Les Aventures d'Arsène Lupin
1957 Crime / Comedy
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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 |
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