Watches
August 17, 2020
Probably the oldest crime film I've seen so far. I say film, but it's really a serial as it consists of 10 episodes of various lengths. It's a welcome structure for those who want to break up this 7-hour long experience, 420 minutes really is a bit much (let's call that an understatement) for the material at hand.
I've seen other lengthy classics before (like Gance's Napoléon), but at least they made a real effort to stand out. Les Vampires is just a 7-hour long crime narrative, with few ups and down, little cinematic prowess and simply a ton of plot to wade through. Oh, and don't expect any Gothic horror creatures either, Les Vampires is merely the name of the criminal gang.
The runtime is simply ridiculous, then again I'm not a big fan of series either. Watching this from start to finish was quite a chore, especially because the story is way too basic (it's only epic in length) and the cinematic qualities are below par. No doubt the film has historic significance, but that's not enough considering the excessive runtime.