Fantomas

Feuillade's great serial, his first major one. 1913
This uses greater depth, and noticeably a much greater depth, than certainly 'Judex', and perhaps 'Les Vampires'. Especially in the first two episodes we are taken outside much more often, which yields greater freedom to edit, that is, cut around each location to at least some degree. These outside locations are quite brilliant examples of photography. We have a real sense of Paris at the time, of people, with the long takes, going about their lives.
This use of depth is used to have characters watching each other, approaching each other, without the other knowing. This is Feuillade's great use of suspense. It is the classic use of time, waiting, as we can see that something 'terrible' approaches, and the duration draws it out. This is the key tactic of the mis-en-scene. As the entire locations begin to appear threatening, subject to villains bursting out, so that any long takes builds up suspense. This is how Feuillade is able to unbalance, when he wants, his mis-en-scene. Because we are always suspecting something to happen in the 'empty' part of the frame, suspense ensues.
If we have a central theme in Fantomas, it is surely something being in the wrong place, the location is found to be a place of horrors, bizarreness, that is 'out of place' in the everyday. It is most often people appearing from bizarre locations, but also unfortunate letters, even animals. This creates an atmosphere, electrifying every scene. Their is even the motif of the gas that comes in, the all pervading atmosphere of fear. This is a part of the remarkable use of the whole frame in Fantomas, a lesson still for today. Why not have the action, the heads, in the bottom corner? Why not have characters on the far side of the screen, if it balances the screen best. The incredibly intricate, brilliantly planned framing, compels this.
The gas also relates to how 'Fantomas' is, in being so interchangable, not really anyone, in fact everyone. The interchangability of the characters, Juve become Fantomas, being constantly mistaken, projects Fantomas as being as much each of the characters as his 'own'. Not that Fantomas is simply (though he is) the repressed desires; these desires are themselves subject to the law, themselves repressed (this reminds us most of 'Dr Mabuse', from Lang's first 'Mabuse' film).
The story moves on and on, in its wonderful winding, mysterious, manner, even with suspense, there is constant surprise, constant movement, simply a process of taking down logical paths to infinity. The finest example is perhaps the second segment, the first is also wonderful. These have the twistiest plots, and the finest images (Fantomas' final celebration, the snake, for example). Sensational images abound throughout however; the skin-glove, the blood in the wall.....
Feuillade creates worlds, uses the cinema in a still dynamic way, and is, in our opinion as in the official histories, a clear master of the cinema.