Les Vampires

1915 [FRENCH]

Action / Adventure / Crime / Drama / Mystery / Thriller

6
Rotten Tomatoes Critics - Rotten 80% · 22 reviews
Rotten Tomatoes Audience - Upright 80% · 1K ratings
IMDb Rating 7.3/10 10 5835 5.8K

paris, france secret organization gang silent film newspaper reporter movie serial

Plot summary

Paris is prey to an invisible terror against which the police can do nothing: a sinister organization that sows chaos and death. The intrepid journalist Philippe Guérande and his partner embark on a long crusade to put an end to the crimes of the Great Vampire and Irma Vep, his dangerous accomplice. (A ten episode movie serial.)

Director

Louis Feuillade Photo
Louis Feuillade

Top cast

Suzanne Le Bret Photo
Suzanne Le Bret as Hortense - servante d'Irma
Françoise Rosay Photo
Françoise Rosay as Une invitée chez Mortesaigues
Jean-François Martial Photo
Jean-François Martial
Marcel Lévesque Photo
Marcel Lévesque as Oscar Mazamette
720p.BluRay 1080p.BluRay
310.47 MB
1280*946
French 2.0
NR
Subtitles fr  
23.976 fps
12 hr 33 min
Seeds 1
577.22 MB
1460*1080
French 2.0
NR
Subtitles fr  
23.976 fps
12 hr 33 min
Seeds 10

Movie Reviews

Reviewed by gavin6942 7 / 10

The Beauty of the French Serial

An intrepid reporter and his loyal friend battle a bizarre secret society of criminals known as The Vampires.Director Louis Feuillade is something of a legend, having directed an astonishing 630 films in the silent era (and perhaps more). He is best known for "Fantomas", the serial he made prior to "Vampires", and while the former may be marginally superior, they are both exquisite in their own way, and a great example of early thrillers.Indeed, it is quite impressive that a film is seven hours long and still exists one hundred years later. Given how many silent films have since been lost forever, it is incredible that Feuillade's work seems to be intact and in great shape.
Reviewed by Ace-33 8 / 10

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".
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