Stubs - Arsène Lupin

Arsène Lupin (1932) Starring John Barrymore, Lionel Barrymore, Karen Morley. Directed by Jack Conway. Screenplay by Carey Wilson. Based on the play Arsène Lupin by Maurice Leblanc and Francis de Croisset (Paris, 28 Oct 1908) and was based on the book of the same name by Maurice Leblanc, first published in Paris in 1907. Producer (none Credited) Run time: 84 minutes. USA Black and White Pre-code. Drama. Crime. Comedy.

If you’re like me, you may be aware of Arsène Lupin through Lupin III, a series of manga and anime about the supposed grandson. The origins go back to a short story written by Maurice Leblanc, "The Arrest of Arsène Lupin", which was published on July 15, 1905. The character would go on to be featured in 17 novels and 39 novellas by Leblanc published until 1935.

It should come as no surprise that films would be made as well. The surprise may be in how many. The first film was The Gentleman Burglar (1908). The German film Arsène Lupin contra Sherlock Holmes followed in 1910. A French film called Arsène Lupin came out in 1914. A new version of The Gentleman Burglar (1915) was followed by a pair of films called Arsène Lupin (1916; UK) and (1917, US). Overall, there have been at least 25 films made, with the most recent being the Japanese film Lupin no Kiganjoh (2011). That doesn’t count the television series (Lupin III), stage plays, comic books, and video games based around the character and his descendant.

While the finished film would star the acting Barrymore siblings, they were not the first choices for the roles. Robert Montgomery and John Gilbert were both considered for the starring role in the film. This would end up being the first of four films to feature the brothers. They would also appear in Grand Hotel (1932), Dinner at Eight (1933), and Rasputin and the Empress (1933).

When the film opens, the Paris police get a call that there is a robbery in progress at the home of Parisian millionaire Gourney-Martin (Tully Marshall). As soon as the call comes in, police detective Guerchard (Lionel Barrymore) is notified and he sends his men to the scene.

From the house, the burglar escapes in a waiting car, jumping on the running board before it flees the scene. As Guerchard and his men arrive they see the car fleeing the scene and take up the chase. Shortly thereafter, Guerchard and his men find the car parked and one man inside, claiming to have been a passenger (John Barrymore) who had been tied up and robbed.

 Police detective Guerchard (Lionel Barrymore) thinks Duke of
Charmerace (John Barrymore) is the notorious jewel thief Arsène Lupin.

Guerchard is convinced that the man is notorious jewel thief Arsène Lupin, although he claims to be the Duke of Charmerace. Guerchard takes the man back to the scene of the crime, hoping someone could identify him, however, no one can. In fact, the butler who called in the crime in progress gives a description that more closely aligns to Guerchard, down to his limp. Still, Guerchard is convinced he has the right man. However, when Gourney-Martin returns, he confirms the duke's identity, leading to his release and apologies from Guerchard.

Gourney-Martin reveals that his valuable jewels and bonds are safely hidden at his country estate and asks the duke to accompany him down.

One of the bits of evidence they find outside Gourney-Martin’s house is a footprint in the mud, for which an impression is made. The next morning, Guerchard is somewhat perplexed to discover that the footprint impressions actually came from his own shoes. The Prefect of Police (John Miljan) makes sure that Guerchard knows the importance of catching Lupin and that patience is running thin from on high since Guerchard seems unable to catch him.

Guerchard then receives a note from Lupin saying that he will be at the duke's ball that night, so Guerchard decides to go himself but also makes sure several of his men will also be there.

Two bailiffs (Henry Armetta, George Davis) come to collect debts the duke owes.

At the party, the duke is confronted first by two bailiffs (Henry Armetta, George Davis) sent by the Sheriff to collect past due bills. The duke does not have the money but makes the promise to get the money in the morning. He offers the men food and drink and even a place to spend the night, which they reluctantly accept.

The duke finds Sonia, Countess Krichnoff (Karen Morley) lying naked in his bed.

When the duke goes to his bedroom, he finds a beautiful woman, Sonia, Countess Krichnoff (Karen Morley) lying naked in his bed. After much flirtation, she tells him her gown is being mended in the next room and that she crawled into his bed to keep warm. She also promises not to get out of the bed as long as he’s in the room. After he fetches the gown, he threatens to throw it outside until she relents and allows him to help her dress. With the lights off, there are some apparent kisses before they leave to dance at her insistence.

The bailiffs think Guerchard is Lupin.

Meanwhile, Guerchard is snooping around the duke’s home, looking for evidence. The two bailiffs spot him and believe he is Lupin. They come upon him in the duke’s office with some of his papers in hand and attempt to arrest him. The duke is summoned and enjoys the tables being turned on the inspector. He has the bailiffs hold him since he has no identification on him until the Prefect can be called to the house.

Later, the duke turns out the lights so his grand birthday cake can be brought into the ballroom. This is a massive cake and everyone is impressed. However, while the lights are out, many of the guests are robbed. Sonia, as an example, is robbed of her costume diamond bracelet.

Guerchard, finally released after the Prefect has arrived, is certain that the duke is indeed Lupin and has everyone searched, though no contraband is found. During the searches, Guerchard and Sonia manage to have a brief meeting. She is working for him and spying on the duke. The nudity was an improvisation that worked and she has been invited to accompany the duke to Gourney-Martin’s country estate for the weekend.

We later learn that Sonia is in real life a petty thief named Sophie Krellberg. Guerchard has gotten her out on parole to help with Lupin. If she succeeds, she’ll be released but if she fails, it’s back to prison for her.

Guerchard at home with his 17-year-old daughter, Marie (Mary Jane Irving).

While at home with his 17-year-old daughter, Marie (Mary Jane Irving), Guerchard gets a call from the duke pretending to be Sonia’s Russian uncle and informing him that they are on their way to the estate.

The duke’s departure is also delayed as the bailiffs have not received the money they came for. He promises the run of the place and even suggests he can give them phone numbers of available women. They decide to let him leave.

Late that night, at Gourney-Martin's estate, Lupin accompanies his host to his study and watches as Gourney-Martin demonstrates the electrical shock feature of his burglar-proof safe, as well as how to turn it off.

Sonia pretends to be sleepwalking and the duke tries to wake her.

While he’s been gone, Sonia has been going through the duke’s room and she is found there when he returns. She pretends to be sleepwalking. He tries various methods to wake her before he pours cold water on her.

The next morning, she finds that her fake diamond bracelet has been replaced by a real one, then Gourney-Martin receives a note signed "Arsène Lupin" threatening to steal everything from him because he was a war profiteer.

Guerchard comes to the estate, as there are no local authorities. He leaves men to guard the house and then pretends to leave, but with Gourney-Martin’s key, lets himself back in.

Sonia tries to wake the duke when he pretends to sleepwalk the next night.

That night, Lupin pretends to sleepwalk into Sonia's room. She tries the same methods he did but he gives up the pretense before she showers him in water. And, instead of throwing him out she warns him to stay upstairs as she knows Guerchard is in the house and invites him to stay.

Their late night rendezvous ends with them in love.

The next morning, Gourney-Martin discovers that his safe has been robbed. The police are successful in arresting some of Lupin's cohorts but none will name him, despite Guerchard's entreaties and threats, and even Sonia stands by her statement that "the duke" spent the entire night in her bedroom.

Believing she’s lying, Guerchard threatens to return Sonia to prison. Just then a rock comes through the window bearing a note from Lupin saying that he will steal The Mona Lisa from the Louvre Museum the next day.

Lupin and Sonia make their escape while the police are distracted.

The police run out of the house to try and catch the rock-throwing culprit and during the confusion, Lupin and Sonia make their escape and drive off.

The Mona Lisa is Lupin's next target to steal.

At his hideout outside of Paris, the duke plans the robbery, and the next day, despite the precautions of Guerchard, including replacing it with a fake, the Mona Lisa is stolen thanks to Lupin's careful planning. He is able to get away because he has changed identities with an old flower vendor named Laurent (James Mack), who is also known to Guerchard. We learn that Lupin has hidden the great painting in his umbrella.

Meanwhile, associates of Lupin have come to Marie and under the false pretense, that her father is in the hospital and has asked for her, kidnap her.

Frustrated by the theft, Guerchard finally realizes that he can capture his nemesis by allowing Laurent's horse to take him to Lupin's hideout.

When Lupin sees Guerchard approach, he handcuffs himself and tells the detective that Sonia captured him. He then offers the Mona Lisa in exchange for his men’s release from jail. Guerchard agrees to that. Lupin then offers to exchange himself for the release of Marie. He even tells Guerchard that she’s being shipped out of the country and hints into sex slavery.

Guerchard starts to let Lupin go in exchange for his daughter, but his sense of duty wins out.

But letting Lupin go is one step too far for Guerchard, even though he thinks his daughter’s life is on the line. Though Guerchard makes no deal, Lupin releases Marie and surrenders to the detective. Sophie is also set free as a result of Lupin’s arrest, but told to leave the country.

On the way to jail, Guerchard gives Lupin an idea on how to escape.

On the drive to headquarters, Guerchard mentions that he once lost a prisoner who jumped from the car and leapt into the Seine. Naturally, Lupin quickly makes a break for the river.

Later, Guerchard tells the Prefect of Police that he fired four shots and heard Lupin scream. While the Prefect thinks Guerchard is a hero for getting the Mona Lisa back, all the detective wants to do is rest.

Lupin goes legit and buys Sonia a wedding ring.

Meanwhile, in a jewelry store, as Lupin and Sonia shop for gold rings, Lupin jokingly says "wouldn't old Guerchard love to see me buying jewelry?"

If you’re a fan of Lupin III, there are a lot of similarities with this film. Lupin, like his grandson, is depicted as a master of disguise and a great planner of heists. While this Lupin doesn’t have right-hand men like Daisuke Jigen or Goemon Ishikawa XIII, he does have a capable crew to rely on to bring his elaborate plans to fruition. And Sonia, who uses her sexuality to her advantage, draws an easy comparison to Fujiko Mine. Also, the adversarial relationship between the duke and Guerchard is very similar to that of Lupin III and Inspector Koichi Zenigata of Interpol.

Seeing the Barrymores acting together is quite a treat, especially since they are both considered to be co-leads of sorts. They seem to play well off each other and you get the sense that they’re having fun and that gets reflected on the screen. Lionel Barrymore had just won an Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance in A Free Soul (1931), but John gets the juicier role of the two. By the time this film was made, Lionel was already suffering from arthritis, which would eventually force him into a wheelchair. Lupin needed to be more cat-like than Lionel could have been and John seems to be well cast in the role.

Despite this being a drama, there is a lot of humor just below the surface, which runs throughout the film. Much of it, I have to imagine, comes from the source material and from the script by Carey Wilson. Director Jack Conway does a good job balancing the story, the action, and the relationships as they are played out on the screen. This probably shouldn’t come as a surprise. While Conway might not be considered one of the greats of Hollywood’s Golden Age, he did direct a variety of films, including The Unholy Three (1930), Red-Headed Woman (1932), The Girl from Missouri (1934), Tarzan and His Mate (1934), Libeled Lady (1936), and Saratoga (1937), to name a few.

Karen Morley makes quite the impression, especially when she first appears in the film nude under the covers. However, she seems to hold her own when on-screen with her better-known male co-stars.

Actress Karen Morley.

The Iowa native came to Hollywood as a teenager. After working at the Pasadena Playhouse, she came to the attention of the director, Clarence Brown, who at the time was looking for an actress to stand-in for Greta Garbo in screen tests. This led to a contract with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and roles in films such as Mata Hari (1931), Scarface (1932), The Phantom of Crestwood (1932), The Mask of Fu Manchu (1932), Arsène Lupin, Gabriel Over the White House (1933), and Dinner at Eight (1933). She left the studio in 1934 and her roles became less frequent to the point that she eventually concentrated on stage work. Her career would end in 1947 when she appeared before the House Un-American Activities Committee and refused to answer questions about her alleged American Communist Party membership.

The film was quite enjoyable overall and while it may lack the energy of the animated Lupin III series that many might be more knowledgeable about, it is sort of like a primer for the anime. Closer to the source material than its Japanese successor, it is fun to watch.