I’ve been absent for a couple of days since I checked that “Les Vampires” (Feuillade, 1915) was 7 hours long! Argh! I love B&W and silent movies but these was going to be a challenge…
Today I had some extra time and went on to check that the movie is not completely available on Netflix or youtube! Only partes 1 and 2 are there. I have to confess that I got pretty excited with the news. At least at first.
“Les Vampires” is a series of short movies (like episodes) that follow a group of criminal vampires that are being followed (and investigated) by reporter Philippe Guérande. The movies are written and directed by Louis Feuillade. Like Griffith, who brought the historical epic to the silver screen, Feuillade started the thriller with “Les Vampires”. I guess it was a little less challenging to come up with something new back then (or was it?)
The first two episodes that I watched today were engaging and visually interesting. Depending on the setting and ocasion, the director used colored filters to emphasize the mood. The framing was more tight to the characters, given them more importance on the scenes. I also noticed that the cuts were and transitions between frames were faster and more precise when comparing to what I’ve seen so far in my project. Not that you can compare with todays standards, but the movie holds on pretty well – you won’t sleep, I promise!
The story is interesting but it has flaws – of course! Who would hide a decapited head in a box above the reporter’s bed? Yeah, that was bad! But how about the man that keeps showing pictures of his three children to explain his wrongdoings? That was quite funny… Overall, the story has a good dosis of everything, including suspense, and keeps you wanting more.
If you get interested in watching the first two episodes – you run the risk of wanting more, check the links:
Episode 1 – La tête coupée (The Severed Head) 33 minutes:
Episode 2 – La bague qui tue (The Killer Ring) 15 minutes:
Right now I feel like I need to watch the rest. I’ll keep an eye on Netflix to see if they get the other episodes. In the meantime, I’ll be watching a sequence of long, long, long Griffiths. Wish me good luck!
726 days and 997 movies to go
