Fantômas (1947)
Directed by Jean Sacha

Film Review

In the austere aftermath of WWII, French cinema audiences were in dire need of pure escapism, so what could be better suited to provide this than another screen outing for the most iconic master-criminal in French literature: Fantômas?  There had been earlier adaptations of the ever-popular crime novels by Marcel Allain and Pierre Souvestre, most successfully the series of five silent films directed by Louis Feuillade in 1913-14, with René Navarre leaving a memorable impression as the sadistically murderous Prince de l'Épouvante.  This was followed by a sound feature Fantômas (1932) from the distinguished Hungarian cineaste Paul Fejos, a lesser work that (apart from the title) would seem to have nothing whatsoever to do with the tenebrous Allain-Souvestre creation.  Jean Sacha's 1947 version is closer in spirit to the original novels but, made in a hurry on a shoe-string budget (and showing it in just about every shot), it can't help looking like the shoddiest poor relation of the Feuillade classics.

The film's one strong suit is its cast, although the script is of such poor quality that this scarcely seems to register for much of the film.  Marcel Herrand (best remembered for his work on Marcel Carné's Les Visiteurs du soir and Les Enfants du paradis) is an excellent choice for the part of the titular villain, his powerful physique and steely gaze making him appear every bit as cold and merciless as the crime lord created by Allain and Souvestre.  Herrand's is the only performance that consistently stays above the mundane in this fairly pedestrian thriller, and in some scenes he exudes more undiluted malevolence than a roomful of good Bond villains.  Simone Signoret is also striking as the gutsy raincoat wearing heroine, a proto-Cathy Gale Avengers-type - you can't help wishing she was given a much more proactive part in the narrative (she spends most of her time being locked up).  Alexandre Rignault and André Le Gall (Juve and Fandor respectively) are both fine actors but, saddled with a weak script, neither makes much of an impact and both come across as pretty feeble do-gooders who succeed more by accident than by design.

With a less capable cast this version of Fantômas would scarcely be worth watching.  It was the first in a series of half a dozen cheap B-movies that director Jean Sacha put his name to between 1947 and 1957.  The others are even less impressive and include the Lemmy Caution yawn-a-thon Cet homme est dangereux (1953) and the dismal first screen outing for agent OSS 117 (France's answer to James Bond) - OSS 117 n'est pas mort (1957).  Considering that Sacha began his career as Max Ophüls's editor on films like Sans lendemain (1940), and then assistant to H.G. Clouzot on Le Corbeau (1943), it's surprising how mediocre a director he turned out.  Even allowing for the crippling lack of resources (a result of severe government-imposed rationing after the war), his Fantômas struggles to make the grade even as a B-movie.

Some highly atmospheric lighting and imaginative set design (both with a stylish expressionist feel) give the film a suitably menacing noir gloss in parts, the sequences in which the good guys are threatened by a descending ceiling being particularly anxiety-inducing.  Unfortunately, the film's uneven pacing and an overly drawn out climactic fight sequence are more likely to wear down the spectator's patience and make it hard for him or her to appreciate the occasional shard of brilliance that comes fleetingly into sight.  With a better screenwriter, editor and director, this sci-fi-leaning Fantômas excursion could have been a far more substantial piece than the ungainly curate's egg that Jean Sacha ended up laying for us.  Would director Robert Vernay fare any better with the supervillain's next screen outing - Fantômas contre Fantômas (1949)?

Film Synopsis

According to police records, there is irrefutable proof that the arch-criminal Fantômas is a dead man.  His daughter Hélène is at last free to marry the man of her choice - the journalist Fandor, who assisted Inspector Juve in rescuing her from her father's evil clutches.  But the marriage is rendered void when the mayor due to officiate at the ceremony is killed and replaced by an impostor.  Realising that this is the work of Fantômas, Juve has Hélène and Fandor taken to a safe hiding place whilst the police begin their search for the resurrected master of crime.

At an evening reception, Fantômas appears before a gathered assembly of dignitaries with his most dastardly ultimatum yet.  Unless the French government pays him one billion francs in gold he will murder one million Parisians by the end of the month.  Fantômas's latest weapon is a powerful death ray projected from a helicopter, capable of killing thousands at a stroke.  Fandor and Juve succeed in locating their enemy's secret underground laboratory, but in doing so they are captured and placed in a small chamber with a descending ceiling.

Hélène is captured by her father in turn and forced to reveal the location of the man who has in his possession the secret formula for Fantômas's new weapon, in return for her friends' lives.  By an ingenious ruse, Fandor and Juve manage to escape from their deadly cell and go on the offensive. In the ensuing armed battle Fantômas escapes in a van, with his daughter once again a prisoner.  It is up to Fandor to save her and stop the criminal mastermind from continuing out his monstrous campaign of terror...