Judex

In this crime melodrama, Franju pays homage to early French cinema, particularly the work of pioneer director Louis Feuillade. Indeed, the film takes its title from Feuillade's 1916 serial of the same name. Favraux, a wicked banker, is warned by super detective Judex that unless he reforms he will be punished. Judex kidnaps Favraux at a masked ball and while disguised as the banker's elderly secretary, informs the banker's daughter Jacqueline about her father's immoral dealings. She reacts promptly by renouncing her inheritance. Diana Monti is a governess-cum-mistress of disguise in love with Favraux but having an affair with Morales. Her plan to cheat Jacqueline out of her inheritance is foiled. Monti kills her lover and herself. Favraux, too, commits suicide leaving Judex and Jacqueline to marry. Franju's film is Note worthy for its stark black and white cinematography and for its use of silent film conventions like irises and intertitles. The casting of a real magician in the title role complements the film's surreal mood. (Circulates).Genre/FormDetective and mystery films.