Who was the Joker of 1915? Could it be the supervillain of the Italian silent feature “Filibus,” a prankish, technology-savvy jewel thief who repeatedly confounds a famous detective and, also a master of disguise, is in fact a woman?

“Filibus: The Mysterious Air Pirate” opens Thursday, Oct. 24 for a week at Anthology Film Archives in Milestone’s new 2K digital restoration. More than a century old, it may be the spryest comic-book movie of the season and perhaps the most progressive.

Produced by a small studio in Turin and shot largely on the Italian Riviera, “Filibus” is a lighthearted analogue to “Fantômas” and “Les Vampires,” the pulpy serial melodramas produced in France by Louis Feuillade. The advertising campaign was similar, with enigmatic posters asking, “Who is Filibus???” Who indeed?