was enormously popular upon its release in France, and made Navarre, who played Fantômas, an overnight celebrity. In a rave review from a 1914 issue of the French journal Chronique cinématographique, critic Maurice Raynal wrote that "there is nothing in this involved, compact, and concentrated film but explosive genius". In his contemporary critical review of the Fantômas serial, Peter Schofer observed that contrary to some modern understandings of the series, Fantômas was not interpreted by its audience as a suspense film. Based on a previously published and widely read newspaper serial, audiences of the time were already extensively familiar with the plot, characters, and outcome of the story, making the film much more about how the story might develop as opposed to what might happen next. See also List of film serials List of film serials by studio References External links Fantômas films 1913 films 1914 films 1913 drama films 1914 drama films 1910s crime drama films French silent films French black-and-white films Films directed by Louis Feuillade Film serials Films set in Paris Articles containing video clips French crime drama films Silent drama films