The film trilogy about the adventures of the dangerous and elusive criminal Fantomas, created by the French director Andre Yunebel based on the works of Marcel Allen and Pierre Souvestre, has long won the love of the viewer. Today, the films included in it are considered the standard of adventure comedy and classics of French cinema. The trilogy owes so much popularity not only to the original directorial approach to the detective-adventure genre, but also to the ingenious play of the actors. The second film “Fantomas raged” from the legendary series did not surpass the success of the first one by accident, the creators of the comedy already knew exactly what the viewer liked, and skillfully played on the passions of the public.
Character Fantomas
The evil genius Fantomas was born thanks to the imagination of French writers Marcel Allen and Pierre Souvestre at the beginning of the last century. Readers of that time were read in detective novels with the participation of this antihero, distinguished by the sophistication and ingenuity of his crimes. Like the famous detective Sherlock Holmes, Fantomas perfectly mastered the art of reincarnation. He often committed crimes under the guise of other people in order to discredit them and confuse the police. And although the actions in the comedy trilogy of Yunebel were transferred to the sixties and at the disposal of the criminal - advanced technologies, the main qualities of the brilliant villain remained the same. True, unlike a book character of European origin, the cinema with his gray skin was more like an alien. This directorial find was liked by the viewer, but it was not appreciated by Jean Mare, Fantômas performed by which was a very charismatic personality. The makeup and mask irritated the skin and caused terrible discomfort to the actor. As a result, this circumstance served as one of the reasons for his categorical refusal to continue work on the role of Fantomas after the third part of the movie saga.
Character Commissioner Juve
Fantomas, like any other villain, had a rival who tried his best to prevent his wiles. In Junbel’s comedy, this is Commissioner Juve, brilliantly embodied by Louis de Funes. And if in the first film, Juve played a supporting role with the journalist Fandor, then in the second film the commissar came to the fore. Now he was also armed with the latest technology. True, they often did not work as expected, and put the representative of the authorities in an awkward position, but these circumstances were not an obstacle to the intense nature of Juve. The smug, silly and eccentric commissar, one way or another, found himself on the path of Fantomas and confused the evil genius with all his plans.
The story of the creation of the film Fantomas
Director Andre Yunebel and screenwriter Pierre Foucault initially were not going to make a film about Fantomas, adhering to the original version of the novels. The story was immediately conceived as a parody of the spy and detective genres thrilled on the screens. Therefore, the film is full of not only all kinds of tricks, but also sparkling humor. Of course, the creators assumed that the picture would be successful, especially since the participation in the film of the stars of French cinema - Jean Marais, Louis de Funes and Milen Demonjo - gave such hope. The premiere, which took place in 1964, and the subsequent rental of the comedy exceeded all expectations, and despite the mixed reviews from critics, the film began to enjoy the great love of the viewer.
The story of the film "Fantomas raged"
The creators of the Fantomas comedy were pleasantly surprised by its great success, but they were not going to shoot the story of the elusive criminal. Yunebel was busy working on another picture. The already popular leading actors were now just like hot cakes, and the scriptwriter was on vacation. Producers Alan Poiret and Cyril Grizze, sensing a "gold mine", intervened in the plans of the star collective with a proposal to continue work.
They were not mistaken, the second film, Fantômas was raging, which appeared on the big screen in 1965, not only repeated the success of the first, but also surpassed it. This time, the success of the picture was quite predictable. After all, the creators of comedy correctly prioritized. Paying attention to the fact that the commissar Juve really liked the eccentric and eccentric character of Louis de Funes, and many came to the cinema again and again for the sake of him, the director and screenwriter added more scenes with his participation in the film Fantômas raged.
Actors who performed the main roles reacted to such changes in different ways. The pride of the rising star of the screen - Demonjo Milen did not hurt this circumstance. On the contrary, recalling the collaboration with Louis de Funes, she always admired the comedian and emphasized his professionalism. The famous Jean Marais, accustomed to the fact that his characters are always the center of attention of the viewer, tilted towards the other character. Therefore, having starred under the contract in the last part of the Fantomas vs Scotland Yard trilogy, he flatly refused to continue working in the planned sequel. The change of emphasis in the plot of the film yielded results and increased box office, and the film justified the proud title of comedy.
Fantomas raged: actors
Despite the skepticism of Jean Marais about his work in the Fantomas films, the legendary criminal in his performance was mysterious and ominously irresistible, and the journalist Fandor was fearless and noble. Also in this picture, Mare played the genius scientist Lefebvre. The beautiful bride of Fandor - Helen, as before, was played by a French actress with Ukrainian roots Demonjo. The unconditional “highlight of the program” was Louis de Funes, who played the role of the unlucky and very active commissar Juve. In addition, in the frame you can meet de Funes Jr. in the role of Misha - brother Helen. You can not ignore the brilliant actor Jacques Dynamo, who played the role of Inspector Bertrand, always in trouble because of his colleague Juve.
Summary of the film Fantomas raged
The actors and the characters they play fell in love with the audience after the Fantomas movie, and the audience eagerly awaited the continuation of the exciting story for a year. According to the plot of the comedy, a year has passed since the moment when Fantomas disappeared, leaving Commissioner Juve and journalist Fandor with nothing. The French had already begun to forget about the villain when he reappeared. This time his goal is world domination, and to achieve it the criminal intends to create a superweapon. To realize his terrible plans Fantomas needs the best scientists, the abduction of which he begins to deal with. Inspector Juve, Fandor and Helene again appear on the path of the evil genius, which means that the audience will have a lot of adventures and comic situations.
In conclusion, I would like to wish you a pleasant viewing for everyone who has not yet seen the picture or decided to refresh the memory of the best moments of the comedy Fantomas raged. Actors who have become the legend of world cinema will certainly cheer up their wonderful game.