Les Vampires (1915)

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Les Vampires is a 1915–1916 French silent crime serial film written and directed by Louis Feuillade. Set in Paris, it stars Édouard Mathé, Musidora and Marcel Lévesque. The main characters are a journalist and his friend who become involved in trying to uncover and stop a bizarre underground Apaches criminal gang, known as the Vampires, who are not the mythical beings their name might suggest. The serial consists of ten episodes, which vary greatly in length. It was produced and distributed by Feuillade's company Gaumont. Due to its stylistic similarities with Feuillade's other crime serials Fantômas and Judex, the three are often considered a trilogy.

Production

The genre of crime serial was common at the time, and Feuillade had had a big success with his previous work, the serial Fantômas. It is suspected that production of Les Vampires began when Gaumont learned that rival company Pathé had acquired the rights to release the serial The Mysteries of New York, known in America as The Exploits of Elaine, and felt they had to fend off competition.

The idea of the criminal gang was possibly inspired by the Bonnot Gang, a highly advanced anarchist group who went on a high-profile crime spree in Paris during 1911–1912. Feuillade wrote the script himself, but did it in a very simplistic way, usually writing the premise and relying on the actors to fill in the details. Later episodes were more scripted.

The style has been compared to that of a pulp magazine (which it was later serialised as). In an essay on the serial, Fabrice Zagury stated that "...Feuillade's narrative seldom originates from principles of cause and effect... Rather it unwinds following labyrinthine and spiral-shaped paths." None of the episodes employ the cliffhanger mechanic, popularised by The Perils of Pauline.

The series was mostly shot on location in Paris, and is said to have been strenuous. Some actors had to leave due to the wartime efforts. It was shot inexpensively, evidenced by the utilisation of painted flats for doors, re-use of furniture in the sets, and its reliance on stock footage for more elaborate shots such as a ferry exploding in "The Thunder Master".

Feuillade makes little use of popular cinematic techniques, with most of the cinematography consisting of long takes with stationary cameras with the occasional use of a close up to show plot details such as photos or letters. This was done to give the series a more "real look". Due to a lack of scripting by Feuillade many of the scenes were improvised on the days of shooting. Musidora, a former acrobat, did all her own stunts.

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