Fantômas (film)
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| Fantômas | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical poster |
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| Directed by | André Hunebelle |
| Produced by | Paul Cadéac (delegate producer) Cyril Grize (producer) Alain Poiré (delegate producer) |
| Written by | Pierre Souvestre (novels) Marcel Allain (novels) Jean Halain(screenplay) Pierre Foucaud (screenplay) |
| Starring | Jean Marais Louis de Funès Mylène Demongeot |
| Release date(s) |  4 November 1964 5 April 1966 9 April 1965 27 May 1966 23 December 1973 |
| Country | France |
| Language | French |
| Followed by | Fantômas se déchaîne |
| Allmovie profile | |
| IMDb profile | |
Fantômas is a 1964 film starring Jean Marais as the arch villain with the same name 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 of a trilogy of Fantômas films that became extremely successful in Europe and found success even in the United States and Japan where fan websites exist to this day.[1] Mylène Demongeot plays Hélène. Hélène Gurn is the sexy 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 different from his literary counterpart.
Contents |
[edit] Tagline
| Men Hunt Him Down....Women Look Him Up!....Super Thief....Master Lover....He's out to ransack the world! |
[edit] Synopsis
Fantômas 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.
[edit] Principal cast
| Actor | Character |
|---|---|
| Jean Marais | Fantômas |
| Jean Marais | Fandor |
| Louis de Funès | Commissioner Juve |
| Mylène Demongeot | Hélène Gurn |
[edit] Alternative titles
| Title | Country |
|---|---|
| Fantomas | Spain, West Germany, Czechoslovakia |
| Fan ta Fantomas | Sweden |
| Fantomas - sadan naamion mies | Finland |
| Fantomas 70 | Italy |
| Φαντομάς (Phantomas) | Greece |
| Фантомас (Phantomas) | Soviet Union (Russian title) |
[edit] Release dates
| Country | Release date |
|---|---|
| France | 4 November 1964 |
| Finland | 9 April 1965 |
| USA | 5 April 1966 (New York City, New York) |
| West Germany | 27 May 1966 |
| East Germany | 23 December 1973 (TV premiere) |
[edit] The Fantômas trilogy
| Title | Release date |
|---|---|
| Fantômas | 4 November 1964 |
| Fantômas se déchaîne | 8 December 1965 |
| Fantômas contre Scotland Yard | 16 March 1967 |
[edit] See also
[edit] Cited references
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