Arsène Lupin

Only people who have not read Leblanc's absorbing novels can enjoy such rubbish."L'Aiguille Creuse" ,notably ,is a disaster,with appalling music and a screenplay which destroys all the magic and the emotion of the story which made Etretat town a legend.Georges Descrières is not that much a good Lupin.Leblanc's novels displayed a sense of humor ,but here ,we verge on parody.

Lupin's fans avoid these 1971 films and do try to get "l'Ile aux Trente Cercueils" " (where Lupin does not appear but which captured Leblanc's suspenseful atmosphere ) and "Lupin joue et perd" (from "813" ) with the marvelous Jean-Claude Brialy.

Some aspects of Maurice Leblanc's writings are difficult to be brought to screen. Arsène Lupin is far from a mono dimensional character. Fortunately that TV series cashes in on the buoyancy of Arsène Lupin, a gentleman and a professional thief. Georges Descrières hence embodies perfectly a lovable dandy with a sweet tooth for art masterpieces (be they paintings or jewels) and a great sense of honor (especially women's honor). When Lupin disguises himself it's like watching Artemus Gordon in Wild Wild West: you wait for him and you enjoy the performance. Thus you keep a good picture of an hero whose adventures you followed avidly after you had switched from Jules Vernes's transient exoticism.