Arsene Lupin Contra Arsene Lupin

Jean-Claude Brialy learns he is the natural son of the late Arsène Lupin and goes to claim his inheritance as the heir of the greatest thief the world has ever seen. However, stage magician and thief Jean-Pierre Cassel is also Lupin's son, and the two begin a running competition to see who gets to keep the stolen crown jewels of Poldova. Other interested parties include Françoise Dorléac as Cassel's girl friend, Geneviève Grad as the exiled Princess of Poldova and club dancer, whom Brialy woos, and Michel Vitold, who wants the crown jewels for the cash. The police are present for comic relief.

It's a light-hearted romp as the two half-brothers one-up each other and try to figure out what is going on. It's reminiscent of Maurice Leblanc's tales of the master, although it lacks the elaborately detailed mysteries that provided the skeletons of the novels. Capably directed by Édouard Molinaro (best remembered for LA CAGE AU FOLLE), it maintains its old-time ambience via references to the war in the Rif and costuming.

When Arsene Lupin is the subject of a movie,it follows the quite rigid rule: MTV works are faithful to the books whereas the theatrically-released movies are generally original screenplays (the last one by Jean-Paul Salomé was an improvement for that matter )and there's the rub: none of these screenwriters can match Maurice Leblanc's brilliance ,nobody at all has ever been able of supplying a real sense of mystery , of true suspense .Even a famous talented director such as Jacques Becker failed .

An "Arsene Lupin Contre Arsene Lupin " was already filmed in the thirties (1937,with a bad choice for the actor:Jules Berry was a great actor,but not handsome enough for the role),but Molinaro's movie is no remake for the story is thoroughly different.Unlike Conan Doyle and Agatha Christie ,Maurice Leblanc never killed his hero.This movie begins with a piece of news announcing his death followed by his funeral .He is survived by two natural sons ,who ,when the story begins,do not know each other (hence the title).Jean -Claude Brialy (who would be the best Lupin ever in the MTV "813") and Jean -Pierre Cassel are well cast but the movie looks more like a spoof on Leblanc's novels and a tribute to Feuillade's serials circa 1915 than a true adventure of the burglar gentleman;Molinaro uses old-fashioned techniques ,recalling the silent era.Catherine Deneuve's late sister ,Françoise Dorléac,appears as a reporter (and one of the Lupin bros' lovers)