La Rage du Démon

The concept is utterly outstanding. Whether presented as a fake documentary, as this is, or as a conventional genre flick, the idea is ripe for storytelling: an extremely rare film that has a very particular effect on those who see it. Better yet to center true film-making pioneer Georges Méliès, known for surreal and fantastical shorts as early as the late nineteenth century; if any one person in the whole history of the medium might have genuinely made such a picture, it probably would have been Méliès. 'Fury of the demon' is lent exquisite verisimilitude by the labor poured into maintaining the appearance of a true, honest documentary, especially as it discusses the life and history of Méliès, those around him, and the fictional feature. Just as much to the point, the production values here are top-notch as a few recognizable figures are interviewed, and discussion of the subject matter is roundly comprehensive. There's speculative rumination on psychology and sociology, the physical properties of old films, the power of cinema as a medium, and much more, treating everything herein as if it were authentic cultural history. Honestly, kudos to filmmaker Fabien Delage, because this is rather superb.

I'm not sure if the result is as entirely successful as other "mockumentaries," such as Peter Jackson's 'Forgotten Silver' or Christopher Guest's 'A mighty wind,' that are played for comedic effect. One might also draw comparisons to "documentaries" on pseudoscience or conspiracy theories that the participants falsely believe to be real, or to propagandist films in which inaccurate, misleading, or false information is presented as fact; clearly such works also possess a certain power for a select audience. Yet even if this project isn't unfailingly perfect in every capacity, by and large 'Fury of the demon' is weirdly, unexpectedly engrossing. As it explores the topic from so many angles it becomes not just a movie about a fictional movie, but a movie about Méliès, and cinema, and all the little pieces around and in between. Suspension of disbelief is easily achieved, and the viewing experience becomes uniquely fascinating, almost a thought experiment. And isn't that the mark of a good film in the first place - one that makes us think, or feel, or have some distinct reaction?

The style adopted here is not one that will appeal to all, but I'm pleased with how well done it is in both writing and realization. I've seen too many conventional works of fiction that pale in comparison to what Delage has crafted in 'Fury of the demon,' and at only one mere hour in length, it's an entertaining feature for any cinephile.

I'd been looking for this movie on stream or P2P for a long time and finally was able to watch it, only to be left somewhat disappointed in the experience.

For a "mockumentary" based on an elusive (fake) silent era collab between Georges Méliès and Victor Sicario there are surprisingly nothing more than talking heads throughout. We spend an hour jumping around all sorts of different threads and supposed details on a raft of things, leading up to... well nothing. The film is presumed lost until its next mysterious appearance where it will surely wreak further havoc on another unsuspecting cinema audience. Theres nothing clever here, no liberty taken to create snippets of the lost reels and nothing more than a nod to some of the work of one of the pioneers of early film. The fake interviewees range from plausible to downright reading off a teleprompter and they just take you further out of what had the potential to be a fun little find.

Paris, January 2012. The famous film collector Edgar Wallace invites the media to the screening of a film from 1897, long assumed lost and sometimes regarded as an outright myth: "La Rage du Demon". According to some, the film is by Georges Méliès, or perhaps Victor Sicarius, a forgotten friend of the fantasy film pioneer. The screening becomes a nightmare, the audience gripped by a murderous frenzy — as it has every time the film has inexplicably surfaced, once in each century.

This documentary, "La Rage du Demon" (alternately called "Fury of the Demon"), has two layers to it. One is grounded firmly in facts: a biography of Georges Melies, arguably the founder of cinema as we know it. And the other is more spurious: did Melies create a film that is cursed, and has it really caused audiences to go mad?

The first layer is of crucial importance, because it shines a light on lost films, and the early French role in cinema history. With Pauline Melies talking of her grandfather's involvement in magic and Rue Morgue's Dave Alexander commenting on the role of Melies in creating horror pre-German expressionism, we are treated to a re-exploration of Melies and his work. Any casual historian of cinema knows that Melies was vitally important, but how many people have seen much of his output beyond "A Trip to the Moon"? Clips shown here reveal he was much more than that one film.

The topic of spiritualism is also discussed, which is a fascinating part of religious history that few speak about today. Why it died out is not clear, but it plays a dual role in the story of Melies. One, the world of spiritualism often overlapped with the world of magic – no less a figure than Harry Houdini was mesmerized by the movement. But also, the peak of spiritualism and the birth of cinema coincide – even if one did not directly influence the other, they were born of the same world.

The second layer is spell-binding, though it is left to the audience to decide if they believe any of the legend. Following a story that bears more than a passing resemblance to John Carpenter's "Cigarette Burns", we hear that a rare screening of this semi-lost film ("La Rage du Demon") had attendees acting like zombies, and one viewer thinking he suffered a stroke. One person even died of a heart attack and more than ten were wounded. Worse than that, this is the third time such a thing has happened since the film's original November 1897 screening.

Interviewing such a figure as director Alexandre Aja adds to the realism, and for those who find the idea of curses to be silly, the documentary offers an alternate explanation: perhaps the film was inadvertently coated with a hallucinogenic chemical that becomes airborne when it heats up on the projector. A quick Internet search adds more doubt, however, when we find it hard to track down Victor Sicarius (Melies' occult protégé) or the story of actress Juliette Andre and her mutilation murder, which surely would have made history.

Whether the second layer is true or merely a clever ruse concocted by the director is ultimately unimportant, however, because the second layer serves primarily to reinforce the first. If the film inspires viewers to re-evaluate George Melies, read and learn more about his life, watch his films, or gain an appreciation for lost films, this documentary is a resounding success. And I think it does exactly that. Here's hoping that more of Melies' work can be found… not to mention lost movies from Thomas Edison, Karl Freund, F. W. Murnau, and many others.

"La Rage du Demon" premieres July 18 at the Fantasia International Film Festival, and is sure to inspire a new generation of both cinema lovers and cinema creators. At a lean 60 minutes, it is time well-spent.

I went in knowing that this was a fake documentary, so I didn't get all whiny like the rest of the reviewers who wanted it to be true. However, I will agree that the film lacks payoff. I never expected them to play segments of the original Fury of the Demon, because the entire premise is that it's a lost film. But I did want something to happen. Instead, it's just interviews that go on about what the movie did, how it might have been made, and why it could have caused the reaction it did. People talk a while, then it ends. In contrast, look at a movie like The Last Broadcast. It is a pretend documentary that uses found footage to build a mystery, but the ending adds to the story.

Yet another 'mock'umentary that, albeit not a bad film, gets your hopes up to explore a mystery that goes no further than say a short Wikipedia search.

I don't want to dissuade anyone out there from viewing this movie and I'm going to make a point here not to give any of the plot away. It really isn't a bad film just turn your brain off for an hour and enjoy!!

Another reviewer said something along the lines of "LA Rage du Demon" really makes you want to see the original. And that was true for me too. "Fury of the Demon" really does get your hopes up to go out and and do your own search for any possible way to see this long lost film despite this little mock'umentary's warning of its dangers...

However sadly no matter how hard you search for the original "La Rage du Demon" you'll never come across your own copy because, it never existed to begin with.