Les Vampires (1915)

A journalist (Edouard Mathe) and his friend (Marcel Levesque) become involved in uncovering a notorious underground gang called The Vampires who perform daring robberies but are not above murder if it fits into their plans. Written and directed by Louis Feuillade (JUDEX), this serial runs about seven hours. Apparently made very quickly and with little attention paid to the script, it's all over the place. Characters appear and are easily discarded or killed off with new characters quick to replace them. While I prefer Feuillade's FANTOMAS serial, this one is great fun even if or perhaps because of its often ludicrous plotting and dotty scenes (at a wedding, the bride and groom dance in black body stockings!). The movie is daring in its criminal violence, the body count in very high. The film made a big star out of Musidora who plays the infamous Irma Vep (the inspiration for Olivier Assayas' 1996 film). Feuillade's stylish direction and technique clearly made an impression on Hitchcock and Fritz Lang as their early thrillers seem influenced by LES VAMPIRES. Unless, you watch it in a continuous sitting, you may lose your concentration and recollection of the movie's past events. With Fernand Herrmann, Louise Lagrange, Germaine Rouer and Suzanne Delve.