Arsène Lupin is a 2004 crime thriller film and an adaptation of the classic Arsène Lupin stories. It was directed by Jean-Paul Salomé and stars Romain Duris as Lupin, Kristin Scott Thomas as Joséphine, Pascal Greggory as Beaumagnan, and Eva Green as Clarisse de Dreux-Soubise.
The film follows Gentleman Thief Arsène Lupin from a small boy, through the death of his father, and his adult years when he meets a strange woman, Joséphine, who appears to be immortal and uses a hypnotic drug to enslave people to her will. Arsène's ethos is to steal from the rich and deserving crooks. He comes up against two parties, a secret society and Joséphine herself, who are intent on gathering three crucifixes which will reveal the secret of a lost treasure.
The film does its best to incorporate a lot of Lupin lore, despite there being enough for a saga-with-the-final-movie-in-two-parts, but in a way where it steals bits and pieces of important plots from across the literary canon to weave into its focused narrative.
Compare the 1932 Hollywoodian film of the same name.
Tropes:
- Adaptation Amalgamation: Includes elements from stories "The Arrest of Arsène Lupin", "The Queen's Necklace", "Sherlock Holmes Arrives Too Late", and novels 813 and The Countess of Cagliostro.
- Costume Porn: Costume Designer Pierre-Jean Larroque created about five hundred different costumes, including twenty for Romain Duris and eighteen for Kristin Scott Thomas. He took his inspiration from Real Life historical figures such as the Countess of Greffuhle, Luisa Casati and Countess Virginia Oldoini of Castiglione.
- Disappeared Dad: In the movie, Lupin deals with the death of his father as a young man.
- Femme Fatale: Josephine.
- Gentleman Thief: Lupin, who is still the trope codifier.
- Lovable Rogue: Lupin as a young adult.
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No Export for You: Until a few years ago, the movie was unavailable in the United States (it can now be rented or bought via Amazon Video), though it was released on Region 1 DVD and Blu-ray in Canada and could be bought from vendors there.
