Masterpiece Selection Resonating with the Themes of Séraphin ou les...

Dir: Louis Feuillade

The creeping black assassin Fantômas, the criminal lord of Paris and master of disguise, has won the first round. But the equally resourceful Inspector Juve swears to win the second.

Dir: Louis Feuillade

A visual fragment from the archive: The thematic resonance of Judex perfectly mirrors the editorial trajectory of our deep dive.

A twelve-part serial following the adventures of the masked vigilante Judex as he fights against criminals led by the corrupt banker Favrauxom.

Dir: Louis Feuillade

Is a continuation of the film series "Judex" the masked fighter for justice.

Dir: Louis Feuillade

A visual fragment from the archive: The thematic resonance of The New Mission of Judex perfectly mirrors the editorial trajectory of our deep dive.

The efforts of lawyer Jacques Varese and journalist Raoul de Nerac who attempt to expose and destroy the criminal organization led by a sadistic banker Rudolph Strelitz.

Dir: Edgar Jones

A mail-order bride arrives at a Maine lumber camp but doesn't like her prospective husband.

Dir: Louis Feuillade

A visual fragment from the archive: The thematic resonance of Barrabas perfectly mirrors the editorial trajectory of our deep dive.

Movie serial "Vendemiaire" depicts a registering nationalist and regionalism concerns about the effects of the First World War.

Dir: Louis Feuillade

Having committed murder in Belgium, Fantômas is sentenced to life imprisonment. Juve conceives the idea that if Fantômas is set free, he can follow him back to France and capture him and the remaining members of his gang once and for all.

Dir: Louis Feuillade

A visual fragment from the archive: The thematic resonance of In the River perfectly mirrors the editorial trajectory of our deep dive.

A fascinating piece of cinema that shares thematic elements.

Dir: Louis Feuillade

The press as well as the general public opinion suggest that Inspector Juve may in fact be Fantômas, the very criminal mastermind he tries to capture. But as Juve is imprisoned, the actual Fantômas schemes to keep him behind bars forever.

Dir: Louis Feuillade

As a token of his esteem for Captain George Cooper's prospective father-in-law, Lord Peters, the Rajah of Palakotta presents the captain with a casket of precious jewels. Cooper writes to his fiancée, telling her of this gift he will give her on his return. The notorious cracksman, Clement Rocca, robs the mail-train and reads the letter. He determines to steal the casket. He goes to the English hotel where the colonel and his daughter are staying. He meets them. At the same hotel is detective Harry Derwent. His suspicions are stirred by the action of Rocca. A telegram from Captain Cooper tells the time that his father and himself will arrive. The colonel and his daughter accept Rocca's invitation to join him in a shooting trip on an island off the coast. On arriving at the island, the criminal, on a pretext, leaves his guests. He returns to the mainland, knowing when the tide rises the island will be completely submerged. Not all his own way, however, is the criminal going to conduct his nefarious schemes, for Derwent is on the alert. On the previous night he had seen through a hole bored in the floor separating their rooms that Rocca is supplied with disguises. He had also learned of secret meetings with a man in an out-of-the-way cave, which is accessible only by a dangerous footpath. Capt. Cooper and his father duly arrive and the casket is deposited in the hotel safe. Captain Cooper goes for a walk on the cliffs. Half an hour later he is found insensible. The receipt for the casket has been stolen from the captain's pocketbook. It is Rocca's work. An accomplice, disguised as an orderly, goes to the hotel and is handed the casket on the strength of having the receipt. Cooper and the detective, arriving at the hotel, find that the box is gone. The captain gives chase to an automobile disappearing down the road. The detective hastens to keep watch over the cave. He hides behind a projecting piece of rock. In the interior, Rocca's accomplice hands over the casket. Derwent cautiously proceeds to the mouth of the cave, revolver in hand. He encounters Rocca. Before the latter recovers from the surprise Derwent snatches the precious package from him. There is a struggle. The thief loses his hold on the slippery rocks and staggers back over the edge, into the sea, disappearing forever. The colonel and his daughter, marooned on Bird's Island, have to swim for it when the tide rises. They keep afloat until they are picked up by a fishing smack. They don dry clothes loaned them by sailors and are soon back at the hotel. Captain Cooper returns from the unsuccessful pursuit of the casket. A happy reunion takes place when Detective Derwent enters with the jewels.