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Fantômas: In the Shadow of the Guillotine (1913)

1913 · Silent film · 54 min · dir. Louis Feuillade

  • Crime
  • Drama
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Synopsis

Princess Sonia Danidoff is staying at the Royal Palace Hotel, Paris, and withdraws $20,000 from the cashier's custody, placing the notes in a drawer in company with her magnificent rope of pearls. A few moments after a well-dressed stranger steps from behind the curtains and, with the coolest of sangfroid, steals the valuables in the very presence of the princess, and with a polite bow hands her his card and makes a dignified exit. Upon the card the name "Fantomas" slowly appears. The police are quickly upon the scene, but Fantomas, true to his nom de plume, has vanished. Inspector Robert Juve is the sleuth entrusted to track the mysterious marauder. But before Juve has time to move in the matter of the princess's jewels and cash, another escapade of Fantomas' is thrust upon him to investigate. Lord Beltham is missing. Juve calls on Lady Beltham, and in a man's hat finds the initial "G." With so slight a clue Juve tracks down "Gurn" (none other than the elusive Fantomas) to his lodgings and makes the ghastly discovery of Lord Beltham's dead body in one of "Gurn's" traveling trunks, and a packet of the special Fantomas cards establishes the connection between "Gurn" and Fantomas; they are one and the same man. Three months elapse. "Gurn" has been tried and condemned to die by the guillotine. Lady Beltham's name has not yet appeared in connection with the case, and the story goes that the murder was the outcome of a violent quarrel between "Gurn" and Beltham, yet she is…

Synopsis from OMDb

Details

Director
Louis Feuillade
Running time
54 minutes
Language
French
Collection
Silent Films, Feature Films

Cast & crew

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