Fantômas se déchaîne (, "Fantomas Unleashed") is a 1965 film starring Jean Marais as the arch villain Fantômas opposite Louis de Funès as the earnest but outclassed commissaire Juve and the journalist Fandor, also played by Marais. It was France's answer, with the Fantômas trilogy starting in 1964, to the James Bond phenomenon that swept the world at around the same time. It is the second in the trilogy of Fantômas films, that became extremely successful in Europe and Soviet Union and found success even in the United States and Japan. In this film Jean Marais also plays professor Lefebvre.
Plot.
In the second film of the trilogy Fantômas kidnaps distinguished scientist professor Marchand with the aim to develop a super weapon that will enable him to menace the world. Fantômas is also planning to abduct a second scientist, professor Lefebvre. Journalist Fandor develops an ingenious scheme whereby he disguises himself as Lefebvre and attends a scientific conference in Rome, Italy to lure Fantômas into attempting to kidnap him.
The plan seems to work until commissaire Juve steps into the fray and as usual messes things up, although Juve redeems himself by saving the troupe with an array of special gadgets which he has developed especially for his hunt for Fantômas. Yet, once again Fantômas escapes in style, using his Citroën DS with retractable wings that converts into an airplane in what amounts to one of the most unexpected and spectacular scenes of the genre.
Release.
The film premiered in France on 8 December 1965.
It was the sixth most popular film of 1965 in France, after "The Sucker", "Goldfinger", "Thunderball", "Gendarme in New York" and "Mary Poppins" and before "God's Thunder" and "The Wise Guys". It had admissions of 4,412,446.
References.
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