Les Vampires (1915)

[Johann]

EPISODE 1: La Tete Coupee

Even though this film has acting performances that spell things out quite clearly (due to the need to project for silent cinema), it's difficult to give it a review.

The heavily made-up actors border on overacting sometimes, but they're just doing all they can to make sure the audience has no illusions (pardon the pun) on what's happening in the story.
Events go from one to another quite quickly in this serial, with the main thrust being about a "sinistre bande des vampires" who are causing grief in a desolate early 20th Century Paris. They are anti-bourgeois, they dress in black, with what seem to be black cummerbunds, scarves and hoods, like the executioners did in gothic times. They look a little like an all-black army of spidermen, and one of them scales rooftops and water ducts just like the web-slinger. For a brief moment I thought about those modern-day executioners who read some statement before the camera, standing in front of their flag, faces concealed, weapons slung, looking ominous. The vampire gang perpetuate artsy jewel thefts, kidnappings, secret messages, sexy disguises, strange entrances and exits, just your stock mysterious pulpy capers. With a severed head in a box...mmmwahahha!

A journalist named Phillipe ("Redacteur au Mondial") investigates the jewel heists & tries to upset their dastardly deeds. A frequent character that everyone in the audience seemed to love was Mazamette, a not-so-smart former undertaker/sidekick to Philippe who keeps showing a pic of his family everytime he's done something wrong and is caught. He thinks it will inspire leniency.
Mazamette figures very prominently in Les Vampires- he's the most interesting character/actor next to Irma Vep.

But the real star here is Musidora, in a supporting role, who plays Irma Vep (anagram for "Vampire"). She is mesmerizing to gaze at, and my favorite scene is the one in Episode 2 where she dances on a theatre stage in her bat-suit, and then collapses. Greatness. She's iconic for that.
A definite pioneering special effect is in this movie- the letters on the marquee sign on the street for "Irma Vep" re-arrange themselves before Phillipe's very eyes into "Vampire".
Still holds up- over 90 years later! The audience reacted positively to that trick.

It's a little difficult to explain all of the events in this serial.
A lot happens and I can't explain it, let alone try to describe it.

In a nutshell, you have a story involving around 300,000 francs, a safe, the main character/reporter Phillipe Guerande, his mother, the "Grande Vampire", a Mrs. Simpson, a "stooge" named Henri who gets murdered, a guy named Mateeser, a Doctor named Nox, a guy named Satanas (who figures prominently in episode 7), a police Inspector named Durtal, a guy named Mr. de Villement, a girl named Marfa, a real estate agent named Mr. Treps, a "hypnotic thief" named Mr. Moreno, a Mr. Montetier and of course Irma, who disguises herself as one "Juliette", a maid. It's like a gothic game of Clue, with tricks and treachery. Hard to take notes for a film like this. Scenes go by in a blur. I wished I could've paused the film a few times...

I noticed in one review on the imdb that a guy pointed out that if the film has one flaw, it's too many characters being introduced. I agree. There is a new character every few minutes it seems. A new character that we have to learn all about.
All I can say is that I was very much engaged (no mean feat for a primitive silent from 1915!) and I can't wait to see how it all unfolds over the next two nights it's being screened. I saw it on video years ago but seeing it in the way I am now gives it a whole other impact.
Near-sold out crowd at Jackman Hall at the Art Gallery of Ontario.
Loud applause for Mr. O'Meara and the event itself at the end.

The other episode titles:
2: La Bagne Qui Tue
3: Le Cryptogramme Rouge
4: Le Spectre