Fantômas contre Scotland Yard

Released in 1967, this French-Italian production is the third and final entry in André Hunebelle's Fantômas trilogy, following the 1964 and 1965 films. Jean Marais again plays a double role: the master criminal Fantômas and the journalist Fandor, while Louis de Funès portrays the diligent but perpetually outsmarted commissioner Juve. This time Fantômas blackmails the world's greatest fortunes into paying him a so-called tax on the right to live. The wealthy Scottish lord Mac Rashley invites Juve, his deputy Bertrand, Fandor and Fandor's fiancée Hélène to his castle in Scotland to lay a fresh trap for the elusive villain. With its mysterious castle setting, the film moves away from the James Bond-style modernity of the earlier installments toward the darker, more gothic flavor of the original novels by Pierre Souvestre and Marcel Allain. Shot mostly in France, the film received harsh reviews but proved a major box office success across Europe and the Soviet Union.