Les vampires (1915)

An intrepid reporter and his loyal friend battle a bizarre secret society of criminals known as The Vampires.

Director:

Louis Feuillade

Writer:

Louis Feuillade

Stars:

Musidora, Édouard Mathé, Marcel Lévesque

1 nomination.

Cast

Credited cast:
Musidora	...	Irma Vep
Édouard Mathé	...	Philippe Guérande
Marcel Lévesque	...	Oscar Mazamette
Jean Aymé	...	Le Grand Vampire
Fernand Herrmann	...	Juan-José Moréno / Brichonnet
Stacia Napierkowska	...	Marfa Koutiloff
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Renée Carl	...	L'Andalouse
Suzanne Delvé	...	Fleur-de-Lys
Georgette Faraboni	...	Danseuse vampire
Jacques Feyder	...	(episode V: L'évasion du mort)
Fridolin
Rita Herlor	...	Mrs Simpson
Émile Keppens	...	Géo Baldwin
Louise Lagrange	...	Jeanne Guérande
Suzanne Le Bret	...	Hortense - servante d'Irma

Storyline

An intrepid reporter and his loyal friend battle a bizarre secret society of criminals known as The Vampires.

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Plot Keywords:

reporter | criminal | secret | confession | little boy | 

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Official Sites:

Gaumont [fr]

Country:

France

Language:

French

Release Date:

13 November 1915 (France)

Also Known As:

The Vampires

Filming Locations:

Paris, France

Company Credits

Production Co:

Société des Etablissements L. Gaumont

Technical Specs

Runtime:

399 min 399 min (DVD)

Sound Mix:

Silent

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Musidora was an acrobat who did all her own stunts for this film.

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Goofs

Throughout various episodes, the same flats were clearly reused for interiors. Many of the same buildings will have the exact same wall paper and wainscoting.

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Quotes

from Phillipe's La Fontaine: [Phillipe and Mazamette have had a disagreement. Phillipe gets out La Fontaine and points to a passage] In all things, one must take the end into account.

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Connections

Edited from The Vampires: Hypnotic Eyes (1916)

User Reviews

Amazing glipse into the past!

Now here's a movie that doesn't require a replication of Paris in the early 20th century. The real McCoy is used for the settings, vehicles, costumes, firearms, etc. Since it was filmed in 1916 one can see for example how horse-drawn carriages were still a very popular means of transport in the "modern" sense. If you a true fan of motion picture history -- then you can't afford to miss this gem. It represents the dawn of the motion picture industry before we had well-known movie stars and blockbusters like Intolerance (1916) and Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1919).

This film, a series of 10 episodes, tells the story of a gang of thieves and murderers (The Vampire Gang) who are out to create havoc in Paris for their own personal goals. The heros of this tale are a newspaper reporter, Phillipe Guerande, and his hilarious sidekick, Mazamette. Together they aim to foil the latest capers of the gang and find themselves in unexpected trouble throughout the entire series. Ingenious methods by the criminals are used in each episode.

Each episode builds upon the first, so I strongly recommend you watch it in sequence (as if you watching the Sopranos on HBO). It's interesting to see how the characters develop and improve their acting as they gain experience and confidence within their roles. Irma Vep and Mazamette, especially are a treat to watch. Later in the series, both Irma Vep and Mazamete deliberately ham it up for the viewing audience and camera just for fun! Guerande reminded me a lot of Gene Kelly with his clean-cut facial expressions and haircut. Only the last episode (#10) was a disappointment. For some reason, much of the print was washed out in the interior scenes, the tinting inconsistent (many outdoor scenes were red instead of green etc.) and the storyline was unrealistically forced forward (i.e., how did Mazamette enter into Guerande's house at 2:00 am uninvited and how did Guerande climb down the 3rd floor balcony of the Vampires' mansion after he threw away their knotted rope, the Vampires' only means of escape from that level?)

Most episodes are 45 minutes in length, except #10 which is nearly a hour. Even though the entire series runs over 8 hours, don't watch it a double speed as suggested by a previous reviewer. The score adds ambience, suspense & excitement to the Parisian scenes at the appropriate places. Lastly there are two supplements on the DVD. The first is a royal waste (a true supernavel, or "turnip" according to the French), the second is a cute story starring the young boy who played Mazamette's son in "Les Vampires".