Enter Arsene Lupin
                                                                 
Director: Ford Beebe
Year: 1944
Rating: 6.0
There had been seven previous Arsene Lupin films produced in America before this one. Five during the Silent Era. So, the character must have been quite well known to audiences back then. This turned out to be the last one made in the USA. It is a decent enough film but Melvyn Douglas and John Barrymore had played him in the two previous American sound films while this time he gets an unknown in his debut film - Charles Korvin. Korvin is just fine though - born in Hungary with a slight charming accent, quite handsome with a Stephen Boyd chin cleft. He got caught up later in the House UnAmerican Committee and was blacklisted as was another actor in the film, Gale Sondergaard. He moved to England and was Inspector Duvall in the TV show Interpol Calling. At 72 minutes and directed by Ford Beebe it was clearly meant as a Second Feature.



Arsene under an assumed name has just stolen a very valuable jewel from a passenger on a train. She is played by Ella Raines, a name I know but had not seen her in anything. That needs to change. She shimmers and has eyes that I need to see in color. They are bewitching in black and white as it is. She reminded me a bit of Lauren Bacall. Arsene is bowled over by her and "finds" the jewel under a couch in her compartment. When he hears she is going to England, he orders his man-servant to arrange his going there as well. Once there out of habit he steals a Rembrandt.  The French Detective Ganimard is as usual chasing him - played by the man of disguise J. Carroll Naish with a bushy moustache and thick accent.



Stacie (Raines) literally runs into him when her car breaks fail. It doesn't take a degree in criminology to figure out that her aunt (Sondergaard) and uncle (Miles Mander) are trying to kill her for the emerald. Of course they are, she is Spider Woman of Sherlock Holmes fame! Arsene is determined not to let that happen by stealing the emerald again so that they will have no reason to kill her. Ganimard for all his foolish antics is actually very smart and on his trail all the time. Moves at a good clip and the couple have good chemistry and look lovely when there is a close-up of them in the clinch. Nice ending that I did not see coming. Like Gentleman Thief films are supposed to be, it is light on its feet with big splotches of romance and humor.