Événement

Judex @ the Classic French Film Festival

This effortlessly cool crime caper, directed by Georges Franju, is a marvel of dexterous plotting and visual invention. Conceived as an homage to Louis Feuillade's 1916 cult silent serial of the same name, "Judex" kicks off with the mysterious kidnapping of a corrupt banker by a shadowy crime fighter (American magician Channing Pollock) and spins out into a thrillingly complex web of deceptions. Combining stylish '60s modernism with silent-cinema touches and even a few unexpected sci-fi accents, "Judex" is a delightful bit of superhero pulp fiction and a testament to the art of illusion.

The Chicago Reader's Jonathan Rosenbaum observes: "There's a world of difference between the natural, 'found' surrealism of Louis Feuillade's lighthearted French serial (1914) and the darker, studied surrealism and campy piety of this 1964 remake by Georges Franju. Yet in Franju's hands the material has its own magic (and deadpan humor), which makes this one of the better features of his middle period. Judex (Channing Pollack) is a cloaked hero who abducts a villainous banker to prevent the evil Diana (Francine Bergé in black tights) from stealing a fortune from the banker's virtuous daughter. Some of what Franju finds here is worthy of Cocteau."

With an introduction and post-film discussion by Pier Marton, video artist, former lecturer in the Film and Media Studies Program at Washington U., and self-designated unlearning specialist at the School of No Media.