Review of The Vampires or, The Arch Criminals of Paris (1915) by Larry H — 30 Jul 2017

So the film has great characters, story, atmosphere, music, and camerawork. What's the problem? For many, it comes down to the length of the picture. I'm a firm believer that a film being long is not an automatic flaw.

I'd be down to watch a 20-hour epic if it managed to hold my attention through all 20 hours. Unfortunately Les Vampires fails to do that. The cinematic moments are fantastic, breathtaking even, but they are scattered throughout the seven hour runtime.

The final three parts slow down to an unbearable crawl (honestly, I almost gave up on this), and the conclusion is not noteworthy enough to justify the build up. It's a product of its time for better or worse.