Fantomas 1921 – A Tale of a Lost American Movie Serial

Abstract

Since its first publication in 1911, Fantômas has achieved iconic status all over the world, although it remains relatively unknown in America today. However, this has not always been the case. At the time of the character’s inception, English translations of the Fantômas novels appeared in newspapers and bookstores across the country, and Feuillade’s Fantômas film serial was distributed in America as well. In 1920, the Fox Film Corporation decided to capitalize on the character’s popularity by producing an American Fantomas serial, directed by Edward Sedgwick. By 1920, however, the notoriety of Fantômas had already begun to dissipate in the United States. Only twelve of the novels in the original thirty-two volume series were ever translated into English, and most traces of Sedgwick’s film serial vanished without a trace. Fortunately, the recent discovery of a press book of Fantomas (1920), containing photo-stills, plot synopses and press copy, provide us with some insight into this lost film.