Customer Reviews

Les Vampires

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I know -- this is a classic of world cinema, and it's seven hours of heaven to people who love film. Which is what makes this review so frustrating. When I opened this, I noticed that all seven hours is contained on one disc. The DVD is two-sided, which is technically brilliant, and not something I'm that familiar with seeing. Unfortunately, someone should have told the distributor about it, because when you order from amazon, you will receive your DVD with a great big sensor tag smack in the middle of what someone obviously thought was the blank side of the DVD. Removing it ruins the film. Oh, and opening the box to see if your tag is on there violates amazon's returns policy. Amazon, I love you guys, you're the best game in town, but this is a bit of a hiccup. Maybe the sensor tag only went on a couple of these suckers -- I dunno. I'd like to get the film but ordering it again will be a gamble -- a sensor tag this time or not?

While I have never received a DVD from Amazon (.de, .fr, .jp, c.o.uk, or .ca) that had a tag ON the DVD - in 10 years of buying from amazon, I bought this twice, once for a friend and much later, after having seen it, also for myself.
Both Sets contained two single-sided DVD.
This is to encourage other would-be buyers to ignore the 1 Star reviews.
Also a tag ON the DVD could ruin a single-sided DVD just the same, as the reflector side under the paint is needed for properly playing the DVD.

As for the contents, it is a great saga and really worth watching. There is another french film which ties in with it, altough totally different and much newer: Irma Veep (1996). It tells the story of trying to remake Les Vampires.

I took the two 1 star reviews to heart and bought a second hand copy instead. It came perfect. (I would give this movie a 3 1/2 stars rather then the full four stars)

As for the movie. To me any silent movie is pretty cool, but now having over 150 of them I could see this with a more critical eye.
There were some very cool shades of toning on the various scenes. I have seen old movies where the outside scenes are in blue tint and the interior shots are in sepia (Broken Blossems is and example) , but this movie had at least five tints! blue, sepia, dark sepia (interior dark) green, and red and seemingly endless varieties of shades.

The acting by the main charachter was above par for the period, but his friend (Mamzette) and many supporting male actors was often terrible...though the female actors didn't seem to fall into the trap the men fell into so often. Mamzette should have been in a comedy or something as he constantly kept looking at the camera as though we were there, but often he was simply peeking or looking for cues or who knows what, or just hamming it up. He got a little better near the end, but overall he was quite distracting. His looking at the camera seemed to be for a variety of reasons, some of it to include the viewer, but that was only part of it. He was constantly aware of the camera and kept playing to it...almost as if he wanted to be sure he was being filmed. It was often very silly or distracting. Other players in the movie also had this habbit for looking at the camera so it got a bit silly at times as it was pretty clear they were following coaching, often in mid "act".

One thing that really bothered me was the complete destruction of the original parts you read. One reason I like the old silents is the ornateness of the talking boards. Obviously they had to translate the text to English but they completly obliterated the original boards. Instead of period talking boards there was very new typing and bright yellow backdrops for the script. This did improve about half way through the movie when they apparently realized they were destroying some of the flavour of the 1915 period peice. Later on you got to see the original talk or writing text then they overlaid them with the English translation, though the black boards were still missing.
Furthermore the longer reading parts you invariably had to pause the picture to be able to read them as they just didn't allow you enough time to read them.

Often there seemed to be missing dialogue, that or they expected you to know what they were talking about, as boards for these bits were either not included or they assume we would understand. Most of the time we do, but it does stand out as a flaw. There seemed to be some "pretend" dialogue to facilitate "acting".

One thing that failed in this peice was the apparent reason for the vampires existance! I sort of asumed this would become clear as the movie went on until I realized we were well into the movie and their only reason for exsistance seemed to be to thwart attempts to undo them. I Suppose it is actualy quite obvious: they were just an organized theft ring, but in our current expectations this seems so simple we seem to miss it. Perhaps it was clear in the earliest episodes but after watching this over a couple weeks the intent of the Vampires seemed to fade, and perhaps a reminder of their purpose might have been included in the later episodes to remind the viewers just what the heroes were fighting.

The exposure of the film varies quite a bit so I found myself occasionaly readjusting the contrast and the brightness.

Thankfully the music was reasonably period. All too often people record really stupid music with silents...that is occasionaly so distracting you actualy have to turn the sound off!. This had good music that fit the picture.

Overall it was an interesting peice but the story at times was a bit weak...and occasionaly drawn out for no apparent reason other than to make another episode. Occasionaly a long shot would have been just watch ing a person climb down the side of a building, rather then editing it...but then since this was the days of no stunt doubles I guess at the time these were pretty fascinating feats.

The interior shots were interesting but there were too few exterior shots to really get a sence of the France during the period. I figured in a 6 hour movie there would be lots of exterior shots to get a real sence of the period, but they were just too few. Lots of neat car shots though, and even a car chase!...of sorts.

The segments were of unequal length so you just weren't sure if you could watch one or two segments at a time. I ended up watching the last divisions of a each of the ten chapters before watching the new chapter just to remind me of what was going on. There's really no way to watch this all in one sitting being 6 1/2 hours long. But for your money this is a pretty good deal...one of the longer silent films...so you get some milage out of your money.

This is just to second the previous reviewer. My DVD has the
&#$%@^% sensor tag on it as well. I can't seem to get the glue off. My advice is to hold off on buying this (brilliant, would be 5 stars+) DVD until you can be sure that tag isn't on there. For $70, this sort of gaffe can be immensely irritating.

I have to confess that I first saw "Les Vampires" for academic reasons; because of its influence on the Surrealist movement. But now, having seen the entire series (lovingly restored) on its own terms, I think "Les Vampires" is just what it was originally meant to be-- an exciting, humorous adventure story and sort of a precursor of James Bond. The basic idea is that an investigative reporter becomes privy to the secrets of a criminal gang called "The Vampires" and manages to foil many of their plans. At the same time, WE become privy to the plans and in-fighting that go on between the Vampires and other criminal gangs. The main continuing character on the Vampires' side is Irma Vep, a beautiful cross between Mata Hari, Houdini and John Dillinger. At some point she falls prey to a criminal hypnotist, but she is always an interesting character in her own right and often sympathetic.

Technically, the DVD is wonderful; it contains the entire series on one disk, as well as several promotional films starring members of the cast. The film itself is transfered very well and is appropriately tinted; the entire project was obviously a labor of love, and I can't recommend it highly enough.

I saw parts of this on TCM,but missed a few chapters.
This is one of the best movies I've seen.It's a classic.For
those who like silent movies,get your hands on a copy by
any means!!

This is an excellent silent film and an artistic masterpiece! It centers on the exploits of a group of ingenious and resourceful jewel thieves also referred to as Vampires, who seek sexual and psychological domination over Paris' elite. Their methods include the use of poisonous gas, weapons, kidnapping, and disguises as tools to achieve domination. Although there is a leader that gives the vampires their orders, the group is really led by a captivating woman named Irma Vep who assumes a variety of disguises in order to carry out the gang's evil schemes. A relentless newspaper reporter named Philippe Guérande is on the trail of the vampires and seeks to have them imprisoned. His sidekick is Mazamette, a former member of the vampire gang who has reformed himself and assists Philippe in tracking down the bold and brazen group. Mazamette serves as Philippes' right hand man, informer and loyal friend. He also provides the comic relief in the film. This is a superb spectacle of French and silent cinema that mixes drama, mystery, horror and comedy and weaves it into a very complex and appealing epic. A big part of what makes this film so much fun is that it has a strong story line and features very imaginative and surreal situations that create the feeling of fantasy, but the brazen crimes and sometimes horrifying events that take place are very realistic. The film was shot in the deserted back streets and alleys of Paris during World War 1, which ultimately enhances the film's eerie atmosphere. It's easy to be drawn into this film, as the performances of its stars are very captivating, almost hypnotic and the cinematography is so evocative, you'll feel compelled to see what happens next. Many of the characters assume various identities and wear many hats in this film, for example; Irma Vep who is the main criminal, poses as a secretary at a bank, a maid, and a switchboard operator at a hotel. Musidora gives a stunning performance as the devious but very alluring Irma Vep. Edouard Mathé is fantastic as Philippe Guérande, the always efficient, intelligent and polite newspaper reporter. Marcel Levesque turns in an absolutely hilarious performance as Philippe Guérande's faithful, but loopy sidekick Oscar Mazamette. Delphine Renot also gives a good performance as Philippes' mother, who also gets caught up in the action when she is kidnapped and then later sent on a wild goose chase. Under Louis Feuillade's outstanding direction, these stars helped create an atmospheric and innovative entry into the silent film genre. This is a spectacular movie that deserves multiple viewings! Those who enjoy silent films and appreciate the incorporation of surrealism into motion picture will enjoy this epic the most, but the plot is so engaging and the performances so mesmerizing, anyone can enjoy this film! It's also a great place to start if you're just discovering the magic of silent and/or French cinema. The film has been corrected to the projection speed at which it was originally filmed, features new color tints, new title cards (subtitles) in English, and a memorable music score that adds to the excitement. Don't let this one pass you by!

OK, this DVD is a bit expensive; nor is it admittedly for everyone, but for those who are willing to take a risk will find that great cinema dates much earlier than they ever thought.
It is said of director Louis Feuillade, that this work is the first film of the silent era that doesn't require putting into a historic framework and I agree. At times this film will shock you in how "contemporary" it feels.
The DVD is a decent quality transfer in 1.33:1 standard screen. The episodes are tinted (yellow for interiors, blue for night scenes, red for love scenes, etc.). I recommend setting your DVD player to black & white for the best picture. The score is a mostly piano soundtrack reminicent of Chopin, which was recorded recently, but is remarkably fitting. The title cards are in present-day English.

This film is a ten-part crime series spanning a total of over 7 hours. Each episode runs approximately 40 minutes or so. The style is slightly comedic, full of espionage, and alot of fun, not very unlike watching a Bond movie today, minus the sexuality. My advice, buy this DVD and set aside a week to watch an episode or two a night. It truly is one of the supreme pleasures of film.

Some directors have to see this work. You don't need special
effects and fancy things to achive a good film. Emotion, good
scenario and a lot of personal feeling. A classic for all times.
Some movies of the french and german cinema (1910-1935) have to be the standards for people who are involved with cinema.
Les Vampires is one of them.
Sometimes the acting in the episodes is a bit naiv but this is normal for that era.
The people who like cinema must own this work.

love the films and great to see them restored so well, am very happy with this purchase except... in one episode the picture broke up slightly 3 times into the blocky terror of all DVD owners (the Hotspot was one film where and entire chapter went gaga). it wasn't large, so don't let it put you off, a brief flicker, but it destroys the illusion of DVD being the ultimate format...Great dvd, buy it...