(lively guitar music playing)
♪ ♪
(ominous music playing)
(quiet chatter)
(classical music playing)
(phone ringing)
(speaking French)
(phone ringing)
(air blowing)
(phone ringing)
Bon, uh...
(laughs)
-No! -Sí.
(sighs, laughs)
-Yes! -Yes.
-(door opens) -Ah! Shit.
-René: Am I disturbing you? -No. You scared me.
-Oh. -Come in.
No, because... I want, I want, I want
to show you something.
It's the original version
of, uh, the scene we are shooting today.
Look.
Look, um--
You know, I-I-I'm quite familiar with this.
While the Grand Vampire
entertains Werner in the salon...
Irma Vep steals the treasure map
from Mr. Werner's room,
but Moreno intercepts her.
Okay? Look, look, look! (laughs)
It's one of the most important scenes in the series.
It, it has to be as striking as the original.
Between you and Moreno, it has to be sexy.
Mira: Sure.
Look. Look, look.
-Yeah. -There is desire.
-There is seduction. Y-You can see. -Hm.
René: I just spoke to Robert downstairs,
you have to understand that with the Grand Vampire,
they're, they are more like, um...
-business partners. -Mm.
The Grand Vampire is an older man,
-an, an old fart. -(both chuckling)
-And she's not interested in him-- -Yeah, I know.
-She's totally over him. -You get it.
-That old fart. Yeah. -Yeah.
Enter Moreno, you see.
-Yeah. -Moreno. Sexy.
(speaks French)
Yes. Sexy. Young.
-Daring. -A very smooth villain, I must say.
Yeah, but she is a criminal.
She is the dangerous one.
-Yeah! -But, but Moreno turns the tables on her...
-Mm. -...and, and from evil mastermind,
she devolves into a, a damsel in distress.
(gasps) How dare you?
Yeah, he, he, he humiliates her.
Uh, whoa. That's a big word.
I do not think he humiliates her.
Uh, no, I mean, she's exposing the audience's own twisted desires.
For me, that's... quite cartoonish.
That's what makes it... fun, entertainment.
True, true, but, um...
you know, wh-when, when he, he drags and kidnaps her,
what, what makes this hot,
is that it's very chaste.
Nothing is shown.
-That's true. -But we can feel the tension.
And, and, and most of all, it's a great plot twist.
Yeah.
You don't see it coming.
Yeah, that, that's the scene that stands out.
Y-You can check it o-out on YouTube--
I know. It's, it's the most...
watched clip of "The Vampires" online,
but... I don't... I don't get it.
It's, it's the ultimate teenage fantasy.
-(groans) -Uh, boys are scared of girls,
so they fantasize about taming them.
Of, of course, it, it never happens in real life.
Everything happens in real life.
The good...
the bad...
everything... in between.
René: Let's shoot it.
-Scene 40B-slash-- -René: Excuse me.
Gottfried, uh... Gottfried...
you know that Feuillade hit a nerve.
Yes.
This is the beginning of the scene
they almost got banned for.
-Production was shut down. -Don't worry.
I'll make sure you get banned, too. (laughs)
-No, no, no, no, no, no. -(chuckling)
But it's, it's not what I meant, okay?
Stay in control... Don't hurt anyone, okay?
-I'll try. -Okay.
No promises.
But keep your animal instinct.
Be dangerous.
Try to surprise her.
-(thud) -Stay in control.
-Clap. -Scene 40B-slash-2. Take one.
(intense music playing)
(Mira yelling, grunting)
-(Mira shouting) -Cut! Cut! Cut!
(groaning)
A-A-Are, are you okay?
Yeah, uh, no, I hurt myself, but I'm fine.
Fine? Okay, bec-because
I-I-I need to watch the playback.
Mira: Sure.
Okay, watching playback.
We'll do it again.
I'm sorry. I didn't realize.
I was in character.
You got carried away.
I always get carried away.
-Mira: Uh-- -It's the only way for me to act.
This is our first-- ugh! First scene together,
so let me be very clear,
you're gonna have to find another way to act.
I get into a trance.
Mira: Yeah, well, with me,
you'll have to lose the trance.
(sighs) Self-control... How dull.
But, but if it's your wish--
Mira: It is.
Excuse me. Okay. This one went wrong.
Sorry, it was boring, okay?
I didn't feel any tension.
We need something more fluid, more--
Yeah, yeah, no. I think I understand
-what it is you need and want and-- -Yes. Move like a snake.
Yeah, if, if-- Can you just grab me with the scarf,
and I'll take care of the rest.
You are the lady. I'll happily submit.
-Scene 40B-- -René: Please, please.
Wait, please, please.
Gottfried, uh... we, we shot this 14 times.
And I will do it a hundred more if need be.
I don't doubt it.
But, j-just, uh, keep it simple, uh.
-Try to do it in a, a minimal way. -(scoffs) Come on.
More minimal than what I'm doing would be catatonic.
Exactly. It's perfect.
Catatonic. That's the word.
It's, it's right on the dot.
Let's do it catatonic.
Super.
Scene 40B-slash-2, take 15.
Carla: Mark.
(light music playing)
(door creaks)
René: Cut! Next scene!
Carla: Okay, actors can have a break.
Mira?
What's wrong?
I saw you sneaking in here, but didn't tell anyone.
(crying) It's okay.
-What happened? -No, I just can't keep it in.
Eamonn. (chuckles)
(groans)
Lianna was... pregnant.
She had a miscarriage the other night.
He was a wreck.
And...
-Told him to come over. -What?
-You always said you never wanted to speak to him again. -Well, I did. (chuckles)
He needed comforting.
Yeah. He stayed the night.
Do you still love him?
I don't know. I'm so lost.
No, no, I don't, I don't love him.
We, we had three great years together.
I, I loved him so much, he taught me so much--
He's such an amazing actor.
You know, I c-can't just erase all that.
But you gave him just as much.
-He gave me confidence. -So, muster it up,
and get off your ass, and go do your job.
-Sorry, everyone's waiting and they're freaking out. -Yeah, I know.
I'm the reliable one. I can't break down.
I think right now, you're perfectly capable of pulling yourself together.
Thank you. Ah, fuck.
(Mira grunting)
(tense music playing)
So, you are... the infamous Irma Vep.
Quite the catch.
Your ringleader will have to wait in vain.
I'm keeping this pretty tramp... for myself.
I don't think you know who you're up against.
I... am the ringleader here.
You are my captive now.
If you plan on getting close to me,
you'll have to make me love you first.
And trust me, that will never happen.
We shall see.
Now sit.
It would seem you have run out of options.
Like it or not,
you're mine now...
for the taking.
(grunting)
Don't fight... Let yourself go.
♪ ♪
Sweet dreams... my child.
The treasure map. (laughs)
♪ ♪
You're mine now.
♪ ♪
-(coughing) -Shh!
-Cut! Let's, let's do one more. -(coughing)
-That one felt really good to me. -Yeah, I think
we were really into it.
Maybe we could try extending it a bit.
So, o-o-one more take, but where you really take your time, okay?
Stretch the actions to, to make it more intense.
It was intense enough for me.
-Just as we rehearsed it. -Are you, are you sure?
-Positive. -René: Oh.
We've done seven takes. I think we're good.
R-René? This was almost two minutes.
You have more than what you need.
Jeremie: This one was perfect.
Okay... Okay, l-l-let's do, uh, some close-ups, now.
Carla: Okay, close-up and then lunch break!
(speaking French)
(deep sigh)
(clears throat)
-Indeed. -Indeed.
Make-up Artist: Here. Okay.
Yeah? Good.
(speaking Mandarin)
Sorry we kept you waiting, but we're finally done.
-You okay? -Yeah, we're just very late.
Well, good thing I don't have to do much anyways.
-What do you mean? -Well, all I have to do is
open my eyes and look like a zombie.
Yeah, well, there are a million ways to do that.
Well, I hope we won't explore them all.
(mysterious music playing)
(echoes) Rise up... It's time for your mission.
Take this treasure map to the Grand Vampire.
He will mistake you for Irma Vep,
and will rush... to the hiding place in the woods.
Now I just have to sit back and wait for you to bring me
the treasure.
♪ ♪
Shh.
You're my captive.
I will keep you under my spell...
at least until the Grand Vampire
pays your ransom.
I'm sure he will pay a pretty penny...
to keep
such a mesmerizing evildoer
by his side.
Or maybe I should keep you for myself.
Who knows?
♪ ♪
(intense music playing)
(speaking French)
(video plays)
("Electricity" by Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark playing)
(phone beeping)
(Irma Vep grunting)
♪ Our one source of energy ♪
♪ Electricity ♪
(clears throat)
Uh...
No, no...
Crew Member: What Robert is trying to tell you is Feuillade
was obviously getting off on having a strong woman
kidnapped and humiliated.
Well, um... okay.
Well, she's, uh, evil herself, okay? A, a murderess.
-Mm-hm. -And, uh, she's involved in things
far worse than kidnapping.
So, it's the same old story?
She had it coming? She's guilty of her own rape?
-But... -We don't see it the same way.
What we are seeing
is you're sexualizing assault.
You have to get rid of that scene.
So, uh, you, you all agree with the Police Chief
who shut down Feuillade's set for indecency a century ago?
-That's censorship. -Did he?
Yeah, he did. Yes.
Because Musidora herself, uh, went to the Police Chief
and she pleaded the case.
Bravo.
My character is a pervert.
That, that is what is so interesting about him.
-I think we should take it much further. -Yes.
Gottfried: You straight people are so dull.
-Robert. -Robert: Yes.
-You are a nice guy. -You're a nice guy, too, Gottfried--
-I really like you, yeah? -I really like you.
If, if, if I was still gay...
-Yeah. -...you would be my type.
-(laughing) -Carla: Please, stop it.
But you are so repressed.
-I-I feel sorry for you. -Stop it--
-(honking) -(tires screeching)
René: Oh!
-Que bon espresso. -Waitress: An espresso.
Oui.
-Sorry, I'm late. -Oh, nothing to be sorry about.
Uh, I-I'm so sorry for disturbing you so late.
Oh... I hardly sleep during shoots.
Server: Good evening. What would you like?
Can I have a herbal tea, please?
Server: Yeah, sure.
Ay...
(indistinct chatter)
C-C-Can I ask you a, a personal question?
Please.
Did you find, uh, the abduction scene disturbing?
Because they want me to reshoot it.
I watched the dailies and, um... no.
It works. It's sexy.
Yeah, but they say, “sexy in a perverted way.”
That's Irma Vep's appeal.
She's a sexy villainess.
It's a strong scene.
(laughs) Whatever puritans will say.
Yeah, it turns me on. Does that make me a pervert?
Yes, it does.
-Mira: Mm. -But...
w-w-what do you mean?
I mean that everybody has dark fantasies.
But, um, usually...
we outgrow them at some point.
-I never did. -I noticed.
Well, who cares? Uh, it's in movies. Uh, it's not a big deal.
You can hurt some people's feelings.
And some people are very thin-skinned.
W-W-What can I do?
Well, you can start by...
taking that into consideration
instead of plainly rejecting it.
And then...
let your imagination loose.
Didn't Musidora... herself, um,
endorse Feuillade's twisted fantasies?
I think she wrote about that in her memoirs.
(indistinct chatter)
(Gregory speaking French)
(exhilarating music playing)
(knocks on door)
(phone ringing)
Such an honor to receive the illustrious Musidora.
The honor is to be granted a meeting
with the Paris Police Chief.
Please, sit down.
What a pleasure to meet you.
It's like a beam of sunshine
on a gloomy day, in a gloomy job.
-I have, uh-- -Mm-hm.
come to you to plead
on behalf of my fellow artists and crew members
of Leon Gaumont's production "Les Vampires."
We have been shut down for two months now.
Sorry to be blunt...
but your film is an abomination.
They are ridiculing authority, my agents, the police,
and insults the laws of common decency.
It is a work of imagination.
I've not seen the films myself...
but I understand there's a certain catsuit.
Yes. I wear a silk catsuit.
-So I've heard. -You have excellent informants.
Monsieur Paul Poiret himself designed it.
Our greatest fashion designer, and a gentleman.
Oh, it is, uh, very hot...
in your office.
Uh, do you mind if I, um, uh, t-t-take off my coat?
Please, let me help you.
-I am actually wearing a Paul Poiret dress. -Oh.
-Please... we'd be more comfortable here. -Oh.
Nothing in the film can hurt my modesty.
We never see any skin.
(chuckles) You are living proof that one can be very suggestive
without showing anything.
Do not make me blush. (chuckles)
It has shocked many among your audience.
Consider the fact that we have competition
from, uh, the international film industry.
America is releasing "The Perils of Pauline."
It's a French production, uh...
production française. Pathé Brothers.
True, but shot in New Jersey
with an American cast and crew,
whereas we are giving jobs
to our own heroic young men
returning from the front.
You have a point there.
Shutting us down puts talented
technicians and artists out of work,
and... gives the edge to foreign filmmakers.
I understand.
I say this with the utmost respect.
It, uh, could be considered...
antipatriotique.
Well, you are not only a beautiful woman...
you are also very smart and persuasive.
We will give the film a closer second look.
-I will let you know what our final decision is. -Yeah.
Don't tone it down too much, though.
You wouldn't want to disappoint your many fans.
I will see to it myself it does not happen.
(music ends)
(speaking French)
Oh, hi.
Hi... Sorry.
I'm not familiar with, uh, this area.
-Oh. -I live on the other side of town.
-It's a long trip. -I know, Bastille. I was there.
-So, yeah, thank you for coming all the way. -Please, it's okay.
I just need to understand if... (sighs)
Have things cooled down with you and Robert?
'Cause, uh, yeah, we're having our next scene tomorrow.
And we just want to make sure that
Mira can stay focused and get her job done.
Umm...
do you like Robert?
Uh, nothing wrong with him.
Because he sees, um, the Grand Vampire as a--
this, um, evil mastermind.
He thinks he has to be cold and distant.
-Not for me to judge. -He's a bit too cold and distant.
-Yeah. -He's a fine actor.
-A fine actor? -Yeah.
-You don't think so. -Okay...
let me tell you a story.
Did you know that, uh, Louis Feuillade, uh, could be a difficult man?
On set or off set?
No, off set he was a gentleman,
but, on set, he was uncompromising.
So, one day, for some reason, he got angry with the, the actor
who played, uh, the Grand Vampire.
His name was, uh, Jean Aymé.
One day, Jean Aymé didn't show up.
Louis Feuillade was a, a good man, but very stingy.
So, the next morning, when, uh, Jean Aymé came on set...
Louis Feuillade went straight to him.
(speaking French)
(whimsical accordion music playing)
(bell rings)
(gunfire)
(groaning)
(dramatic sting)
-Wow. Yeah, he was ruthless. -Yeah. Wow.
Poor Jean Aymé. I mean, that must've been real hard on him.
You know what? In the end, it was better for the film.
What do you mean?
I mean, I think it's cool
when Moreno takes over.
Yeah, yeah. F-F-For a moment,
Irma Vep and Moreno were, uh,
the Bonnie and Clyde of the time.
-Mira: Uh-huh. -Sexy outlaws.
-Yes, yes. -Yeah.
So, let's, let's, let's kill the Grand Vampire.
Let's get rid of him, exactly like Feuillade did.
Mira: But that's not in the script.
The question is have you (clears throat)
have you discussed this with Robert?
Not, not-- No, not, not, not yet,
but, um, he will know... soon enough.
(phone dings)
(indistinct chatter)
("Temple Dance Of The Soul" by Jozef Van Wissem playing)
♪ ♪
(mysterious music playing)
(people moaning)
(music intensifies)
(phone ringing)
(knocks on door)
Hey, uh, (chuckles) what's the fuss?
-Gottfried has disappeared. -Yeah... so I've heard.
Everybody seems to be in a panic.
We had to do some fittings on his three-piece suit.
It's shooting this morning.
Not anymore. Problem solved.
I promised Gregory I would keep track of him last night.
No one else volunteered.
And then I... put it off to some PA,
and now this poor guy is gonna lose his job.
Cool down. You don't have to worry about Gottfried.
He's probably sleeping off his booze somewhere.
He'll show up.
Where's your dress?
My dress is right here. They just dropped it off.
Want to see it?
I'll adjust that here.
-Yeah. -You look very sexy without being obvious at all.
-That's what we want, right? -Yes, it is.
-She has to be devilishly sexy. -Well, you are.
I... I might keep it on.
Go to set. Just to get used to it.
Where did you put the gun? (chuckles)
Uh-huh.
Zoe: Mira?
About what you said the other night.
-What? -When I dropped you at your hotel,
you said something. You remember, right?
You said, “Next time.”
Zoe...
I like you.
I genuinely do, but, um...
this is not my world.
Zoe: You mean Paris?
Yeah. I mean Paris. I... (laughs)
I mean René. I mean...
Irma Vep.
♪ Out in the country ♪
♪ Far from all the soot and noise of the city ♪
♪ There's a village green ♪
♪ Oh, it's been a long time ♪
♪ Since I last set eyes on the church with the steeple ♪
♪ Down by the village green ♪
♪ 'Twas there I met a girl called Daisy ♪
♪ And I kissed her by the old oak tree ♪
♪ Although I loved my Daisy, I sought fame ♪
♪ And so I left the village green ♪
♪ I miss the village green ♪
♪ And all the simple people ♪
♪ I miss the village green ♪
♪ The church, the clock, the steeple ♪
♪ I miss the morning dew, fresh air and Sunday school ♪
♪ And now all the houses ♪
♪ Are rare antiquities... ♪