Fantômas (French pronunciation: [fɑ̃tomas]) is a 1964 French comedy film starring Jean Marais as the arch villain Fantômas opposite Louis de Funès as the earnest but outclassed commissaire Paul Juve. In the film Juve teams up with journalist Fandor, also played by Marais, trying to catch Fantômas but never quite succeeding. It was France's answer, in 1964, to the James Bond phenomenon that swept the world at around the same time. It is the first film of a trilogy,[2] and Fantômas became extremely successful in Europe, the Soviet Union and Japan. It found success even in the United States, where fan websites exist to this day. Mylène Demongeot plays "Hélène Gurn", the girlfriend of "Jérôme Fandor", Fantômas' arch enemy. The general tone of the films is more light-hearted than the original Fantômas novels. Commissaire Juve, as played by Louis de Funès, becomes a comedic character, much unlike his literary counterpart.[3]
| Fantômas | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical poster | |
| Directed by | André Hunebelle |
| Written by | Pierre Souvestre (novels) Marcel Allain (novels) Jean Halain(screenplay) Pierre Foucaud (screenplay) |
| Produced by | Paul Cadéac (delegate producer) Cyril Grize (producer) Alain Poiré (delegate producer) |
| Starring | Jean Marais Louis de Funès Mylène Demongeot |
| Music by | Michel Magne |
Production company | |
Release date |
|
Running time | 105 minutes |
| Country | France |
| Language | French |
| Box office | $33.7 million[1] |
Plot
editFantômas is a man of many disguises. He uses maquillage as a weapon. He can impersonate anyone using an array of masks and can create endless confusion by constantly changing his appearance. In the first episode of the series he is unhappy with Fandor, because of a fictitious interview the journalist wrote about him. He takes his revenge by abducting Fandor and threatening to kill him. He then uses his formidable makeup skills to commit a spectacular crime while disguised like Fandor. When commissaire Juve joins the chase, chameleon-like Fantômas promptly commits a crime wearing a mask looking like Juve. In the end Fandor, Juve and Fandor's girlfriend Hélène are all on the master criminal's trail, all to no avail as the man of a thousand masks finally manages to escape.
Cast
edit| Actor | Character |
|---|---|
| Jean Marais | Fantômas / Fandor |
| Louis de Funès | Commissaire Juve |
| Mylène Demongeot | Hélène Gurn |
| Jacques Dynam | Bertrand |
| Marie-Hélène Arnaud | Lady Beltham |
Release
editThe film was released in France on 4 November 1964 and in the United States on 5 April 1966.
The Fantômas trilogy
edit| Title | Release date |
|---|---|
| Fantômas | 4 November 1964 |
| Fantômas se déchaîne | 8 December 1965 |
| Fantômas contre Scotland Yard | 16 March 1967 |
Reception
editThe film was the fifth most popular movie at the French box office in 1964.[1] It had admissions of 4,492,419.[4]
References
edit- ^ a b "1964 French box office". Box Office Story. Retrieved 28 August 2016.
- ^ Kate Ince (22 July 2005). Georges Franju. Manchester University Press. p. 55. ISBN 978-0-7190-6828-7.
- ^ Dimitris Eleftheriotis (25 January 2002). Popular Cinemas of Europe: Studies of Texts, Contexts and Frameworks. Bloomsbury Publishing. p. 84. ISBN 978-1-62356-955-6.
- ^ "Box Office Figures for Jean Marais films". Box Office Story.