Many people today seem to romanticize old movies and think that they are almost always better made than newer ones, but mediocre films have always made up the majority of any time period. I'm not saying I hated this movie, but its storyline wasn't really anything special. I've already seen a great deal of noir movies, so the crime centric plot of this one seemed done to death by my standards. This film is not to be confused with a noir though. The movie is about the title character, who happens to be a thief. He seems to be really good at his job, since he is never caught, but paradoxically, never seems to be far away either. He even robs valuable paintings from a war profiteer, even though a great amount of them adorn his walls. Trying to catch Arsene is a police inspector named Guerchard (Lionel Barrymore), whose boss threatens to fire him by the end of the week if he doesn't catch the thief by then. Meanwhile, the Duke of Charmerace (John Barrymore) meets a pretty Russian socialite named Sonia (Karen Morley), and they have to try and find the whereabouts of Lupin. The story is confusing because characters start accusing one another of being the thief, such as in the very beginning of the movie when the Duke is cuffed and taken away by Guerchard. Later on, it's revealed that Sonia is actually a criminal herself, but the terms of her probation state that she is allowed to use her beauty to try and trap Lupin. If she doesn't find him, she goes back to prison. Lupin eventually steals the Mona Lisa itself, and tries to use it as leverage to free his imprisoned goons the police have taken. Guerchard comes to the conclusion that Chamerace is Lupin, and arrests him. However, he manages to escape by jumping off a bridge and swimming away: a situation the unfortunate Guerchard has had to deal with before. Guerchard still manages to kill Lupin, but he feels that he has failed. He promised his boss to bring him to justice and he didn't. In the end, Guerchard resigns, even though his boss was willing to let him keep his job. This movie is pretty average and there isn't really anything spectacular to say about it, except for one infamous scene that is the number one reason why pre code films are so notorious. When John Barrymore first walks in on Karen, she has no shirt on, and only a blanket is covering her. Maybe if the scene ended right there, that would be excusable, but after turning off the lights, Barrymore "helps" her put on a gown. This is a perfect example of a scene that would be completely unacceptable post 1934. What's the best thing about this movie? I feel like there's only one correct answer. Seeing the Barrymore brothers oppose each other is a nice sight, since they were both such good actors. I still didn't think the plot was particularly good though. This movie is quite confusing, and I suppose that is the main reason behind its unpopularity. I just decided to see it because it is pre code. It's also worth mentioning the scene that has Lupin wrap the Mona Lisa around his umbrella is nonsense, as the real thing was painted on wood.
Review of Arsène Lupin
