![]() |
Judex, with a bird for a head, just because he can |
JUDEX (Franju, 1963)
Criterion Collection, Blu-ray, Release Date June 17, 2014
Review by Christopher S. Long
Georges Franju's “Judex” (1963)
isn't really about plot or characters or even action or making sense.
Mostly it's about Musidora, or at least the effect the silent film
actress had on a generation of French cinephiles. Musidora, née
Jeanne Roques, starred in two very popular serial films by Louis
Feuillade, as the sultry Irma Vep in “Les vampires” (1915) and as
the equally sultry Diana Monti in “Judex” (1916). Her piercing
dark eyes and willingness to slip into form-fitting leotards rendered
her the supreme fetish figure for Surrealists like André
Breton and for the other film junkies who first saw the serials at La
Cinémathèque
Française where the great
programmer and archivist Henri Langlois championed Feuillade's
work.The fact that Feuillade's films, despite their seemingly
straightforward pulp adventure plots, played like fever dreams only
heightened the erotically-charged Musidora effect, one obviously
remembered vividly by director Georges Franju.
Franju had actually wanted to adapt
“Fantômas” (1913), an
earlier (Musidora-free) Feuillade serial, but the rights had been
optioned, so he turned his attention to updating “Judex.” Except
that updating isn't the right word. Where Feuillade's film felt
futuristic, Franju's seems archaic; it's as if they meet somewhere in
between 1915 and 1963 at a time that never existed.
While condensing the 12-part, 6-hour
serial, Franju sticks close to the basics of the original. Judex is a
masked crimefighter who threatens the corrupt banker Favraux with
death if he does not atone for his crimes. Favraux's governess
Marie-who-turns-out-to-be-Diana takes advantage of the feud by
attempting to abscond with the ill-gotten funds. Whacky hijinks
ensue.
![]() |
Acrobat vs. Cat Burglar, the old familiar story |
In shaving off 210 minutes or so,
Franju eliminates all the backstory along with any concern for
motivation or logic. But he keeps all of the weird and usually tight
costumes, adding a few of his own. Diana (Francine Bergé,
then a relative neophyte) stalks around in an Emma Peel-style
catsuit, switches to a men's tailored outfit, and later shows up
disguised as a nun with a bird-shaped habit and a hypodermic needle.
Diana winds up in a rooftop battle with a very curvy leotard-clad
acrobat (Sylvia Koscina) who just happens to wander along with a few
minutes left in the film and abruptly becomes a major player in the
denouement, one of a vast array of dramatic rules for which Franju
displays total disregard.
Franju has even greater disregard for
Judex, the barely-existent protagonist played by American magician
Channing Pollock. Pollock wasn't really an actor and barely spoke
French, leaving him baffled through most of the shooting, but it
doesn't really matter. Judex's only notable scenes exploit Pollock's
sleight-of-hand talents as he produces a series of live pigeons from
handkerchiefs and other sources. When the costumed avenger finally
leaps into action at the end, he is almost instantly knocked out and
tied up; once freed he still does little but stand around while the
acrobat (who, I remind you, doesn't even appear until the final reel)
takes care of business. Seen today, it might play like a dismissive
parody of the super-hero, but I have no idea whether Franju had even
the slightest interest in comic books.
![]() |
Edith Scob |
So much for Judex. Franju mostly just
wants to stuff women into tight outfits, and bless his soul for that,
but he's also eager show off the otherwordly Edith Scob, his young
muse who was so memorable as the disfigured daughter in Franju's
“Eyes Without a Face” (1960). As Jacqueline, Favraux's innocent
daughter, Scob isn't shoehorned into any skimpy uniforms, but with
her thin swan neck and wide eyes she is a striking, unique presence
who adds a charged mystique even to a thankless role which mostly
involves her wandering hallways and being knocked unconscious.
“Judex” is a film built out of
fetishes, but also flourishes. Like Feuillade, Franju has the ability
to create truly bizarre images in a completely mundane fashion. In
one scene, Judex's dogs scare off Jacqueline's would-be kidnappers,
and a German shepherd casually places a protective paw atop the
unconscious young woman as she lies sprawled on the ground. When
Judex's prisoner throws his jacket at a surveillance camera, the
jacket instantly goes up in a furious blaze. And in an inexplicably
touching development, an undistinguished henchman suddenly discovers
his long-lost father and, for just an instant, turns into the closest
thing the movie has to a full-fledged character.
If you're the sort of viewer who needs
moments like this to “add up,” you'll probably wind up feeling
frustrated. Franju didn't give a damn about the math, just the
moment.
Video:
The film is presented in its original
1.66:1 aspect ratio. Vertical scratches on the edge of the frame are
visible from time to time; it almost feels like an intentional nod to
the film's silent film source material but perhaps it's just damage
to the source print. In any case, it's not too bad and the 1080p
transfer is otherwise quite strong with rich black-and-white contrast
and a pleasant grainy look.
This is a dual-release format from
Criterion with two DVDs (one with the film, the other with most of
the extras) and a single Blu-ray. The SD transfer from the DVD has
not been reviewed here.
Audio:
The linear PCM Mono track is simple and
efficient. Though the film features an effective score by Maurice
Jarre, the soundtrack is mostly silent for long stretches, lending
greater importance to specific sound effects like bird chirps and
creaking doors, each of which is separated out sharply on this mix.
Optional English subtitles support the French audio.
Extras:
Criterion has included an impressive
array of extras.
The disc also includes two short films directed by Georges Franju.
An interview with actress Francine
Berge (2012, 11 min.) was recorded in Paris and doesn't include
anything particularly revelatory, but her appreciation of Edith
Scob's unique qualities is well-spoken. She also claims she was just
about the only person who paid any attention to poor Channing
Pollock.
An interview with Jacques
Champeux(2007, 12 min.), co-screenwriter of the film and grandson of
Louis Feuillade, provides some background regarding the development
of the film. Apparently they were hoping to get Brigitte Bardot for
the role of Diana and her curve-hugging outfits, but they didn't have
the money.
"Franju, le visionnaire" (51 min.) is directed by Andre S. Labarthe and is a program which originally aired on Sep 2, 1998 as part of the French television program "Cinema, de notre temps." It cobbles together interviews with Franju recorded over a stretch of 23 years and includes clips from many films that North Americans may not have had a chance to see.
"Le grand Melies" (1952, 31 min.) gives Franju a chance to indulges his appreciation for pioneering filmmaker Georges Melies. In this rather melancholy pseudo-biopic, Melies's widow Jeanne D'Alcy plays herself while his son Andre Melies (who had a small role in "Judex") portrays his father.
"Hotel des invalides" (1951, 22 min.) is an antiwar documentary shot by Franju at a former Parisian military complex now turned into a museum and burial site. Narrator Michel Simon takes on a tour designed to show the futility of war.
The 26-page insert booklet includes an essay by critic Geoffrey O'Brien and a selection of writing by Franju about "Judex."
Final Thoughts:
Between the Scarlet Pimpernel and Zorro, there came Judex, costumed crime-fighter and all-around weirdo. He was kind of a dork in the 1916 Feuillade serial but still did some pretty neat things and the series still fascinated today because it feels like it could not have possibly been made when it was. In Franju's remake/fan appreciation, Judex is still a weirdo but he also doesn't really do anything except make a few pigeons appear. Fortunately Franju is definitely a weirdo himself and the film's strongest moments stem from his indulgence of various eccentricities. I'll take the serial any day, but this condensed re-dreaming is definitely worth watching.
No comments:
Post a Comment