Not as brilliant as his ‘Eyes
Without a Face’ but surely something as exciting and impressive thrill-ride and
as overwhelmingly classy and poetic as his earlier masterpiece. Combining the
elements of fantasy and realism, lyricism and brutality, haunting thrill and
bizarre surrealism, George Franju’s ‘Judex’ is visual masterpiece for many
reasons. It begins with a rich baker receiving a threatening note from a
stranger named Judex who’s demanding to payback people he has swindled over the
years. even though the arrangement, the very next day Judex appeared in
disguise and the banker died. But things were not as we assumed as there’s lot
of intrigue about who’s who that follows with many twists and turns to give you
edge on the seat thrill ride.
The film is homage to Louis
Feuillade’s 1914 silent film by the same name and also Fantomas, a series of
popular French crime fiction also filmed in serial forms by Feuillade. There’s
so much technical richness in Franju’s work, most notable is his impressive use
of German Expressionism & Gothic set up in frames. The entry scene of Judex
with bird head was influenced by remarkable French caricaturist and illustrator
J J Grandville, who perhaps was the first surreal artist belong to
pre-Freuadian era and precursor of Surrealist Movement led by Andre Breton
& popularized by Dali.
Though he claimed once that since
he didn’t have story writing gift in him, what he focused on is putting novelty
into form. There’s no doubt that he brilliantly executed and narrated the film
with gripping thrill and pace but at the same time he crafted it with strong
Black & White visuals that makes the film compelling watch. From start to
finish he maintained brilliant twists and turns with intriguing identity,
representing multiple action going on simultaneously featuring secret getaways,
escape windows and secret chamber inside walls. It’s quite disheartening to
know that the man who pioneered ‘French Cinematheque’ and gave us two unforgettable
films didn’t receive much support from his peers and public in the later part
of his career.
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