JUDEX

France, 1963, 104 minutes, Black and white.
Channing Pollock, Edith Scoob, Francine Berge, Sylva Koscina, Theo Sarapo.
Directed by Georges Franju.

Judex is considered a French classic. It is the work of director Georges Franju - best known for his film Eyes Without Face. Here he pays tribute to an original story, filmed as a silent classic by Louis Feuillade. Franju keeps the tone of the original with its turn of the century settings. It also echoes the style of silent film production, sequences, acting. It was made in black and white. It has caption cards throughout the film.

The film echoes the comic strip adventures popular at the beginning of the century, the popular detective comics as well as the stories which develop superhuman types like Superman. However, Judex is an ordinary human being, however mysterious his powers as a magician and his powers of disguise. The film also echoes the financial scandals in France in the early 20th century: wicked banker, his innocent daughter, Judex, the avengers of wrongs posing as his advisor yet having his group of men ready to unmask criminals.

The proceedings are complicated by the beautiful adventuress, Diana, who poses as the daughter's governess. There are many coincidences in the plot which include a private detective, a curious little boy, a old man sent to prison for the banker, his son who has disappeared and turns up as the accomplice of the adventuress. Towards the end of the film, a circus happens to be passing by with the private detective's girlfriend. an acrobat is able to help with the final confrontation.

While the screenplay sounds like a typical comic book material, the treatment by the director is in the tradition of Feuillade as well as the stylised tableau of film makers like Cocteau or Jean Renoir. Striking is a sequence of a masked ball, with the participants (including Judex) often disguised as birds.

A film of the French Nouvelle Vague but also a tribute to older French film-making.

1. Entertaining adventure, thriller, drama? For the French audience. World-wide audience?

2. The black and white photography, the echoes of silent film-making styles? Tableau, action, acting? The insertion of captions? Maurice Jarrre's musical score?

3. The title, the focus on Judex, the translation of his name as Judge? His interventions with the banker? In rescuing Jacqueline, confronting Diana? the private detective? His plans, his motivations? Working for Favraux in disguise, his intervention at the party (and his disguise as a bird)? The taking of Favraux and keeping him? The protection of Jacqueline? Giving her the pigeons to warn him when she was in danger? The renunciation of her inheritance by Jacqueline? His protecting her and her child? The confrontation with Diana, the requests? His appearing as himself - hat and cloak, his followers? The final confrontation, the rescue of Jacqueline, his being hit by Favraux, tied up and bound? Diana intending to stab him - after her overtures? The rescue? The happy finale on the beach with Judex and Jacqueline? The heroic comic strip figure? His appearance, disguises, especially as Valliers? The magic at the party? His control over Favraux? The explanation of his motivations?

4. Favraux, his background? The letters of warning? His relying on Valliers? His plans for having his money, marrying off his daughter? His anger with the old man - and knocking him down on the road? Valliers showing that he was not dead? The party, his announcement, collapsing at midnight? His imprisonment, overcoming his capturers, ringing Jacqueline? Being observed by Judex? His being rescued by Diana? previous proposal to her? Her taking him? In the upper' story of the-building? The confrontations with Diana, his hitting Judex? His attempts to escape - his false repentance? Killing himself?

5. Jacqueline, her daughter, widow? Depressed? The announcement of her engagement? Her renunciation of her inheritance after hearing the truth? Going to work, tending
her daughter? away? Her fiance leaving her because of the money? Being captured by Diana and Morales? The ambulance? her collapse? Her floating in the river? The rescues? Seeing her father? Her happy reunion with her daughter and with Judex?

6. Diana, her place in the household? Her plots, the proposal to Favraux? In league with Morales? Her plans to get the documentation, in disguise, the phone ringing, the confrontation with Jacqueline? disguise as the nun, the capture of Jacqueline? Taking her to the house? Her proposal to Judex, her masking him, stabbing Morales by mistake? The-final struggle on the rooftops and her falling to her death? her being dressed in black, the variety of costumes, cat burglar tights, the Daughter of Charity (and the oddities of her behaviour for a nun)?

7. Morales, the, long lost son of the old man? In league with
Diana, sharing the adventures, searching the house? The confrontation with his father - and the recognition of the ring? His false repentance? Still in league with Diana - and the irony of his being killed by her? His father, the imprisonment, being run down by Favraux? Surviving and working with Judex?

8. The private detective, being employed, mingling with the guests? Meeting Jacqueline and her daughter? Telling the daughter Alice in Wonderland stories? Reading Fantomas comics? His investigations, working with Judex? Following Diana disguised as the nun, the information from the boy, travel-ling with him, being captured, the boy and his information, hiding in the boot of the car? Being able to lead Judex and the detective to the building? The private detective and his style and work?

9. Daisy, the coincidence of her passing by with the circus, her relationship with the private detective? Her scaling the wall, the men and their climbing? Her struggle with Diana, opening up the room for Judex and his band? The happy reunion with the private detective?

10. The blend of comic strip fantasy adventure, the touch of science fiction (the monitor for watching Favraux)? The coincidences? The city, the mansion? The rich world as symbolised by the party with the guests disguised as birds? The blend of reality and fantasy?