Slideshow
ARSÈNE LUPIN
Tuesday, August 7
Directed by Jacques Becker
(1957) Box of chocolates adaptation of Maurice Leblanc’s classic stories of Belle Epoque gentleman/thief (and master of disguise) Lupin (music hall star Robert Lamoureux) as he, sort of, romances the entrancing Liselotte Pulver and schnookers O.E. Hasse’s Kaiser Wilhelm himself. In color. New subtitles created especially for this screening by Elspeth Carroll and Bruce Goldstein. DCP imported especially for this series. Approx. 104 min.
Reviews
“ONE OF BECKER’S MASTERWORKS. THE RAREST GEM OF THE RETROSPECTIVE. Becker revels in the sumptuous palettes of early-twentieth-century France… Becker once again re-creates past times with a fantastic precision that filters precisely into the comedic drama; he depicts Lupin as a sublime artist, as a real-life actor of genius whose performances depend upon his own fanatical mastery of costume and settings. Lamoureux, a theatre actor (and songwriter, raconteur, and playwright), wasn’t one of the most celebrated French movie stars, but Becker extracts from his performance a physical grace—including deftly light-footed stunt work of a breathless effortlessness—that’s inseparable from Lupin’s own wily majesty.”
– Richard Brody, The New Yorker