Les Vampires (1915–16) by Louis Feuillade - French Silent Crime Serial Film(with English Intertitle) Les Vampires is a silent French crime serial film written and directed by Louis Feuillade, released between 1915 and 1916. Set in Paris, it stars Édouard Mathé, Musidora, and Marcel Lévesque. The main characters are a journalist and his friend who are engaged in trying to discover and stop a strange underground gang of Apaches, known as the Vampires (who are not the mythological beings their name suggests).
The series consists of ten episodes, which vary significantly in length.
It lasts approximately 7 hours and is considered one of the longest films ever made.
It was produced and distributed by Feuillade's Gaumont company.
Due to their stylistic similarities with Feuillade's other crime series, Fantômas and Judex, all three are often considered a trilogy.
Fresh off the success of Feuillade's previous series, Fantômas, and facing competition from the rival company Pathé, Feuillade produced the film quickly and cheaply with minimal written script.
At its initial release, Les Vampires received negative reviews from critics for its questionable morality and lack of cinematic techniques compared to other films.
However, it was a tremendous success with its wartime audience, which turned Musidora into a star of French cinema.
Since then, the film has been reevaluated, and many consider it Feuillade's masterpiece and a cinematic gem.
It is known for developing thriller techniques, later adopted by Alfred Hitchcock and Fritz Lang; and for advancing avant-garde cinema, inspiring Luis Buñuel and others.
It is included in the book 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die, and... well, not really, just for true enthusiasts!
