep and captures her. But when Venomous arrives but he and Irma Vep escape capture. Guèrande and Mazamette pursue in a thrilling sequence but Irma Vep and Venomous get away. 48 minutes.

Tenth episode: The Terrible Wedding. We could summarize the final episode, but we wouldn’t want to give everything away. Would we? 57 minutes.

Other silent era serials available on DVD home video:
The Adventures of Tarzan (1921-1922)
Beatrice Fairfax (1916)
Judex (1916-1917)
Lightning Hutch (1926)
Mystery of the Double Cross (1917)
Officer 444 (1926)
The Perils of Pauline (1914)
Tarzan the Tiger (1929)