In 1913, unforeseen circumstances forced Éclair and its most notable director, Victorin Jasset, to change course in their crime film repertoire to maintain profitability as a company. The company enjoyed great success in France and the US with Jasset’s adaptations of Léon Sazie’s popular Zigomar crime novels over the past two years until Sazie broke his contract after the third film, Zigomar, Eel Skin/Zigomar, Peau d’Anguille (1913), was released. Francis Lacassin claims that Sazie resented that the film bore little resemblance to his novels (1993: 81) while Jacques Deslandes explains that Sazie was infuriated over an elephant burglar scene, which lead to him to break his contract with Éclair, and that Jasset wanted to retain control over his work (1976: 283–284). In either case, Éclair lost the rights to its most bankable series, and the company sought to preserve its position within a competitive global market. Jasset subsequently wrote and directed Protéa (1913), which featured a groundbreaking character in French cinema – a female spy – whose qualities were informed by American female adventure heroines that circulated in Europe at the time. In addition to being entirely new to French audiences, the character’s combination of feminine charm and dangerous, clandestine actions were, according to Deslandes, appealing to domestic audiences (1976: 284–285). The film’s success in France encouraged Éclair to release it in the US where it was well-received and enjoyed prolonged circulation well into 1914 in part because of the vigorous promotion of the film’s qualities as a female adventure film while downplaying its French affiliation, which indicates a concerted effort to better appeal to American tastes.

What is also significant is the film’s handling of its female character in relation to its symbolic coalescence between the New Woman and the redefinition of France’s role in imperial, pre-war politics. The film’s popularity stemmed from the protagonist’s athleticism and use of disguise that mirrored the actions of those popular American female adventure heroines who are also notable for their representation of women confronting modern society outside the home in which they face peril but use their wits and sometimes technology to overcome the danger they confront in thrilling scenarios that appealed to male and female audiences.