Enter Arsene Lupin

Enter Arsene Lupin

Enter Arsene Lupin

Charles Korvin is Maurice Leblanc's master criminal. He steals Rembrandts and Oriental ceramics, and Ella Raines' heart, but not the fabulous emerald she owns, because when a man with a cleft in his chin that deep meets Miss Raines, c'est l'amour! J. Carroll Naish is an amusingly bumbling Ganimard, the fellow from the Surete who's an expert on everything Lupin except how to catch him. And Gale Sondergaard and Miles Mander are on hand as Miss Raines' auntie and uncle, the real villains of the piece. It's a very light-hearted example of Lupin, created by Lablanc as an anti-Sherlock Holmes. Indeed, in his second set of adventures, he dealt with Holmes -- sometimes with 'Herlock Sholmes' -- with Gallic contempt. It's quite amusing and promises more adventures, but alas, this was the last time an American studio tried their hand at the character. He still turns up occasionally in France, the Philippines, and Japan.

Ella Raines's valuable emerald is stolen aboard the Orient Express. A handsome stranger helpfully examines her compartment and finds the jewel for her…but did he actually steal it himself first just to return it? –It's a nice setup that starts us guessing at characters and motives right away. The stranger, we quickly learn, is the notorious and dashing Arsene Lupin, a jewel thief always just eluding the French police. Charles Korvin is fine if a bit unexciting as Lupin. The famous French detective Inspector Ganimard is always a step or two behind Lupin. J. Carrol Naish pours on the accent and hams it up mercilessly—this Ganimard has nothing on Inspector Clouseau in the brains department. Raines's character, meanwhile, is headed home where she lives with her cousins. These sinister cousins (Gale Sondergaard and Miles Mander) claim that Raines has mental problems and needs to rest a lot; they also stand to inherit her emerald if anything happens to her. Korvin befriends Raines, Naish tracks Korvin, the cousins plot deviltry, and everyone worries about the jewel. While rarely surprising or particularly suspenseful, this picture is certainly entertaining in a B movie kind of way—the kind of picture that could have turned into a nice series in the Boston Blackie vein, given a couple more pictures to develop the characters a bit. (The rather strange and inconclusive ending made me wonder if indeed a series was being contemplated. Why else leave so much hanging? And what does the title mean?) Raines is quite enchanting despite a role that doesn't give her all that much to do—she had something special at that moment in her career. Naish is also lots of fun as the blundering detective. It's no classic, but certainly worth a look for fans of mystery-comedies—or for fans of the two earlier Arsene Lupin pictures starring John Barrymore then Melvyn Douglas in the role.

At a time French TV is butchering Maurice Leblanc 's "l'île aux trente cercueils ", it's refreshing to watch this American adaptation ;it's not based on an original novel,mind you, but the screenwriters succeeded at capturing the spirit of Lupin's adventures ;Charles Korvin is well cast, for Leblanc's hero , the gentleman cambrioleur (=thief) was part aristocrat (on his mother's side) part man of the people (on his father's ) ; they mainly tried to imitate Lupin's first adventures ,the latter ones becoming more and more myterious and even verging on supernatural. Ganimard,(J Carroll Naish)-the only other character who appears in some novels featured in this movie-is the official superintendent and provides it with its comic relief :the scene at the railway station when lupin makes him to be ...himself is riotously funny . LIke in many adventures, Lupin is assisted by an accomplice,Armand .Both use French galore , sing the old folk song "auprès de ma blonde" (heard again for the finale) , ride on the orient express where they meet a lovely damsel (Ella Raines )soon to be in distress because she owns an invaluable esmerald and her nasty cousins want to do away with her ; hence ,both sides of Lupin are displayed : the thief who effortlessly steals Rembrandt 's paintings or jewels , but who gives to the orphanage and saves the damsel in distress.(By and large,though Lupin is an impenitent womanizer ,his love affairs are not happy in the books)Of course ,he uses a pseud (Monsieur D'Andrésy) one of his usual tricks. And what a delight to hear the way they pronounce the name of the hero:Arsene Loopin!