1903

Le Cinématographe Vengeur [The Cinématographe Avenger]

Chapter from a serial-novel by Paul d’Ivoi, Les Cinq Sous de Lavarède: La Justice du Cinématographe (Paris: G. Fayard, 1903), 719–33

The slim pulp-fiction volume, La Justice du Cinématographe, includes one section, translated below, which is about a criminal being brought to book partially through the agency of film.²⁴ As we have seen, short stories had already been published with similar plot devices, but what makes this different is that it is a volume of some 120 pages. However, it should not be claimed as the first ever novel about cinema, for two reasons. Firstly, only some 15 pages are actually about film, and secondly this small volume is not a complete novel: it is one part or installment of a serially-published novel Les Lavarède, itself part of a larger novel in 60 parts, Les Cinq Sous de Lavarède (The Five Cents of Lavarede).²⁵ What might more modestly be claimed is that this is the first separately-published fiction dealing in part with cinema (and having a film-related title and cover). La Justice du Cinématographe is set in Australia, and the plot features a bewhiskered “Chief of Police of the Pacific”, Sir Toby Allsmine (the name sums him up) who has committed serious crimes to further his career. He is compelled to answer before the avenging and mysterious “Triplex”, while a cinématographe with audio capability records the proceedings. Then in the section below, the film recording is exhibited before a tribunal (led by a certain Lord Strawberry!) and helps to establish the guilt of the accused, and the innocence of one of his victims, Joe Pritchell, who is present at the tribunal. Evidently d’Ivoi has great faith in the truth-revealing capacities of the film camera, for when recorded by such “scientific apparatus”, he states confidently, “man has not yet been able to lie”.

The volume is richly illustrated by Raymond Tournon (1870–1919), and we reproduce two of these images from the translated section as well as the volume’s cover where Allsmine is depicted looking at himself on screen, trussed up by masked sailors before being interrogated.

The Lavarède novels by Paul d’Ivoi (real name, Paul Deleutre, 1856–1915) were very popular in France, with their yarns of travel and adventurous heroes, starring fearless young Armand Lavarède. Many inventions were featured (in addition to film), including telephones, aircraft, cars, and submarines – though as in Jules Verne’s work, this fascination with modernity was sometimes tinged with apprehension. The novels were filmed in 1913, 1927 and 1938, and d’Ivoi himself became involved with the film business by 1909 and wrote scripts for some major films in the run-up to the Great War.²⁶ Extraordinarily, as far as I can tell, not a single one of d’Ivoi’s works has ever been published in English. This extract below may be the first! Many thanks to Alan Williams for the translation.

Chapter LXXX: The Cinématographe Avenger

…everyone had taken their places, and Joe Pritchel, rising, spoke:

“Milord Admiral, Messieurs the officers, permit me to remind you that Privateer Triplex, my proxy, is a faithful subject of Her Majesty the Queen. Obliged by Sir Allsmine’s situation to employ extraordinary measures, he has assumed the obligation – and this has been very difficult – never to harm the interests of an English citizen. At the present moment, when the truth will be revealed, when you yourselves will designate the guilty party, it is pleasing for me to express my gratitude to she who has desired justice. My thanks, therefore, to the Queen.”

Everybody present removed their hats. There was a moment of solemn silence, which Joe’s voice broke:

“Now a few words before the debate begins. One night, Captain Triplex captured the Chief of Police of the Pacific. He could have killed him, but he preferred to act within the law. However, he wanted to preserve the memory of the accusation, of the accused’s demeanour. A Phonograph recorded the verbal...