Arsène Lupin Collection (Blu-ray Review)

Arsène Lupin is the fictional French gentleman thief and master of disguise who was first introduced in 1905 by Maurice Leblanc. The films in the Arsène Lupin Collection all feature this popular character in three films, two with Robert Lamoureux in the title role.

1957’s The Adventures of Arsène Lupin introduces us to the character in pre-World War I Paris. He carries out a series of burglaries against the nobility and bourgeoisie that earns him the attention of Kaiser Wilhelm II who challenges him to steal a valuable jewel from his palace. Lupin also charms a pretty young manicurist as one of his cons and enters a cat-and-mouse romance with the beautiful La baronne Mina von Kraft (Liselotte Pulver), who seems to be the only one who knows his true identity.

Signed, Arsène Lupin (1959) shifts to post-World War I and Lupin (again played by Lamoureux) discovers the treasure of the Golden Fleece after three paintings are stolen. In his mischievous hunt for the treasure, Lupin must battle a skilled, beautiful female thief trying to get the treasure for herself.

Finally, in 1962’s Arsène Lupin vs. Arsène Lupin it’s well into the 20^th century and the two sons of Arsène Lupin François (Jean-Claude Brialy) and Gerard (Jean-Pierre Cassel) decide to follow in their father’s footsteps after he is laid to rest. They have a battle of wills and wits, but they are able to see eye-to-eye when it comes to one thing – rescuing jewels for a beautiful princess (Françoise Dorleac, the sister of Catherine Deneuve who died tragically in 1967 in a car accident).

Of the three films, the first one is probably the easiest to follow, but the second is the most fun. The third and final film in this collection is also full of the least amount of fun and lacks the charismatic lead as portrayed by Lamoureux.

The Video

The Arsène Lupin Collection from Kino Classics provides each film in an AVC 1080p eoncodement. The Adventures of Arsène Lupin comes in a 1.37:1 color transfer. The remaining two films, Signed, Arsène Lupin and Arsène Lupin vs. Arsène Lupin are both black and white in 1.66:1 and 2.35:1 aspect ratios respectively. The best-looking film is the third and final film, Arsène Lupin vs. Arsène Lupin, which looks clean, has good contrast, and crisp detail. The second film, Signed, Arsène Lupin, has the roughest appearance, with a coarse granularity, softness, and middling depth of field. Second on the list is the first film, The Adventures of Arsène Lupin, which has good color reproduction, though some white levels look a little too high.

The Audio

Each film in the Arsène Lupin Collection comes with the original French monaural mix in DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. They are fairly clean with good intelligibility, but they do sound a bit boxy overall.

The Supplements

The only bonus feature is the trailer for Arsène Lupin vs. Arsène Lupin.

• Arsène Lupin vs. Arsène Lupin Trailer (1080p)

The Final Assessment

These are three fun, sometimes convoluted films about the famous French Robinhood-like character. For passing time, this collection works nicely. This is a set of classic French popcorn films with an enjoyable character.

The Arsène Lupin Collection is out on Blu-ray February 28, 2023, from Kino Classics.

• Studios & Distributors: Cinéphonic | Société Nouvelle des Établissements Gaumont (SNEG) | Films Costellazione | Lambor Films | Films François Chavane | Kino Lorber
• Director: Jacques Becker | Yves Robert | Édouard Molinaro
• Run Time: 103 Mins. (The Adventures of Arsène Lupin) | 99 Mins. (Signed, Arsène Lupin) | 111 Mins. (Arsène Lupin vs. Arsène Lupin)
• Street Date: 28 February 2023
• Aspect Ratio: 1.37:1 (The Adventures of Arsène Lupin) | 1.66:1 (Signed, Arsène Lupin) | 2.35:1 (Arsène Lupin vs. Arsène Lupin)
• Video Format: AVC 1080p
• Primary Audio: French DTS-HD MA 2.0 Mono
• Subtitles: English