Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #3654 in DVD
• Released on: 2006-02-20
• Rating: Parental Guidance
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Formats: Black & White, Colour, PAL
• Original language: French
• Subtitled in: French, English
• Number of discs: 2
• Running time: 335 minutes

Synopsis
The crime series about the notorious villain that terrorised Paris is brought to film. Fantomas was known as 'The Lord Of Terror' and his villainous acts included replacing the perfume dispensers in department stores with sulphuric acid and ordering that a victim face upwards in the guillotine so that he could see his own execution.

Customer Reviews

Amazing!
The story of Fantomas is divided into 5 separate films of about an hour each in length, although one runs approx 90 mins. Fantomas is a arch-criminal. He is a master of disguises, has a loyal group of followers and is ruthless in his actions. He is pursued throughout the 5 films by his nemesis, Inspector Juve and a reporter Jérôme Fandor.
Fantomas is one of the most entertaining silents I've seen and holds up well next to contemporary movies too. Each episode is creative, entertaining and the 5+ hours running time seemed to pass very quickly.
The picture quality is good and the colour tinting enhances viewing. One thing I was very impressed with was the music score. It really added to the atmosphere and enjoyment of the films. Excellent.
Unfortunately, some of the last film has been lost and is replaced with text but does not seriously affect the overall enjoyment of this set.
I would recommend Fantomas to any fans of silent films or anyone wishing to try something different. Actually, since watching Fantomas I've since ordered Louis Feuillade's 'Les Vampires' and 'Judex' which I'm really looking forward to seeing. I thought a 1913 series may be very basic and perhaps unwatchable but I was pretty blown away!

Fabulous early French cinema serial!
"Fantomas" is an early action/suspense series in five 1-hour episodes filmed in France in the years 1913-14, when cinema was just becoming a celebrated art and form of entertainment in its own right. For this reason alone I was already very impressed to see such sophistication and style in an early version of today's TV serials, complete with heroes and villains creating thrills and spills throughout every episode. Based on popular pulp novels of that time, prolific film-maker Louis Feuillade created one of the first crime dramas for the screen with a lively, original spontaneity that is still palpable when watching it close to a century later. Best remembered for the two crime drama serials he produced in following years, namely "Les Vampires" (1915) and "Judex" (1917) which became longer and more complex each time, "Fantomas" is refreshingly shorter and less involved, but still full of fascinating characters, thrilling action and enthralling twists and turns. The overall style is more of a comic book villain rather than a realistic crime drama, but this served as exciting and even avant-garde entertainment at the time, and is no less fascinating in our day.

Fantomas is the villain who, like his name implies, appears and disappears like a phantom, thanks to various clever disguises. Many of the situations are implausible, yet the way in which it is captured on screen makes for breathtaking suspense and surprises which are not easily forgotten. Even the street scenes, houses and fashions of these years create a charm and enchantment as one feels transported back into another time and era. Adding to all these outstanding features are the top quality orchestral music accompaniment and overall excellent condition of the film itself. There is also a 40-minute feature with Kim Newman who provides helpful background information to "Fantomas" and Louis Feuillade in order to appreciate this amazing early serial even more. Anyone who enjoyed "Les Vampires" and "Judex" should add "Fantomas" to complete their Louis Feuillade collection, and anyone with a yearning for something completely different from another time and place also won't be disappointed!

The only thing missing is Musidora
I may live in the US, but Feuillade and Abel Gance are, by far, my favorite silent film directors. While Feuillade's Les Vampires is one of my favorite silent films, Fantomas is not far behind. Fantomas may not have Musidora, but it is still a very entertaining series of 5 films with a clear print and a great musical score. I wish it was twice as long.