 | Les Vampires | |
Rating: |  out of  |
| The Vampires are a ruthless gang of criminals doing pretty much whatever they want in Paris. Phillipe Guerande, a newspaper reporter begins investigating them with the help of the office boy, Mazzamette. It is soon revealed, episode two I believe, that Mazzamette is actually a vampire. He reforms and Guerande and Mazzamette spend the remaining episodes trying to bring the Vampires to justice, especially the ubiquitous Irma Vep (Musidora). Naturally, the Vampires do not appreciate this and visit reprisals on Guerande and his loved ones. |
| Try to imagine X Files meets Mission Impossible meets the Pink Panther in 1915. Naturally, the special effects are not up to today's standard. This is counterbalanced by the clothes and sets that depict Paris in 1915 in the casual detail a modern film can't hope to match. I found the pacing a little slow, especially the long conversations with only occasional titles. On the other hand, this allows incurable talkers to have their say without hopelessly ruining the movie for their wives. The score had a strangely soporific effect on me that it did not have on my husband. Also, with the exception of Mazzamette, it was sometimes hard for us to tell characters apart. |
| Seven Hours!!! What kept my interest for seven hours was the time capsule effect. It was cool to see what was a high tech toy in 1915 and what were, I 'm guessing, exciting stunts. Also, Irma Vep, would fit right into today's master villain movie. She is up to any evil. As far as the good guys go, the homely Mazzamette steals the show from the handsomer Guerande. |
Standout Scenes: | In the second Episode, "The Ring That Kills", a ballerina is dressed for Der Fliedermaus. She looks like Mickey Mouse.
In episode three, I think, "The Red Codebook", Irma is disguised as a mild mannered bank clerk. Her boss goes out of town for the weekend leaving directions that Mr. Metidier should perform an errand involving 100,000 francs but that if he isn't in by 10:00, Irma should run the errand. Irma goes out with Mr. Metidier and murders him with a hat pin. At the appointed time, she is all set to collect the money when Mr. Metidier appears!
In the seventh episode, Satanus, the Grand Master Vampire has a remote controlled cannon in his apartment.
Episode eight, "The Thunder Master", has Mazzamette's young son, Eustache (Bout-De-Zan), arrive home, having been sent down from school for extreme naughtiness. He is a bad little kid and almost a match for the Vampires. |
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