Les Vampires (Region B)

An early cinematic pioneer with an undeniably pervasive influence, Louis Feuillade made hundreds of films in a short career spanning only a few decades. Today, he is best remembered for his landmark serialsFantmas,Les Vampires,JudexandTih-Minh, four crime epics that have had an immeasurable impact on popular culture around the globe.

Across the 10 episodes of Feuillades now iconicLes Vampires, journalist Philippe Gurande (douard Math) attempts to investigate an enigmatic criminal gang operating in the Parisian underworld a group known only as the Vampires and encounters the mysterious Irma Vep (Musidora).

Feuillades crime serials had an enormous impact on some of the greatest filmmakers of the twentieth century, chiefly Fritz Lang and Alfred Hitchcock. They also played an important role in the development of the criminal mastermind and masked vigilante characters that would proliferate in pulp magazines, film, television, radio and comic books over the next few decades, including Dr Mabuse, The Shadow and Diabolik. The Masters of Cinema series is honoured to presentLes Vampireson Blu-ray from an astonishing 4K restoration.

SPECIAL FEATURES

• The complete 10-part serial presented in 1080p HD from an astonishing 4K restoration courtesy of The Gaumont Film Company
• Uncompressed LPCM 2.0 audio
• Audio commentaries on The Red Cipher and The Spectre by film historian and author David Kalat
• Pamela Hutchinson on Musidora interview with critic, film historian and silent cinema expert Pamela Hutchinson on the star of Les Vampires
• The Spectre of War in Les Vampires video essay by film scholar Elizabeth Ezra, editor of European Cinema and France in Focus: Film and National Identity