Fantômas se déchaîne (1965)

When Professor Marchand, a famous scientist, mysteriously disappears, the commissioner, Juve, immediately suspects Fantomas.

Director:

André Hunebelle

Writers:

Pierre Souvestre (novels), Marcel Allain (novels),

Stars:

Jean Marais, Louis de Funès, Mylène Demongeot

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jean Marais	...	Fantômas / Fandor / Professeur Lefèvre
Louis de Funès	...	Commissaire Juve
Mylène Demongeot	...	Hélène
Jacques Dynam	...	Bertrand
Robert Dalban	...	Le rédacteur du 'Point du Jour'
Albert Dagnant	...	Professeur Marchard
Christian Toma	...	Inspecteur
Michel Duplaix	...	Un inspecteur
Olivier De Funès	...	Michou
Florence Blot	...	La dame
Robert Le Béal	...	Le ministre
Pietro Tordi	...	Le président de l'Assemblée
Henri Attal	...	Le garde de Fantômas (as Henri Atal)
Dominique Zardi	...	Homme de main
Jacques Marin	...	L'agent de police ferroviaire

Storyline

Quand le professeur Marchand, un célèbre scientifique, disparaît mystérieusement, le commissaire Juve soupçonne tout de suite Fantomas. Entre temps le journaliste Fandor se déguise en Léfèvre, assistant de Marchand, et il est enlevé par Fantomas. Mais également le commissaire Juve tombe dans le piège pendant que Fantomas, lui aussi, se déguise en Léfevre et ils se retrouvent tous à Rome à un congrès scientifique. Fantomas aura le dessus et les intéressés se retrouveront dans son antre, prisonniers et, semble-t-il, sans aucune possibilité d'échapper à leur destin, accompagnés par la musique d'un orgue joué par Fantomas.

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Plot Keywords:

scientist | journalist | personality change | masquerade | big family | 

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Taglines:

Les Nouvelles Aventures de Fantomas

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Genres:

Adventure | Comedy | Crime | Fantasy

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Details

Country:

France Italy

Language:

French

Release Date:

8 December 1965 (France)

Also Known As:

Fantomas Strikes Back

Filming Locations:

Paris Studios Cinéma, Billancourt, Hauts-de-Seine, France

Company Credits

Production Co:

Société Nouvelle des Établissements Gaumont (SNEG), P.A.C., Da Ma Produzione

Technical Specs

Runtime:

94 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The parachute sequence at the end of the movie was the first of its kind filmed in a big screen format. Photography was done in free fall by camera operator Jean-Jacques Dubourg. Interestingly enough, the opening sequence of the James Bond movie Moonraker is in many regards very similar to this scene, which is all the more worth mentioning as the De Funès / Marais Fantômas series is widely regarded as a Bond spoof.

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Goofs

When Juve falls out of the plane near the end of the movie, he is very obviously played by a stunt double; moreover, the double wears badly concealed parachute packs on back and belly.

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Connections

Edited from The Devil's Blast (1960)

User Reviews

The French strike back at James Bond

'Fantomas Strikes Back' is a great period piece. While not as believable and scary as the original series opener a year earlier, the wonderful Rome locations more than compensate. The Fantomas films were shot in post-WWII Europe's heydays, when it looked like the future will be just as rosy.

This film came out the same year as the Bond flick 'Thunderball,' and can be considered French cinema's answer to the Anglophile 007 craze sweeping Europe and the world back then. The kidnapped scientist plot shows up in many Bond films, of course. But the best gimmick in any Fantomas film is Fantomas' ability to assume other people's identity at will by using high quality rubber face masks. And his own, featureless eerie green rubber mask is rather scary still.

BTW, does anyone know if the 'Fantomas' films are available on DVD?