Judex (1916 film)  

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

Contents

Concept

Feuillade had made two earlier serials, Fantômas and Les Vampires, about cunning criminals. Though popular with audiences, the serials both drew criticism for glorifying outlaws. Feuillade answered these concerns by creating the hero Judex, who had the sinister trappings of the flamboyant villains so popular at the time.

Judex was a mysterious avenger who dressed in black and wore a slouch hat and cloak like Aristide Bruant. This costume is strikingly similar to the costume of the later American pulp hero The Shadow.

Judex anticipated later pulp heroes and superheroes in many respects. He was a masterful fighter, an expert at disguise, and boasted a secret headquarters. In the subterranean passages beneath a ruined castle Judex had a base outfitted with technological gadgets. He also had a secret identity, as Judex (the Latin word for judge) is a nom-de-guerre he has adopted in his quest for revenge.

Story

The story is complex and is told in 12 chapters. The basic plot involves a corrupt banker named Favraux, who is the target of Judex's revenge. Complicating matters is Favraux's beautiful and innocent daughter Jacqueline, with whom the avenger has fallen in love. A final element comes in the form of Diana Monti and her criminal gang who are working at cross purposes with Judex.

Judex was played by French matinee idol René Cresté and Diana was played by Musidora, who had previously played the villainess Irma Vep in Les Vampires.

Production

Though Judex was made in 1914, the outbreak of World War I delayed its release. It was finally premiered in December 1916, and subsequently in wider release in 1916-1918.

A sequel serial was released in 1918 titled Judex's New Mission (La Nouvelle Mission de Judex).

Cast (in credits order)

See also




Unless indicated otherwise, the text in this article is either based on Wikipedia article "Judex (1916 film)" or another language Wikipedia page thereof used under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License; or on research by Jahsonic and friends. See Art and Popular Culture's copyright notice.

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