Signe Arsene Lupin (1959)

At the end of WWI, the gentleman thief Arsene Lupin (Robert Lamoureux) resumes his mischievous lifestyle with zeal. The theft of three paintings committed by an adversary (Yves Robert) leads him to the mysterious treasure of the Golden Fleece. Based on the character created by Maurice Leblanc in 1905 and directed by Yves Robert (THE TALL BLOND MAN WITH ONE BLACK SHOE). One of the lesser adventures of Arsene Lupin hampered by some miscasting. Gentleman thieves are still criminals and in order to win the audiences over they need charm (think Ronald Colman in RAFFLES or David Niven in THE PINK PANTHER) or else a strong star presence (Steve McQueen in THE THOMAS CROWN AFFAIR). Alas, Lamoureux has neither. In fact, Lamoureux comes across as smug and annoying. The contrived plot is overly complicated and there's nothing really to hold our interest. A disappointment. With Alida Valli, Jacques Dufilho and Roger Dumas.