That's approximately what the advertising on the DVD says, but it would be more proper to say that Judex (whose name means "Justice") is a continuation of the basic idea of the obsessed revenger of wrongs, as with the 1903 character the Scarlet Pimpernel.
Judex does have what could *almost* be called a costume, in that at times he dresses all in black, with a hat and cloak that might remind some of the pulp-hero The Shadow. His face, though, is completely exposed, so his attire is more of a correlative of his mood than some bigger-than-life symbol of his mission. Judex's actor Robert Creste is often seen in ordinary clothes, even in some of his encounters with the villains, so there really doesn't seem to be any question of a "secret identity." There's no fantastic content to speak of and Judex doesn't even get into what one could term "fights." Another adjective applied to JUDEX in the advertising is "dreamlike." I've seen this applied to Feullaide's other serial LES VAMPIRES and didn't think it applies to that one either. The photography of JUDEX is admirably staged but all of the events are entirely mundane, never for a moment suggesting the metamorphoses of dream. Carl Dryer's VAMPYR or even Melies' TRIP TO THE MOON are far more suggestive in their respective usages of imagery than anything I've seen from Feullaide. And sorry, I don't get that much from Musidora, iconic "vamp" though she may be.
JUDEX itself is entertaining in a slow-paced way, but it's largely a quaint curiosity.
Judex does have what could *almost* be called a costume, in that at times he dresses all in black, with a hat and cloak that might remind some of the pulp-hero The Shadow. His face, though, is completely exposed, so his attire is more of a correlative of his mood than some bigger-than-life symbol of his mission. Judex's actor Robert Creste is often seen in ordinary clothes, even in some of his encounters with the villains, so there really doesn't seem to be any question of a "secret identity." There's no fantastic content to speak of and Judex doesn't even get into what one could term "fights." Another adjective applied to JUDEX in the advertising is "dreamlike." I've seen this applied to Feullaide's other serial LES VAMPIRES and didn't think it applies to that one either. The photography of JUDEX is admirably staged but all of the events are entirely mundane, never for a moment suggesting the metamorphoses of dream. Carl Dryer's VAMPYR or even Melies' TRIP TO THE MOON are far more suggestive in their respective usages of imagery than anything I've seen from Feullaide. And sorry, I don't get that much from Musidora, iconic "vamp" though she may be.
JUDEX itself is entertaining in a slow-paced way, but it's largely a quaint curiosity.