Arsène Lupin

Arsène Lupin is a fictional character who appears in a book series of detective fiction / crime fiction novels written by French writer Maurice Leblanc, as well as a number of non-canonical sequels and numerous film, television, stage play and comic book adaptations.

Overview

A contemporary of Arthur Conan Doyle, Maurice Leblanc (1864-1941) was the creator of the character of gentleman thief Arsène Lupin who, in Francophone countries, has enjoyed a popularity as long-lasting and considerable as Sherlock Holmes in the English-speaking world.

There are twenty volumes in the Arsène Lupin series written by Leblanc himself, plus five authorized sequels written by the notorious mystery writing team of Boileau-Narcejac, as well as various pastiches.

The character of Lupin was first introduced in a series of short stories serialized in the magazine Je Sais Tout, starting in No. 6, dated 15 July 1905. He was originally called Arsène Lopin, until a local politician of the same name protested, resulting in the name change.

Arsène Lupin is a literary descendant of Pierre Alexis Ponson du Terrail's Rocambole. Like him, he is often a force for good, while operating on the wrong side of the law. Those whom Lupin defeats, always with his characteristic gallic style and panache, are worse villains than him. Lupin is somewhat similar to A.J. Raffles and anticipates characters such as The Saint.

The character of Arsène Lupin might have been based by Leblanc on French anarchist Marius Jacob, whose trial made headlines in March 1905, but Leblanc had also read Octave Mirbeau's Les 21 jours d'un neurasthénique (1901), which features a gentleman thief named Arthur Lebeau, and had seen Mirbeau's comedy Scrupules (1902), whose main character is a gentleman thief.

Bibliography

1. Arsene Lupin Gentleman Burglar (1907 coll. 9 stories) Arsène Lupin, gentleman cambrioleur
2. Arsene Lupin vs. Herlock Sholmes (1908 coll. 2 stories) Arsène Lupin contre Herlock Sholmès
3. The Hollow Needle (1909) L'Aiguille creuse
4. 813 (1910) 813
5. The Crystal Stopper (1912) Le Bouchon de cristal
6. The Confessions of Arsene Lupin (1913 coll. 9 stories) Les Confidences d'Arsène Lupin
7. The Shell Shard (1916) L'Éclat d'obus
8. The Golden Triangle (1918) Le Triangle d'or
9. The Island Of Thirty Coffins (1919) L’Île aux trente cercueils
10. The Teeth Of The Tiger (1921) Les Dents du tigre
11. The Eight Strokes Of The Clock (1923 coll. 8 stories) Les Huit Coups de l'horloge
12. The Countess Of Cagliostro (1924) La Comtesse de Cagliostro
13. The Damsel With Green Eyes (1927) La Demoiselle aux yeux verts
14. The Barnett & Co. Agency (1928) L'Agence Barnett et Cie.
15. The Mysterious Mansion (1929) La Demeure mystérieuse
16. The Mystery of The Green Rubi (1931) La Barre-y-va
17. The Woman With Two Smiles (1933) La Femme aux deux sourires
18. Paris-Soir (1933) Victor de la Brigade mondaine
19. The Revenge Of The Countess Of Cagliostro (1935) La Cagliostro se venge
20. The Billions Of Arsene Lupin (1939) Les Milliards d'Arsène Lupin
21. The Last Love of Arsene Lupin (unpublished) Le Dernier Amour d'Arsène Lupin

• Dorothée, Danseuse de Corde (1923) is not an Arsène Lupin novel, but its eponymous heroine solves one of Lupin's four fabulous secrets.

By other writers

• by Boileau-Narcejac:
  1. Le Secret d’Eunerville (1973)
  2. La Poudrière (1974)
  3. Le Second visage d’Arsène Lupin (1975)
  4. La Justice d’Arsène Lupin (1977)
  5. Le Serment d’Arsène Lupin (1979)

Notable pastiches

• The Adventure of the Clothes-Line by Carolyn Wells in The Century (1915)
• The Silver Hair Crime by Nick Carter in New Magnet Library No. 1282 (1930)
• Aristide Dupin who appears in Union Jack Nos. 1481, 1483, 1489, 1493 and 1498 (1932) in the Sexton Blake collection by Gwyn Evans
• La Clé est sous le paillasson by Marcel Aymé (1934)
• Gaspard Zemba who appears in The Shadow Magazine (December 1, 1935) by Walter Gibson
• Arsène Lupin vs. Colonel Linnaus by Anthony Boucher in Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine Vo. 5, No. 19 (1944)
• L’Affaire Oliveira by Thomas Narcejac in Confidences dans ma nuit (1946)
• Le Gentleman en Noir by Claude Ferny (c. 1950) (two novels)
• International Investigators, Inc. by Edward G. Ashton in Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine (1952)
• Le Secret des rois de France ou La Véritable identité d’Arsène Lupin by Valère Catogan (1955)
• In Compartment 813 by Arthur Porges in Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine (June 1966)
• Arsène Lupin, gentleman de la nuit by Jean-Claude Lamy (1983)
• Auguste Lupa in Son of Holmes (1986) and Rasputin’s Revenge (1987) by John Lescroart
• Various stories in Tales of the Shadowmen, Vol. 1, The Modern Babylon, ed. by Jean-Marc Lofficier (2005) (ISBN 1932983268)
• Various stories in Tales of the Shadowmen, Vol. 2, Gentlemen of the Night, ed. by Jean-Marc Lofficier (2006) (ISBN 1932983600)

• Arsène Lupin is also referred to as the grandfather of Lupin III in the Japanese manga and anime series of the same name.

• Arsène Lupin and Sherlock Holmes have been the basis for a popular Japanese manga series, Detective Conan. Kaitou Kid resembles Lupin, while Conan Edogawa represents Sherlock Holmes.

• In the Adventure of The Doraemons, the robot cat The Mysterious Thief Dorapent resembles Lupin.

• A funny animal pastiche of Arsène Lupin is Arpine Lusène, of the Scrooge McDuck Universe.
• Případ Grendwal (A Grendwal Case), a play by Pavel Dostál, Czech playwright and Minister of Culture
• Tuxedo Mask from the popular Japanese manga and anime series Sailor Moon, also resembles Arsène Lupin.

Arsène Lupin and Sherlock Holmes

Arsène Lupin and Sherlock Holmes were bound to meet and, in an unprecedented act of literary pastiche and cross-over, Leblanc introduced Holmes in the short story Sherlock Holmes arrives too late in Je Sais Tout No. 17, 15 June 1906. In it, Holmes meets a young Lupin for the first time. After legal objections from Conan Doyle, the name was changed to "Herlock Sholmes" when the story was collected in book form in Volume 1.

Sholmes returned in two more stories collected in Volume 2, Arsène Lupin contre Herlock Sholmes, and then in a guest-starring role in the prodigious battle for the secret of the Hollow Needle in L'Aiguille creuse.

Sherlock Holmes, this time with his real name and accompanied with familiar characters such as Watson and Lestrade, also confronted Arsène Lupin in the 2008 PC 3D adventure game Sherlock Holmes versus Arsène Lupin. In this game Holmes (and occasionally of other characters such as Watson and Lestrade) is attempting to discover and stop Lupin from stealing five English valuable items. Lupin wants to steal the items in order to "humiliate" England, but he also admires Holmes and thus challenges him to try and stop him.

Fantasy elements

Several Arsène Lupin novels contain some interesting fantasy elements: a radioactive 'god-stone' that cures people and causes mutations is the object of an epic battle in L’Île aux trente cercueils; the secret of the Fountain of Youth, a mineral water source hidden beneath a lake in the Auvergne, is the goal sought by the protagonists in La Demoiselle aux yeux verts; finally, in La Comtesse de Cagliostro, Lupin’s arch-enemy and lover is none other than Joséphine Balsamo, the alleged granddaughter of Cagliostro himself.

Films

Arsène Lupin 2004 movie poster

• The Gentleman Burglar (B&W., US, 1908) with William Ranows (Lupin).
• Arsène Lupin (B&W., 1914) with Georges Tréville (Lupin).
• Arsène Lupin (B&W., UK, 1915) with Gerald Ames (Lupin).
• The Gentleman Burglar (B&W., US, 1915) with William Stowell (Lupin).
• Arsène Lupin (B&W., US, 1917) with Earle Williams (Lupin).
• The Teeth of the Tiger (B&W., US, 1919) with David Powell (Lupin).
• 813 (B&W., US, 1920) with Wedgewood Newel (Lupin).
• Les Dernières aventures d'Arsène Lupin (B&W., France/Hungary, 1921).
• 813 - Rupimono (B&W., Japan, 1923) with Minami Mitsuaki (Lupin).
• Arsène Lupin (B&W., US, 1932) with John Barrymore (Lupin).
• Arsène Lupin Returns (B&W., US, 1936) with Melvyn Douglas (Lupin)
• Arsène Lupin, Détective (B&W., 1937) with Jules Berry (Lupin).
• Enter Arsène Lupin (B&W., US, 1944) with Charles Korvin (Lupin).
• Arsenio Lupin (B&W., Mexico, 1945) with R. Pereda (Lupin).
• Nanatsu-no Houseki (B&W., Japan, 1950) with Keiji Sada (Lupin).
• Tora no-Kiba (B&W., Japan, 1951) with Ken Uehara (Lupin).
• Kao-no Nai Otoko (B&W., Japan, 1955) with Eiji Okada (Lupin).
• Les Aventures d'Arsène Lupin (B&W., 1956) with Robert Lamoureux (Lupin).
• Signé Arsène Lupin (B&W., 1959) with Robert Lamoureux (Lupin).
• Arsène Lupin contre Arsène Lupin (B&W., 1962) with Jean-Pierre Cassel and Jean-Claude Brialy (Lupins).
• Arsène Lupin (col., 2004) with Romain Duris (Lupin).

Television

• Arsène Lupin, 26 60 min. episodes (1971, 1973-74) with Georges Descrières (Lupin), Arsène Lupin at the Internet Movie Database.
• L'Île aux trente cercueils, six 60 min. episodes (1979) (the character of Lupin, who only appears at the end of the novel, was removed entirely).
• Arsène Lupin joue et perd, six 52 min. episodes (1980) loosely based on 813 with Jean-Claude Brialy (Lupin).
• Le Retour d'Arsène Lupin, twelve 90-min episodes (1989-90) and Les Nouveaux Exploits d'Arsène Lupin, eight 90-min episodes (1995-96) with François Dunoyer (Lupin).
• Lupin (Philippine TV series), Philippines (2007) with Richard Gutierrez (Lupin).

Stage

• Arsène Lupin by Francis de Croisset and Maurice Leblanc. Four-act play first performed on October 28, 1908, at the Athenée in Paris.
• Arsène Lupin contre Herlock Sholmès by Victor Darlay & Henri de Gorsse. Four-act play first performed on October 10, 1910, at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris. (American edition ISBN 1932983163)
• Le Retour d'Arsène Lupin by Francis de Croisset and Maurice Leblanc. One-act play first performed on September 16, 1911, at the Théâtre de la Cigale in Paris.
• Arsène Lupin, Banquier by Yves Mirande & Albert Willemetz, libretto by Marcel Lattès. Three-act operetta, first performed on May 7, 1930, at the Théâtre des Bouffes Parisiennes in Paris.

Animation

• Lupin III, the grandson of Arsène Lupin, a character created by Monkey Punch for a series of manga, anime television shows, and movies based in Japan and around the world. Hayao Miyazaki directed one of the most acclaimed films of the series, The Castle of Cagliostro, and several television episodes.
• Les Exploits d'Arsène Lupin aka Night Hood, produced by Cinar & France-Animation, 26 26 min. episodes (1996)
• Soul Eater episode 3, the introduction of Death The Kid and the Thompson Sisters initially depicts them chasing the demonic form of Arsène Lupin so that the sisters could claim and devour his soul. When Death The Kid begins panicking about the lack of symmetry with the sisters and their appearances, Lupin escapes down a manhole and is not seen for the rest of the episode.

Comics

• Arsène Lupin, written by Georges Cheylard, art by Bourdin. Daily strip published in France-Soir in 1948-49.
• Arsène Lupin, written & drawn by Jacques Blondeau. 575 daily strips published in Le Parisien Libéré from 1956-58.
• Arsène Lupin contre Herlock Sholmès: La Dame blonde, written by Joëlle Gilles, art by Gilles & B. Cado, published by the authors, 1983.
• Arsène Lupin, written by André-Paul Duchateau, artist Géron, published by C. Lefrancq.
  1. Le Bouchon de cristal (1989)
  2. 813 - La Double Vie d'Arsène Lupin (1990)
  3. 813 - Les Trois crimes d'Arsène Lupin (1991)
  4. La Demoiselle aux yeux verts (1992)
  5. L'Aiguille creuse (1994)
• Arpin Lusène is featured as a character in the Donald Duck & Co stories The Black Knight (1997), Attaaaaaack! (2000) and The Black Knight GLORPS again! (2004) by Don Rosa.
• In Alan Moore's The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen: Black Dossier, Lupin is featured as a member of Les Hommes Mysterieux, the French analogue of Britain's League of Extraordinary Gentlemen.
• Kaito Kid from the manga series Magic Kaito and Detective Conan is often compared to Arsene Lupin. Also, Arsene Lupin is mentioned in the Detective Encyclopedia at the end of the manga Case Closed Volume 4.

External links

• The Extraordinary Adventures of Arsène Lupin, Gentleman-Burglar Public Domain Audio Book
• Arsène Lupin at Cool French Comics
• Free Arsène Lupin eBooks by Project Gutenberg
• Arsène Lupin timeline by A.-F. Ruaud (English version)

References