(continued) Feuillade's international breakthrough came in 1913, when he began a series of five feature films based on the Fantomas detective serials written by Pierre Souvestre and Marcel Allain. These films concern the continual struggle between the black-hooded master criminal Fantomas--the "Emperor of Crime"--and his archenemy, Inspector Juve and the journalist Fandor. After serving briefly in the military in World War I, Feuillade returned to directing with what most critics regard as his masterpiece, Les Vampires. The popularity of his films helped make Gaumont the second largest French studio after Pathe. Other significant Feuillade serials include Tih Minh (1918) and Barrabas (1919). Feuillade passed away at the age of fifty-two in 1925. Critically scorned in the high-minded 1920s, Feuillade's serials later found renewed favor with Post-WWII French critics such as Georges Sadoul and Andre Bazin. Today Feuillade's films are especially admired for their documentary-like observation of interiors and locations in Paris and the suburbs. Les Vampires was no exception; it was filmed partly on the empty streets of Paris during World War I, giving its delirious plot twists an eerily realistic setting. While Feuillade's filmmaking style is relatively conservative compared to other directors of the time such as D. W. Griffith, his staging of scenes, using a full range of depth from the foreground to the background, makes him a forerunner of later masters of mise-en-scene such as Jean Renoir and Orson Welles. However, it is important not to lose sight of the fact that he thought of his films solely in commercial terms. Feuillade once wrote, "Please believe me, it's not for the experimenters who will finally obtain for film its proper recognition, but rather the makers of melodrama--and I count myself among the most devoted of their number...I believe I come closer to the truth than they do." Certainly, we can be thankful for his sound commercial instincts; for his best films, especially Les Vampires, are still entertaining today. This restored version of Les Vampires was produced by David Shepard of Film Preservation Associates. Several of Shepard's previous restoration efforts, including The Birth of a Nation (1915) and The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1919), have been aired previously on TCM. For this new version, the film is presented in the correct projection speed with newly translated title-cards, color tints and a period-authentic orchestral score prepared by Robert Israel. 7 Sunday 12:00 AM Les Vampires (Episode 1) (1915) A crusading journalist tracks down a beautiful jewel thief and her gang. Musidora, Edouard Mathé, Marcel Levesque. D: Louis Feuillade. BW 42 m. 12:30 AM Les Vampires (Episode 2) (1915) A crusading journalist tracks down a beautiful jewel thief and her gang. Musidora, Edouard Mathé, Marcel Levesque. D: Louis Feuillade. BW 42 m. 1:00 AM Les Vampires (Episode 3) (1915) A crusading journalist tracks down a beautiful jewel thief and her gang. Musidora, Edouard Mathé, Marcel Levesque. D: Louis Feuillade BW 42 m. 1:30 AM Les Vampires (Episode 4) (1915) A crusading journalist tracks down a beautiful jewel thief and her gang. Musidora, Edouard Mathé, Marcel Levesque. D: Louis Feuillade. BW 42 m. 14 Sunday 12:00 AM Les Vampires (Episode 5) (1915) A crusading journalist tracks down a beautiful jewel thief and her gang. Musidora, Edouard Mathé, Marcel Levesque. D: Louis Feuillade. BW 42 m. 1:00 AM Les Vampires (Episode 6) (1915) A crusading journalist tracks down a beautiful jewel thief and her gang. Musidora, Edouard Mathé, Marcel Levesque. D: Louis Feuillade. BW 42 m. 21 Sunday 12:00 AM Les Vampires (Episode 7) (1915) A crusading journalist tracks down a beautiful jewel thief and her gang. Musidora, Edouard Mathé, Marcel Levesque. D: Louis Feuillade. BW 42 m. 1:00 AM Les Vampires (Episode 8) (1915) A crusading journalist tracks down a beautiful jewel thief and her gang. Musidora, Edouard Mathé, Marcel Levesque. D: Louis Feuillade. BW 42 m. 28 Sunday 12:00 AM Les Vampires (Episode 9) (1915) A crusading journalist tracks down a beautiful jewel thief and her gang. Musidora, Edouard Mathé, Marcel Levesque. D: Louis Feuillade. BW 42 m. 1:00 AM Les Vampires (Episode 10) (1915) A crusading journalist tracks down a beautiful jewel thief and her gang. Musidora, Edouard Mathé, Marcel Levesque. D: Louis Feuillade. BWq 42 m.