Le Château de Cagliostro

"The Castle Of Cagliostro"(TCOC) from 1979 is the grand debut Hayao Miyazaki, one of the world`s finest filmmakers and a master of anime. TCOC is a movie that has it all; action, adventure, romance, comedy. It is a superb movie that appeals to everyone. The main character is Lupin, the master thief, who you may know already if you have read the manga which this is based upon. Lupin travels to a European country called Cagliostro, where he intends to uncover the secret of The Castle Of Cagliostro. This is a must see, and it is also my favorite of all the Miyazaki-films.

10/10

Hilarious comedy, tasteful romance, intense action, and colorful characters.. . No one who sees this movie would believe it was a low-budget 1979 flop. With world name director Miyazaki (few of his movies rank under 9 even on this database), the highly successful Lupin cast and the angelic Shimamoto as Clarisse, who WOULD believe it failed? This movie is the most underrated movie of all time.

Just make sure you acquire a GOOD translation, if one exists. Carl "the Butcher" Macek's Streamline Pictures release got horrible ratings due to his unchecked editors, unfaithful translators and third-rate voice actors. Fan-made subtitled copies are far more enjoyable, but quality is still not guaranteed. Good luck hunting; this movie is gold.

Early feature directed by the now world famous Japanese animator, Hayao Miyazaki. A roguish thief, Lupin III, attempts to save the Lady Clarisse de Cagliostro from an evil Count, both of them well aware that she holds the secret to a legendary hidden treasure.

The animation is, unsurprisingly, much less sophisticated than in the later Studio Ghibli films, or even those released only a few years after such as "Nausicaa". However, the quality is still very high and Miyazaki's trademark attention to detail, particularly with machines, is noticeable already.

The character animation is much broader and more obviously cartoon-like but this matches the very light tone of the film - this is an all-out action comedy adventure, after all! The details in the film give it a very European feel, from the costumes to the cars (wonderfully animated Fiat 500 and Citroen 2CV), and I was most reminded of Herge's "Tintin" adventure series.

This film is good fun, though I did find the pacing a little uneven, and particularly recommended to those who enjoy their animated films a bit simpler and more conventional than most of Studio Ghibli's output.

The second big screen outing of Lupin III is already one of the best Anime movies ever made, while rivalling anything Disney or Pixar has to offer. Green ogres, fat superheroes or a zillion gigabytes of computer animation still cannot compare to 12 frames of hand drawn charm.

For the uninitiated, Lupin III is the grandson of Arsene Lupin, the gentleman thief, created by Maurice Leblanc in the Twenties. He's always breaking into some impenetrable vault, or has a zillion gadgets up his sleeve to help with escaping if things go awry. He's also rather wacky and buffoonish, which makes his antics a joy to watch.

Hayao Miyazaki (Spirited Away, Howl's Moving Castle), in his movie debut, tones down the out of control wackiness of the Lupin III TV show and gives Lupin a rather decent plot to dig his teeth into. This is not an excuse to string together a bunch of insane set pieces.

Seconds after robbing a Monte Carlo casino, Lupin and Jigen discover that every dollar note they have swiped is a fake. Only one place in the world is known to make these counterfeits and Lupin's underworld knowledge leads them to the tiny European country of Cagliostro (think Luxemburg, only much, much smaller).

Half a moment after crossing the border, Lupin and Jigen are involved in a car chase and rescue the Lady Clarisse from a bunch of goons. But she's promptly kidnapped again, though manages to leave Lupin a clue in the form of a strange wedding ring.

Their suspicions over the kidnapping lead them to the titular castle where they discover that an evil Count has seized control of the country, using - guess what? - funny money. And the ring is the key to a great treasure that can only be uncovered when the Lady Clarisse is married to the Count.

Lupin deliberately blows his cover to Inspector Zenigata (the perpetually stressed Interpol officer who is always chasing him) as a diversion, while he breaks into the castle to rescue Clarisse. What follows is scene after scene of hairs breadth escapes and impossible scenarios.

Miyazaki's attention to detail is what truly elevates this beyond typical animation quality. There are enough moments of quietness and atmosphere to balance out the loud scenes. A strong sense of setting also comes from the imaginative "photography". Too many animated movies disorientate the audience with frenetic direction and over-indulgence, but Castle Of Cagliostro works so much better by taking its time and choosing the best angles to cover the action. His trademark flying machines and overeating scenes make their first big screen appearance here.

Far from his typical sub-genre of eco-friendly animation, Miyazaki is obviously a big fan of Lupin and has made a movie that refuses to be missed. Even Spielberg called CoC "one of the best adventure movies ever." Any fan of Miyazaki should check out this film immediately.

One should be aware that the Maurice Leblanc estate doesn't entirely approve of the Lupin III franchise. As a result he is mostly known in the new Optimum Region 2 DVD version as "Wolf" (get it?). The Manga release of this film was entirely re-dubbed in English with Lupin restored but the new Optimum DVD uses the original English voice actors.

This movie is an absolute blast to watch! Represents the Lupin series at its best. A fine anime film that doesn't seem to get the attention it deserves. Then again, nothing less could be expected from the man who gave us "Kiki's Delivery Service" and "Princess Mononoke." It's a bit hard to find since it's been out of print for some time. But if you can find a copy, it's well worth checking out. Hopefully this masterpiece will be reissued on video someday.