Le Trust, ou les batailles de l'argent (1911)
Directed by Louis Feuillade

Crime / Drama / Thriller / Short
aka: The Trust, or The Battles of Money

Film Review

Abstract picture representing Le Trust, ou les batailles de l'argent (1911)
Despite being almost completely overlooked today, Le Trust, ou les batailles de l'argent represents an important milestone in both the history of Gaumont and the career of the young company's most valuable asset, Louis Feuillade.  A fast-moving criminal intrigue, it anticipates the hugely popular thriller serials that Feuillade would go on to make for Gaumont over the next decade - Fantômas (1913), Les Vampires (1915), Judex (1916), Tih Minh (1918) and Barrabas (1919).  René Navarre plays the principal villain, a tenebrous, cross-dressing private detective who bears more than a passing resemblance to his most famous screen creation, the criminal mastermind Fantômas.

With the art of film narrative still very much in its infancy, Le Trust, ou les batailles de l'argent can hardly help appearing pedestrian and contrived by today's standards, but Feuillade's slick direction, with its use of strong visuals, together with Navarre's magnetic presence, makes it an absorbing piece, and in it we can readily discern the origins of the modern crime thriller.  The characters are convincingly played by members of Feullade's familiar repertory company and, even if the plot is ridiculous, we are hooked by the performances.  Navarre's Julien Kieffer isn't only a prototype Fantômas, he is also the template for just about every movie villain there ever was, and watching him in this film, exuding menace from every pore, you can convince yourself he is easily one of the most sinister of crime fiends.
© James Travers 2015
The above content is owned by filmsdefrance.com and must not be copied.
Next Louis Feuillade film:
La Hantise (1912)

Film Synopsis

Darbois, a wealthy industrialist, declines an invitation to join a trust headed by the rubber magnate Jacob Berwick after he receives a telegram from a young scientist, Jean Brémond, who claims to have invented a revolutionary new form of rubber.  Before Brémond can reach Darbois, he is kidnapped by Julien Kieffer, a private detective in Berwick's employ.  The scientist is taken to Berwick, who offers to spare his life in return for the chemical formula of his new compound.  Brémond proves to be one step ahead of his abductors...
© James Travers
The above content is owned by filmsdefrance.com and must not be copied.


Film Credits

  • Director: Louis Feuillade
  • Cast: Renée Carl (Juliette Michaud), René Navarre (Le détective Julien Kieffer), Paul Manson (Emile Darbois), Jean Devalde (Jean Brémond), Fernand Herrmann (Accomplice)
  • Country: France
  • Language: French
  • Support: Black and White / Silent
  • Runtime: 24 min
  • Aka: The Trust, or The Battles of Money

The best of British film comedies
sb-img-15
British cinema excels in comedy, from the genius of Will Hay to the camp lunacy of the Carry Ons.
The best French films of 2018
sb-img-27
Our round-up of the best French films released in 2018.
The greatest French film directors
sb-img-29
From Jean Renoir to François Truffaut, French cinema has no shortage of truly great filmmakers, each bringing a unique approach to the art of filmmaking.
The very best fantasy films in French cinema
sb-img-30
Whilst the horror genre is under-represented in French cinema, there are still a fair number of weird and wonderful forays into the realms of fantasy.
The greatest French Films of all time
sb-img-4
With so many great films to choose from, it's nigh on impossible to compile a short-list of the best 15 French films of all time - but here's our feeble attempt to do just that.
 

Other things to look at


Copyright © filmsdefrance.com 1998-2024
All rights reserved



All content on this page is protected by copyright