Arsène Lupin

1971 – 1974
Ended
Action & Adventure · Drama
~55m / ep
2 seasons
7.8/10

Arsène Lupin is a French TV show which was co-produced with German, Canadian, Belgian, Dutch, Swiss, Italian and Austrian TV stations. It was only loosely based on Maurice Leblancs novels. Georges Descrières' portrayal of Arsène Lupin showed more similarity to Graf Yoster than to Maurice Leblanc's original. He behaved in the first place as a perfect gentleman who never got angry. He was always relaxed, because whatever could possibly had bothered him in daily life was taken care of by his butler. It wasn't questioned how he had come to his financial independence although the series sometimes discreetly implied that he was a professional criminal. Besides rescuing damsels in distress Lupin took on criminals, competing with their wit and intelligence. Either he stole paintings from rich people who had to be considered white-collar criminals or he acted as a detective who derailed criminal schemes. However, when he was attacked, he could defend himself effortlessly by using elegant jujutsu methods. Among the guest stars were German actors such as Günter Strack and Sky du Mont. Jean-Paul Salomé said in his commentary on the DVD version of his film Arsène Lupin he had like this series as a child. German TV, one the investors, would broadcast the show eventually between 18:00-20:00 o'clock because it was only allowed to show commercials within that very timeslot. For them to get a financial return on investment the show had to be appropriate for families and also for children who would watch it alone. Subsequently it was nearby to ask to defuse and flatten some of Leblanc's plots in order to avoid possible complaints that could force the station to broadcast the show beyond the "Vorabendprogramm".

All seasons

Latest: Season 2 · 1973

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E1. Herlock Sholmes lance un défi
Dec 18, 1973 · 55m
With the help of his friend Nathalie, Arsène Lupin steals the “Queen's Necklace”, owned by the Dreux-Soubise family. The theft becomes an affair of state, a matter of concern for the Minister and the Prefect of Police. Herlock Sholmes, the English detective, provokes Arsène Lupin. They agree to give each other four days to find the necklace hidden by Lupin in his Normandy château.
E2. Arsène Lupin prend des vacances
Dec 20, 1973 · 55m
In Cannes, Arsène Lupin, posing as a policeman, finds himself entrusted by Guerchard with overseeing an exhibition of solid gold statues. Kesselbach, one of the exhibitors, boasts of possessing an absolutely inviolable safe. But Lupin knows that the man murdered Professor Ramirez in order to retain sole possession of the Inca treasure. In his normal guise, Lupin pays Kesselbach a visit.
E3. Le Mystère de Gesvres
Dec 22, 1973 · 55m
Shortly after Arsène Lupin visits a Normandy château, a corpse is discovered. Astonishment... because, as Isidore Beautrellet, a young reporter sent to the scene of the crime, points out, Arsène Lupin steals, but never kills. A clever reporter, so clever in fact that he discovers the murderer: the Comte de Gesvres. Lupin, seduced by Beautrellet's perspicacity, invites him to witness his next exploit: to seize the medieval statues of the Château de Gesvres and replace them with casts.
E4. Le Secret de l'Aiguille
Dec 25, 1973 · 55m
Avenging Joan of Arc and Trafalgar, Arsène Lupin robs the Tower of London. Fabulous booty: the Crown's treasure and, above all, a priceless parchment, a thousand-year-old relic shrouded in mystery, the secret of William the Conqueror. Herlock Sholmes is assisted in his investigation by the Intelligence Service, the French 2nd Bureau, Commissaire Guerchard and journalist Isidore Beautrellet. A scholar tells them that a copy of the famous parchment, of which he has transcribed indecipherable passages, was stolen from a monastery in Normandy five years ago...
E5. L'Homme au chapeau noir
Dec 27, 1973 · 55m
After witnessing his fake death and funeral, Arsène Lupin prepares to go on vacation. A vacation they forgo to accompany a beautiful stranger, Catherine, to a Norman manor house where a mysterious “man in a black hat” is making menacing appearances.
E6. L'Écharpe de soie rouge
Dec 29, 1973 · 55m
The millionaire businessman Prévailles has just married the young dancer Jenny Saphir, whose career he has pushed. A few years earlier, Jenny had fallen madly in love with Lupin. Lupin, aware of Prévailles' activities, disguises himself to warn Jenny of the danger she's in, and to protect her. For she possesses the sapphire of Genghis Khan, a priceless jewel with a legendary curse, a gift from General Ignatieff, one of the dancer's previous admirers.