Judex
Encyclopedia
Judex is the title of a 1916
silent
French
movie serial
concerning the adventures of Judex
who is a pulp hero, similar to The Shadow, created by Louis Feuillade
and Arthur Bernède
.
and Les Vampires
, about cunning criminals. Though popular with audiences, the serials both drew criticism for glorifying outlaws. Feuillade answered these concerns by creating the hero Judex, who had the sinister trappings of the flamboyant villains so popular at the time.
Judex was a mysterious avenger who dressed in black and wore a slouch hat and cloak like Aristide Bruant. This costume is strikingly similar to the costume of the later American
pulp
hero The Shadow
.
Judex anticipated later pulp heroes and superhero
es in many respects. He was a masterful fighter, an expert at disguise, and boasted a secret headquarters. In the subterranean passages beneath a ruined castle
Judex had a base outfitted with technological gadget
s. He also had a secret identity, as Judex (the Latin word for judge) is a nom-de-guerre he has adopted in his quest for revenge.
Judex was played by French matinee idol René Cresté
and Diana was played by Musidora
, who had previously played the villainess Irma Vep
in Les Vampires.
delayed its release. It was finally premiered in December 1916, and subsequently in wider release in 1916-1918.
A sequel serial was released in 1918 titled Judex's New Mission (La Nouvelle Mission de Judex).
1916 in film
The year 1916 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* October 17 - release of A Daughter of the Gods, the first US production with a million dollar budget, with the first nude scene by a major star....
silent
Silent film
A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound, especially with no spoken dialogue. In silent films for entertainment the dialogue is transmitted through muted gestures, pantomime and title cards...
French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
movie serial
Serial (film)
Serials, more specifically known as Movie serials, Film serials or Chapter plays, were short subjects originally shown in theaters in conjunction with a feature film. They were related to pulp magazine serialized fiction...
concerning the adventures of Judex
Judex
Judex is the title of a 1916 silent French movie serial concerning the adventures of Judex who is a pulp hero, similar to The Shadow, created by Louis Feuillade and Arthur Bernède.-Concept:...
who is a pulp hero, similar to The Shadow, created by Louis Feuillade
Louis Feuillade
Louis Feuillade was a prolific and prominent French film director from the silent era. Between 1906 and 1924 he directed over 630 films...
and Arthur Bernède
Arthur Bernède
Arthur Bernède was a French writer, poet, opera libretist, and playwright.He was born in Redon, Ille-et-Vilaine department, in Brittany....
.
Concept
Feuillade had made two earlier serials, FantômasFantômas
Fantômas is a fictional character created by French writers Marcel Allain and Pierre Souvestre .One of the most popular characters in the history of French crime fiction, Fantômas was created in 1911 and appeared in a total of 32 volumes written by the two collaborators, then a subsequent 11...
and Les Vampires
Les Vampires
Les Vampires is a 1915/1916 ten-part silent film serial. It was written and directed by Louis Feuillade and stars Musidora as "Irma Vep" a femme fatale whose name is a suspicious anagram of "vampire." The serial is set in Paris and follows the exploits of a gang of master criminals who call...
, about cunning criminals. Though popular with audiences, the serials both drew criticism for glorifying outlaws. Feuillade answered these concerns by creating the hero Judex, who had the sinister trappings of the flamboyant villains so popular at the time.
Judex was a mysterious avenger who dressed in black and wore a slouch hat and cloak like Aristide Bruant. This costume is strikingly similar to the costume of the later American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
pulp
Pulp magazine
Pulp magazines , also collectively known as pulp fiction, refers to inexpensive fiction magazines published from 1896 through the 1950s. The typical pulp magazine was seven inches wide by ten inches high, half an inch thick, and 128 pages long...
hero The Shadow
The Shadow
The Shadow is a collection of serialized dramas, originally in pulp magazines, then on 1930s radio and then in a wide variety of media, that follow the exploits of the title character, a crime-fighting vigilante in the pulps, which carried over to the airwaves as a "wealthy, young man about town"...
.
Judex anticipated later pulp heroes and superhero
Superhero
A superhero is a type of stock character, possessing "extraordinary or superhuman powers", dedicated to protecting the public. Since the debut of the prototypical superhero Superman in 1938, stories of superheroes — ranging from brief episodic adventures to continuing years-long sagas —...
es in many respects. He was a masterful fighter, an expert at disguise, and boasted a secret headquarters. In the subterranean passages beneath a ruined castle
Castle
A castle is a type of fortified structure built in Europe and the Middle East during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars debate the scope of the word castle, but usually consider it to be the private fortified residence of a lord or noble...
Judex had a base outfitted with technological gadget
Gadget
A gadget is a small technological object that has a particular function, but is often thought of as a novelty. Gadgets are invariably considered to be more unusually or cleverly designed than normal technological objects at the time of their invention...
s. He also had a secret identity, as Judex (the Latin word for judge) is a nom-de-guerre he has adopted in his quest for revenge.
Story
The story is complex and is told in 12 chapters. The basic plot involves a corrupt banker named Favraux, who is the target of Judex's revenge. Complicating matters is Favraux's beautiful and innocent daughter Jacqueline, with whom the avenger has fallen in love. A final element comes in the form of Diana Monti and her criminal gang who are working at cross purposes with Judex.Judex was played by French matinee idol René Cresté
René Cresté
René Cresté was a French stage and film actor and director of the silent film era. Cresté is possibly best recalled as Judex, the title character in the Louis Feuillade-directed crime-adventure serial Judex, which ran in twelve installments in theaters from 1917 until 1918.-Early life and...
and Diana was played by Musidora
Musidora
Musidora was the stage name of Jeanne Roques, a popular French silent film actress. She became famous for her vamp roles in such film serials as Les Vampires and Judex, in which she developed a persona comparable to that of Theda Bara...
, who had previously played the villainess Irma Vep
Irma Vep
Irma Vep is a 1996 film directed by the French director Olivier Assayas, starring Hong Kong actress Maggie Cheung in a story about the disasters that ensue as a middle-aged French film director attempts to remake Louis Feuillade's classic silent film serial Les vampires...
in Les Vampires.
Production
Though Judex was made in 1914, the outbreak of World War IWorld War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
delayed its release. It was finally premiered in December 1916, and subsequently in wider release in 1916-1918.
A sequel serial was released in 1918 titled Judex's New Mission (La Nouvelle Mission de Judex).
Cast (in credits order)
- René CrestéRené CrestéRené Cresté was a French stage and film actor and director of the silent film era. Cresté is possibly best recalled as Judex, the title character in the Louis Feuillade-directed crime-adventure serial Judex, which ran in twelve installments in theaters from 1917 until 1918.-Early life and...
- Jacques de Tremeuse aka Judex - MusidoraMusidoraMusidora was the stage name of Jeanne Roques, a popular French silent film actress. She became famous for her vamp roles in such film serials as Les Vampires and Judex, in which she developed a persona comparable to that of Theda Bara...
- Diana Monti aka Marie Verdier - René Poyen - Le môme Réglisse
- Édouard MathéÉdouard MathéÉdouard Mathé was an Australian born French silent film actor.He starred in some 51 films between 1914 and 1924.He appeared Barabbas in 1920...
- Roger de Tremeuse - Gaston MichelGaston MichelGaston Michel was a French silent film actor. He starred in some 40 films between 1913 and his death in 1921.He died in November 1921, in Lisbon, Portugal.-Selected filmography:* Judex * Parisette * Barabbas...
- Pierre Kerjean - Yvonne Dario - Comtesse de Tremeuse
- Yvette AndréyorYvette AndréyorYvette Andréyor was a French actress of the silent era. She appeared in 108 films between 1910 and 1962.She was born and died in Paris, France.-Selected filmography:* Fantômas * Judex...
- Jacqueline Aubry - Juliette Clarens - Gisèle
- Jean Devalde - Robert Moralés
- Georges Flateau - Vicomte de la Rochefontaine
- Louis Leubas - Le banquier Favraux
- Marcel Lévesque - Cocantin
- Olinda Mano - Le petit Jean
See also
- JudexJudexJudex is the title of a 1916 silent French movie serial concerning the adventures of Judex who is a pulp hero, similar to The Shadow, created by Louis Feuillade and Arthur Bernède.-Concept:...
- Judex (1963 film)Judex (1963 film)Judex is a French-language crime film remake of the 1916 French film serial of the same name concerning the adventures of pulp hero Judex...
- List of film serials
- List of film serials by studio