I had read about this film but had never had a chance to view it, or so I thought. I acquired a copies of all three films and watched them. I loved this one, with its style and wit. Jean Marais is outstanding in the dual roles of hero and villain and Louis de Funes is equally good as the hapless Inspector Juve. The film is lightweight but that is its strength. It never gets bogged down in overly serious drama so it can revel in the absurd plot, which is often far more entertaining than even the best drama. It certainly screams the 60s, which is probably my favorite decade, from a design standpoint. Fantomas' lair is a triumph of set design and the flying Citroen is beautifully over the top.

As it turned out, in viewing the film, I realized I had seen part of it before, as I had a vivid memory of the rooftop chase, when Fantomas escapes using a crane. This is a great film for a rainy day or quiet weekend. It won't go down as a masterpiece of cinema, but it will entertain you for a couple of hours, which is far more than you can say for a lot of movies these days. Check it out if you stumble across it.

I had always been intrigued by the exploits of this famous criminal mastermind, and especially its initial cinematic adaptation via the Silent Serial of 1913-14 made by Louis Feuillade (whose French 2-DVD Set I purchased, rather costly, and enjoyed a great deal). Another interesting version was the 1932 Paul Fejos film, which recently turned up on late-night Italian TV (in the original language!) - but I missed out on it because at the time I was in Hollywood!!

To be honest, I wasn't expecting much from the Sixties revival but, as it turned out, it's a likable - and stylish - enough triptych, even if it's somewhat unbalanced by the comic relief (which increased with each new entry). Also, since I watched the three films back-to-back, they've become more or less interchangeable in my mind - especially given the fact that they have much the same cast and crew!

It's interesting that Jean Marais has a dual role - as had been the case with Jean Cocteau's BEAUTY AND THE BEAST (1946),where he was hidden behind an amazing animal make-up for virtually the entire film, as well as playing the rather bland hero - as both Fantomas (his features are still recognizable behind the rather wonderful blank-faced mask) and the intrepid reporter hero (at which he managed to be credible, despite being 50 years old!),with an equally brave partner (the lovely Mylene Demongeot) in tow; while popular comic Louis De Funes appears as Commissioner Juve, forever in pursuit of the elusive and fiendish criminal, abetted - but more often hindered - by a rotund Inspector played by Jacques Dynam.

Unfortunately, the film aspired more to the tongue-in-cheek approach, colorful scenery and the gadget-heavy thrills of the James Bond extravaganzas (featuring even a similar score!) rather than the poetic touch - which went hand in hand with the inherent surrealism of such fare - which Georges Franju gave to a contemporaneous remake/compression of another Feuillade Silent Serial, JUDEX (1963; the original was released in 1916-17). Perhaps the best scene(s) of the film is the extended set-piece at the climax in which Fantomas utilizes five separate means of transportation - train, car, motorbike, boat, submarine - in order to escape the clutches of the Law (successfully).

Fantomas appears to be one of the most famous figures in French pop culture (his first appearances in cinema date back to the early 1910s!),and yet this is the first time I get around to watching a film with him in it. Fairly clearly intended to be mostly a set-up for further screen adventures, this film is short on story but long on stuntwork, much of which is quite admirable. My hat goes off to Jean Marais for at least one amazing stunt of him (and it IS clearly him) climbing a ladder hanging from a helicopter as it flies away (no James Bond actor ever did something like that - they always relied on stunt doubles). Another highlight is a wild ride on a car with no breaks down a twisting mountain road! As a comedy, the film is occasionally funny. The hyperkinetic, frequently mugging Louis De Funes will not appeal to everyone's taste - he's not THAT far removed in style from Franco and Ciccio, the equally popular at the time Italian comedians; you can take that as a compliment or as a pan, it's up to you! **1/2 out of 4.