Based on the book Le magistrat cambrioleur (the burglar magistrate) written by Marcel Allain and Pierre Souvestre in 1912 (the 12th of the 43 Fantomas novels) , this is the last of the 5 films made by Louis Feuillade about ruthless criminal and master of disguise Fantomas being chased by police detective Juve helped by journalist Fandor. The story takes place in Saint-Calais in France and Louvain in Belgium.
This is a good example of an early thriller with good acting and fast action. As in other Fantomas films, his talent for disguise and make-up is used, allowing him here to play three different characters. The sets are very well done and the filming on location adds authenticity and historical interest to the film, particularly the views of Louvain just before the first world war. This is probably one of the first films shot on location in two different countries. Although it is mostly filmed with a static camera, occasional panning and tracking is used. Shots alternate between wide and medium shots. The narrative is chronological with cross-cutting making it possible to follow simultaneous actions in different places. In addition to inter-titles, different types of documents are used to inform the viewer.
a-cinema-history.blogspot.be/2013/09/le-faux-magistrat-1914.html
This is a good example of an early thriller with good acting and fast action. As in other Fantomas films, his talent for disguise and make-up is used, allowing him here to play three different characters. The sets are very well done and the filming on location adds authenticity and historical interest to the film, particularly the views of Louvain just before the first world war. This is probably one of the first films shot on location in two different countries. Although it is mostly filmed with a static camera, occasional panning and tracking is used. Shots alternate between wide and medium shots. The narrative is chronological with cross-cutting making it possible to follow simultaneous actions in different places. In addition to inter-titles, different types of documents are used to inform the viewer.
a-cinema-history.blogspot.be/2013/09/le-faux-magistrat-1914.html