Fantômas

Fantômas (1964) is a French-Italian crime comedy directed by André Hunebelle and the first entry in his trilogy about the master criminal. Written by Jean Halain and Pierre Foucaud, it freely adapts the novels of Pierre Souvestre and Marcel Allain with a lighthearted, often parodic tone. Jean Marais plays a dual role as the archvillain Fantômas and as journalist Jérôme Fandor, while Louis de Funès portrays commissaire Paul Juve, turned into a comedic figure far removed from his literary counterpart; Mylène Demongeot plays Hélène Gurn, Fandor's girlfriend.

Conceived as France's answer to the James Bond craze, the film premiered on 4 November 1964 and drew around 4.5 million viewers in France and over 45 million in the Soviet Union, also finding success in Europe, Japan, and the United States. Its popularity led to two sequels, released in 1965 and 1967.