Judex (1916)

Judex is the title of a 1916 silent French film serial concerning the adventures of Judex, who is a pulp hero, similar to The Shadow, created by Louis Feuillade and Arthur Bernède.

Silent serial about a mysterious avenger who uses hypnotic powers, disguises, and a gadget-filled lair to fight a corrupt banker who ruined his family. ~ Ray Stackhouse, Rovi

Amazon.com: Judex (Deluxe Edition): René Cresté, Musidora, René Poyen, Édouard Mathé, Gaston Michel, Yvonne Dario, Yvette Andréyor, Juliette Clarens, Jean Devalde, Georges Flateau, Louis Leubas, Marcel Lévesque, André Glatti, Léon Klausse, Louis Feuillade, Arthur Bernède: Movies & TV

Not only is Judex (1916) one of cinema’s earliest serials, but it’s also one of the earliest superhero films, if not the first. (1913’s Fantomas, to be reviewed next week, also fe…

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Films de France film review and synopsis

Director Louis Feuillade won fame and critical acclaim with his early crime serials, Fantômas (1913-14) and Les Vampires (1915). These episodic films were hugely popular, but they also brought Feuillade a fair amount of criticism from the bourgeois establishment, who accused him of glorifying crime and making heroes of criminals. Feuillade’s well-meaning response to this brow-beating was another serial, the 12-part epic entitled Judex. The Plot: When his family is ruined by the unscrupulous banker Favraux, Jacques de Tremeuse resolves to bring him to justice. Adopting a disguise and the name Judex, he captures the crooked banker and takes him to his secret lair. Learning of Favraux’s dishonest ways, his daughter Jacqueline gives away his wealth when she learns of his death. This infuriates a pair of ruthless crooks, Diana Monti and Moralés, who immediately swear to take revenge on Jacqueline, and her protector, Judex.

Directed by Louis Feuillade. With René Cresté, Musidora, René Poyen, Édouard Mathé. A twelve part serial following the adventures of the masked vigilante Judex as he fights against criminals led by the corrupt banker Favrauxom.