Saturday, January 18, 2014

FANTÔMAS SE DÉCHAÎNE - Michel Magne - "Fantomas Strikes Back" (1965)

Tonight's special feature is the number two movie in the famous, in my world, Fantômas trilogy, "Fantômas Strikes Back!" Wow, this Danish poster really doesn't do the knockout Mylène Demongeot any justice at all!

The first "Fantômas" movie in this series left it wide open, so one year later, here we go again!
Fantômas Strikes Back!! The wacky theme song was written by Michel Magne, and sounds like the illegitimate child of Esquivel and Vic Mizzy!! Michel wrote the music for all three of the Fantômas films!

This movie starts with bumbling fool Commissaire Juve being honoured for ridding the world of the horrible menace known as Fantômas!! Appause!

Then the Commissaire receives a special congratulatory note from Fantômas himself that ruins the whole day! What a party pooper! On the left is Jean Marais as Fandor, he also has the role of Fantômas but it's not like a Superman secret identity, it's just one actor doing two roles! In the middle is Fandor's secretary and girlfriend, the stunning Mylène Demongeot as Hélène!

Meanwhile, back at the unclear power plant! Don't you just wanna pop that thing?

It really doesn't seem possible, but the Fantômas character first graced the silver screen in 1913!

Uh, Oh, looks like something has gone awry!

These Fantômas movies are basically kind of like a clash of gadgets between Fantômas and Commissaire Juve! Whose got the better toys?

Fantômas unleashes a remote controlled screaming go-kart bomb!

Commissaire Juve counters with his fake 'hands up' outfit!

There's a gala masquerade ball that Commissaire Juve and his men have to infiltrate! They don't exactly blend in!

It's a convoluted affair as Fantômas, looking like Aladdin, tries to put the make on Hélène!



Time for Commissaire Juve to break out his peg-leg machine gun so they can escape!

Instead, everybody is knocked out, captured, and transported to Fantômas's special hidden underwater sanctuary!

In my humble opinion, Mylène Demongeot as Hélène is cute as a button! She doesn't seem to be able to take a bad picture, but I read in her bio that when she was a teenager, she had to have surgery because she had crossed eyes! Crossed eyes or not, I'll bet she was still gorgeous! Mylène is still alive and well, and has films in production right now!

It's the old "give the guards the cigars with the bullet loads in them, time it just right and get them to face each other" routine, once again courtesy of Commissaire Juve!

 Fantômas's den is not quite as extensive as Dr. No's digs, but a pretty swinging pad just the same!

But when the whole place goes up in smoke, run like Hell!!!

They almost get him this time, but the door stays wide open for a chance for one more sequel, and that will be coming up one of these days soon, "Fantômas Vs. Scotland Yard!"

2 comments:

  1. t seems a fantastic film. I like Fantomas mask. Mylène is precious.

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  2. Indeed she is Johny!

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