Les Aventures d'Arsène Lupin
1957 Crime / Comedy
Credits
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Summary
The great gentleman thief, Arsène Lupin, engages in a series of daring schemes
to deprive his wealthy countrymen of rare jewels and priceless paintings. His activities
arouse the interest of Kaiser William II of Germany who arranges for Lupin to be kidnapped
and brought to his castle. The Kaiser offers Lupin a challenge: to steal a jewel
of great value from a secret hiding place. Should Lupin accept the wager?
Review
A colourful and whimsical film, Les Aventures d’Arsène Lupin is Jacques
Becker’s attempt to shed some light on the mystery of the great hero of French detective
fiction from the pen of Maurice Leblanc. The result is a fairly satisfying film
in some ways, but the character of Lupin is, if anything, undermined by Becker’s attempt
to rationalise his thinking and methods. The character in Leblanc’s books is a far more
shady, mysterious figure. By contrast, Robert Lamoureux’s portray is that of the
traditional romantic hero, capable of winning the heart of any woman at the drop of a
top hat, dispatching his enemies with non-violent ease, and escaping from impossibly tight
corners with great panache and flair. This is a horribly clichéd, overly
simplistic representation of the Lupin character which, to anyone acquainted with Leblanc’s
stories, can only come as a disappointment.
That said, the film has some admirable production values. Robert Lamoureux and Liselotte Pulver are equally enchanting, the sets and costumes are beautiful, albeit a little chocolate-boxy. There is a fine script, with some quite funny situations. It may fall just outside the official Arsène Lupin canon, but, in its own right, the film is entertaining and amusing. © James Travers 1999 Write a review for this film... User Comments
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