Rupan sansei: Kariosutoro no shiro (1979)

Director:

Hayao Miyazaki

Writers:

Maurice Leblanc (characters)
Hayao Miyazaki (writer)

Release Date:

3 April 1991 (USA)

Genre:

Animation | Adventure | Mystery | Romance

Tagline:

A Miyazaki classic returns the way it was meant to be seen!

Plot:

A flamboyant thief and his gang struggle to free a princess from an evil count's clutches and to learn the hidden secret to a fabulous treasure that she holds part of a key to.

Plot Keywords:

Count | Ring | Thief | Treasure | Casino

Awards:

1 win & 1 nomination

Cast

Bob Bergen	...	Arsene Lupin III (voice: English version)
Yasuo Yamada	...	Arsene Lupin III (voice)
Eiko Masuyama	...	Fujiko Mine (voice)
Kiyoshi Kobayashi	...	Daisuke Jigen (voice)
Makio Inoue	...	Goemon Ishikawa XIII (voice)
Gorô Naya	...	Inspector Zenigata (voice)
Sumi Shimamoto	...	Lady Clarisse de Cagliostro (voice)
Tarô Ishida	...	Count Cagliostro (voice)
Kôhei Miyauchi	...	Gardener (voice)
Ichirô Nagai	...	Jodo (voice)
David Hayter	...	Arsene Lupin III (Manga Video English Dub) (as Sean Barker)
Dorothy Elias-Fahn	...	Fujiko Mine (Manga Video English Dub) (as Dorothy Melendrez)
Ivan Buckley	...	Daisuke Jigen (Manga Video English Dub)
Bridget Hoffman	...	Clarisse d'Cagliostro (voice: English version) (as Ruby Marlowe)
Kirk Thornton	...	Count Cagliostro (Manga Video English Dub) (as Sparky Thornton)

Also Known As:

Arsene Lupin and the Castle of Cagliostro
Lupin III: Castle of Cagliostro
Lupin the Third: The Castle of Cagliostro (International: English title)
The Castle of Cagliostro

Runtime:

110 min | USA:102 min

Country:

Japan

Language:

French | Japanese

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Japan:R (original rating) | Japan:U (re-rating) (2000) | Australia:M (DVD rating) | Singapore:PG | Finland:K-3 (DVD rating: 2009) | Finland:K-8 (video rating: 1997) | Australia:PG | Canada:PG | France:U | Spain:13 | UK:PG | West Germany:6

Company:

Tokyo Movie Shinsha (TMS)

Trivia:

In the film, Lupin III is seen wearing a green jacket. Lupin wore a green jacket in "Rupan sansei" (1971), a red jacket in "Rupan sansei: Part II" (1977) and a pink jacket in "Rupan sansei: Part III" (1984).

Goofs:

Factual errors: In the clock tower Wolf undoes a bolt by turning it clock-wise.

Quotes:

Inspector Zenigata: Lupin managed to steal something again.
Lady Clarisse de Cagliostro: No, he didn't steal anything. All he did was fight for me.
Inspector Zenigata: No, he stole something quite precious... your heart.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Cars (2006)

Soundtrack:

Fire Treasure

The Adventures of Arsene Lupin III

Early feature directed by the now world famous Japanese animator, Hayao Miyazaki. A roguish thief, Lupin III, attempts to save the Lady Clarisse de Cagliostro from an evil Count, both of them well aware that she holds the secret to a legendary hidden treasure.

The animation is, unsurprisingly, much less sophisticated than in the later Studio Ghibli films, or even those released only a few years after such as "Nausicaa". However, the quality is still very high and Miyazaki's trademark attention to detail, particularly with machines, is noticeable already.

The character animation is much broader and more obviously cartoon-like but this matches the very light tone of the film - this is an all-out action comedy adventure, after all! The details in the film give it a very European feel, from the costumes to the cars (wonderfully animated Fiat 500 and Citroen 2CV), and I was most reminded of Herge's "Tintin" adventure series.

This film is good fun, though I did find the pacing a little uneven, and particularly recommended to those who enjoy their animated films a bit simpler and more conventional than most of Studio Ghibli's output.