So says Oscar Mazamette, one of the three principal characters in Louis Feuillade’s LES VAMPIRES and it sums up the plot concisely but hardly scratches the surface of the complexity of this legendary 10 episode serial. Feuillade (pronouced Foo-YAHD) had succeeded Alice Guy (rhymes with KEY) in 1907 as the production head of France’s Gaumont Studios and produced and/or directed over 700 films between 1906 and 1924 (most were one or two reelers).
His first large scale serial about the master criminal FANTOMAS (1913-1914) was an international success and helped to pave the way for LES VAMPIRES (1915-1916) which would be an even bigger success and would have a major influence not only on the crime drama as a genre but on many future filmmakers. It also introduced actress-dancer Musidora as Irma Vep, a black clad, dark-eyed anti-heroine (see cover) who would become one of the icons of early cinema. He would follow LES VAMPIRES with JUDEX (1916-1917) about a mysterious figure fighting for justice which gave Musidora another great villainess to play, that of Diana Monti. It too would be very successful (even spawning a sequel) and was remade by director Georges Franju (EYES WITHOUT A FACE) in 1963.
The deceptively simple plotline of LES VAMPIRES has crime reporter Phillipe Guerande (Edouard Mathe’) taking on a vast criminal organization known as “the Vampires” (sorry, no bloodsuckers here) with the aid of trusty, comical sidekick Mazamette (Marcel Levesque). Even though each of the 10 chapters is complete (no cliffhangers like in American serials), they are a rollercoaster ride of alternate identities, narrow escapes, and daring and dastardly deeds. What makes LES VAMPIRES work is Feuillade’s use of Paris locations (ca 1915) and how restrained his performers are.
The plot twists are varied and the characters are engaging and intruiging. Imagine watching a 100 year old version of HOUSE OF CARDS. The Blu-Ray release is basically the same as the old Waterbearer Films DVD although digitally remastered. The Mont Alto Orchestra score suits the material well although it’s occasionally repetitive. To be fair I did watch all 7 hours with only one break (to change discs). If you’ve never experienced a Feuillade serial before then this is the one to start with. Some sections are in better shape than others but for being 100 years old, it looks remarkable. Try it and see. Betcha can’t stop at just one episode!
The Capsule Critic 