Fantômas | Fantômas Unleashed | Fantômas vs. Scotland Yard

Directed by André Hunebelle and starring Louis de Funès and Jean Marais, the Fantômas trilogy follows master criminal Fantômas as he repeatedly clashes with an ambitious police commissioner and a determined journalist across a series of elaborate schemes, disguises and criminal plots. Combining crime, adventure and comedy, the films center on chases, secret identities, inventive gadgets and larger-than-life confrontations between law enforcement and one of European popular cultures most famous villains. The trilogy blends mystery, action and broad comedy within the colorful style of 1960s French popular cinema.

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Fantômas - Fantômas Unleashed - Fantômas vs Scotland Yard

Created by crime writers Marcel Allain and Pierre Souvestre, the criminal mastermind Fantômas is best known outside of France as the antagonist of the silent serial that bears his name, directed by early cinematic pioneer Louis Feuillade. Within France, though, he is most famously associated with André Hunebelles beloved Fantômas trilogy. Released between 1964 and 1967, Hunebelles films revived the character with a comedic twist in the era of four-colour comic books, Bondmania and a boom in French popular cinema.

In the first film of the trilogy, Fantômas seeks revenge on Jérôme Fandor (both played by Jean Marais in dual roles) after the journalist publishes an unflattering article about him. The master of disguise begins by framing Fandor for a series of crimes before moving on to impersonate Juve (Louis de Funès), bumbling commissaire of the Parisian police. In Fantômas Unleashed, the villain kidnaps scientists to work on a new super weapon, leading Fa