Louis Feuillade(1873-1925)
- Director
- Writer
- Producer
A prolific director--over 700 films, most of them short- or
medium-length--Louis Feuillade began his career with Gaumont where, as well
as directing his own features, he was appointed artistic director in
charge of production in 1907. His work was largely comprised of
film series; his first series, begun in 1910 and numbering 15
episodes, was 'Le Film Esthétique', a financially unsuccessful attempt
at "high-brow" cinema. More popular was
La vie telle qu'elle est (1911), which moved from the costume pageantry of his earlier work to a more
realistic--if somewhat melodramatic--depiction of contemporary life.
Feuillade also directed scores of short films featuring the characters
Bébé and René Poyen. His most
successful feature-length serials were
Fantomas: In the Shadow of the Guillotine (1913),
which chronicled the diabolical exploits of the "emperor of crime," and
Les Vampires (1915), which trailed a
criminal gang led by Irma Vep (Musidora) and
was noted for its imaginative use of locations and lyrical, almost
surreal style.
