Judex is a 1916 French silent film serial consisting of twelve episodes, directed by Louis Feuillade in 1916, from a screenplay by Feuillade and Arthur Bernède, and released in 1917. Immediately preceding the weekly release of each episode, Judex's adventures were serialised in the daily magazine Le Petit Parisien.
The serial shows the exploits of Judex, a vigilante draped in a long black cape, who is sworn to revenge his family upon a corrupt banker. However, Judex falls in love with his enemy's daughter. Meanwhile, the adventuress Diana Monti and her criminal gang try to get Favraux's money. Judex was played by French matinée idol René Cresté, and Diana Monti was played by Musidora, who had caused a sensation in the role of the villainess Irma Vep in Feuillade's previous successful serial, Les Vampires. Judex was a commercial success upon its release, and Feuillade directed a sequel the following year, La Nouvelle Mission de Judex.
The story has been remade twice with the same title, in 1934, directed by Maurice Champreux, and in 1963, directed by Georges Franju.
The serial was the model for several episodic film series, and the Judex character was an influence on the creation of the later characters The Shadow and Batman.
Contents
Plot
The story is complex and is told in a prologue and 12 chapters, varying in length from 9 to 40 minutes. In summary, a mysterious vigilante, Judex, (Latin for "Judge") takes on the banker Favraux, who built his fortune through criminal means. Judex kidnaps Favraux and imprisons him in the cellars of his hideout. Meanwhile, the adventuress Diana Monti intends to seize the banker's fortune. She kidnaps his daughter, but Judex, captivated by her charm, rescues and protects the young woman.
Cast
René Cresté – Jacques de Trémeuse alias Judex
Musidora – Diana Monti alias Marie Verdier
Yvette Andréyor – Jacqueline Aubry alias Jeanne Bertin
Édouard Mathé – Roger de Trémeuse
Gaston Michel – Pierre Kerjean
Louis Leubas – Favraux, the banker
Marcel Lévesque – Alfred Cocantin
Jean Devalde – Robert Kerjean alias Moralès
René Poyen – The Licorice Kid
Yvonne Dario – the Comtesse de Trémeuse
Juliette Clarens – Gisèle de Birargues, Jacqueline's pupil
Uncredited actor – César de Birargues, Gisèle's brother
Georges Flateau – Amaury de la Rochefontaine
Olinda Mano – Little Jean
Charles Montel – Jonas
Lili Deligny – Daisy Torp
Fabien Haziza – Judex as a child
Production
Background
Louis Feuillade had made two earlier serials, Fantômas (1913) and Les Vampires (1915–1916), about cunning criminals. Though popular with audiences, the serials drew criticism for glorifying outlaws. Feuillade opted for a lighter approach for his next film series, celebrating the adventures of a vigilante. Judex, by contrast, was a heroic persona, but one who had all of the sinister trappings of the flamboyant villains who were popular at the time. Announcing the series, Feuillade assured the public, that Judex was "A film… which we have wished to be popular in the largest and the most wholesome sense of the word, a family spectacle inciting the most noble sentiments in which we have made every effort to please Children and Adults, thanks to a plot with the most diverse and unforeseen intricacies", and "a popular and wholesome family spectacle as well as a spectacle of emotions, joy and art that wished to offer a truthful story, full of adventure, love, laughter, and tears." However, the BFI observes that "Although keen to provide escapist entertainment and avoid re-offending the authorities, Feuillade nevertheless blurred the moral lines around Judex's vigilantism, while also relishing the seductive wickedness of Musidora's larcenous adventuress, Diana Monti."
In collaboration with the novelist Arthur Bernède, Feuillade developed a film project, accompanied by a 12-part cinematographic novel, which would be simultaneously serialised in newspapers and film, with story revisions by Feuillade. This would maximise the serial's profitability, particularly by taking advantage of the advertisements accompanying the serialised novel following the 1916 paper crisis, which considerably reduced the print run of advertising brochures.
Development
Arthur Bernède explained the close collaboration he had with Feuillade, who was in charge of the cinematographic aspects, in the creation of Judex. He said that they worked in perfect harmony, according to a pre-established plan, from which neither deviated for a single moment: "In this pooling of ideas and efforts, we sought to create a picturesque, entertaining work, dramatic enough to captivate everyone's attention, but above all respectful of public morality."
While working on Judex, Bernède developed a writing method that he retained for all his novel-film productions: he constructed a screenplay that served both as the basis for writing a novel and for the serial's storyboard. Then, after submitting a twelve-page screenplay to Feuillade, Bernède participated in the series's storyboarding and continued his collaboration during filming.
Character Influences
For their creation of Judex, Feuillade and Bernède drew upon a wealth of literary references. Thus, Judex shares many similarities with Fantômas such as his penchant for disguises and his forceful methods, except that Judex fights for justice. Moreover, as a further parallel, Feuillade suggested René Navarre, who played Fantômas in the eponymous 1913 serial, but he ultimately declined.
Furthermore, Judex also shares commonalities with the Count of Monte Cristo: the hero's relentless pursuit of Favraux stems from the banker's past ruin of his family; and after placing him in a state of artificial death, he secretly imprisons him in his base. As in Alexandre Dumas's work, the story clearly falls within the realm of family revenge.
Finally, Judex is reminiscent of the character Ténébras from Arnould Galopin's novel Ténébras, le bandit fantôme (Ténébras, the Phantom Bandit): Judex's revenge brings about the financial ruin of the banker Favraux's daughter, Jacqueline, but after falling in love with her, he decides to protect the young woman from any danger she might encounter. This romance strongly evokes the one Ténébras has with the woman with whom he falls in love.
Casting
Judex was played by French matinee idol René Cresté. After her success as Irma Vep in Les Vampires, Musidora was once again chosen for the role of the wicked governess and adventuress Diana Monti. Feuillade also brought back Marcel Lévesque, who had played Mazamette in Les Vampires, for the role of the detective Cocantin.
Release
Delay
Due to the First World War, the serial's release in France was delayed, as Gaumont Studios feared sparking controversy and undermining the morale of the French population. Consequently, both the serial and the novel remained shelved for several months. Ultimately, a competing film series produced by Pathé prompted its release. Directed by the Franco-American duo Louis J. Gasnier and Donald MacKenzie, The Shielding Shadow, released in France as Ravengar and also featuring a vigilante, was released in the United States in 1916. It is likely that Gaumont, fearing that Gasnier and McKenzie's serial would be released in France before Feuillade's, decided to release Judex at the beginning of 1917.
Premiere
An avant-première was held on 16 December 1916 in the Gaumont-Palace, when the first four episodes were shown. It is unclear whether the premiere was an invitation-only gala screening, a press screening for critics and industry figures, or a first presentation before the serial entered regular distribution.
General release
The first text episode of Judex was published in the 12 January 1917 issue of Le Petit Parisien, a week before the film debut on 19 January. Each Judex text episode was published before the corresponding film serial episode, which built up anticipation. The text episodes ran from 12 January to 6 April, and the film episodes ran from 19 January to 7 April.
The international release of the serial was delayed until late 1917 in Europe. A North American release did not occur until the Canadian Film Institute's National Film Theatre arranged a screening in February 1965.
The serial was a commercial success upon its release, and Feuillade directed a sequel serial the following year, titled La Nouvelle Mission de Judex (lit. The New Mission of Judex, also known in English as The Further Exploits of Judex). The sequel serial ran in Le Petit Parisien from 11 January to 4 April 1918, and the film episodes ran from 25 January to 15 April 1918
Home media
On 1 July 2004, a 315-minute DVD version of the most complete version of the serial then known was released in the US, distributed by Flicker Alley (2 DVDs, Region 1/NTSC), transferred from a 35 mm print, colour-tinted and colour-toned, with English-only intertitles, and musical accompaniment by Robert Israel. Extras include a 18-minute featurette about the new score by Robert Israel. The serial's commentary is by Jan-Christopher Horak, the international critic and scholar of silent film.
On 17 March, 2025, a 380-minute Blu-ray version was released, taken from Gaumont's 4K restoration of 2020, colour-tinted and colour-toned, with French-language intertitles, and optional English-language subtitles. Extras include audio commentaries by Tim Lucas, and an interview with writer, composer and silent film accompanist Neil Brand. It is published by Eureka Entertainment as part of the Masters of Cinema line.
Influence
As a model for the episodic film
Louis Feuillade's serial inspired many directors of the 1910s and 1920s in their use of episodic film series. Not only did the twelve-episode format, unique to Judex, become the standard, but also its narrative structure served as a model: a series of episodes of similar length (approximately 600 metres), with the exception of the first (approximately 1,200 metres), which also includes a prologue introducing the characters.
Feuillade's Judex inaugurated a line of episodic films constructed on the same model: Mascamor (1918) by Pierre Marodon, Les Mystères de Paris (1922) by Charles Burguet, and others.
The Judex character
The vigilante characters of Judex and Ravengar very likely contributed to inspiring The Shadow, a pulp character first appearing in 1930, who wears a costume similar to Judex's and possesses Ravengar's power of invisibility. Furthermore, the first Judex story was titled The Mysterious Shadow in the United States, while the character of Ravengar appeared in the serial The Shielding Shadow. In the 1940s, comic strips of The Shadow, a character then unknown to French readers, were published in France in a translation that transformed them into Judex adventures.
An immediate precursor to superheroes, The Shadow is in turn one of Batman's inspirations. Thus, for the comic book expert Xavier Fournier, Judex is "in a way, the grandfather of the famous Dark Knight".
Restoration
From 4 to 11 October 1991, as part of the Ciné-Mémoire festival, all twelve episodes were screened daily at La Pagode cinema in Paris, in a complete version fully restored for the occasion. Below the screen, a small orchestra played music composed and conducted by Patrick Laviosa.
The film series was restored by Gaumont in 2020 supported by the Centre national du cinéma et de l'image animée, by scanning Gaumont's nitrate negative in 4K, and completed using a tinted nitrate print at Lobster Films.
Remakes
A remake, also named Judex, was made in 1934, directed by Feuillade's son-in-law, Maurice Champreux, and starring René Ferté as Judex. Another remake, again named Judex, was filmed in 1963 by director Georges Franju. American magician Channing Pollock played the title role.