Castle Of Cagliostro

Castle of Cagliostro – Master thieves Lupin III and Daisuku Jigen are hunting down the source of incredibly realistic counterfeit bank notes: Cagliostro. On the way they try to rescue a bride fleeing from suited thugs. It seems that Cagliostro has centuries old mysteries to explore, not least the huge and trap filled castle where the evil Count resides. Can Lupin rescue the girl, steal the treasure, and defeat the Count all in one? 

Castle of Cagliostro (1979) – Director: Hayao Miyazaki

Rating: PG

Running Length; 100 mins

Starring: Yasuo Yamada, Gorõ Naya, Tarõ Ishida, Sumi Shimamoto

Genre: Action / Adventure, Comedy

REVIEW: ‘CASTLE OF CAGLIOSTRO’

Suave thief, Arsène Lupin III is a character created by Monkey Punch that has starred in his own Manga and Anime in Japan. ‘Castle of Cagliostro’ is the second feature length movie with Lupin III but this time around it was directed by acclaimed influencer Hayao Miyazaki, making his feature length debut. Debut it may be (although he had directed episodes of the anime series) but you can spy many of Miyazaki’s later hallmarks during this rough and tumble adventure tale.

Indeed, the Miyazaki influence is visible right from the get go due to changes made to Lupin himself (renamed ‘Wolf’ in the dubbed version). Gone is his vicious streak and predatory nature towards woman. Instead he’s a smiling cheeky thief who delights at his own escapades under a sense of adventure and the movie is at pains to show his efforts to rescue a damsel in distress is borne only of a sense of right and wrong. This is set up nicely by the movie opening with rocketing down the highway in a car literally stuffed full of stolen cash. However, along with equally well dressed cool guy Jigen, he discovers the notes are counterfeit. The source is the secretive country of Cagliostro where dark rumours of kidnapping and extortion are rife.

Despite being made in 1979 ‘Castle of Cagliostro’ has mostly rich animation throughout, so long as you aren’t fussed about the movements of people lacking any sense in reality. We are definitely in ‘cartoon land’ when Lupin scales solid castle walls or bounds over massive distances with barely a sweat. Unfortunately, Miyazaki’s famed efforts to fill his own movies with strong and independent woman (often as leads) is not present here. The princess to be rescued from the tower is all big blue eyes and quivering until Lupin swoops in. She’s a mechanic for the plot and not a character, which is a shame. The fun of the movie is purely with Lupin’s lust for life and watching him frustrate the evil Count – a moustache twirling villain straight out of a trope handbook.

The ‘Castle of Cagliostro’ is plenty of fun, despite flaws centred around simplicity and side characters dropping in and out, lacking screen time they deserve. The movie has a strong 60s crime caper feel that wouldn’t be out of place with The Italian Job or The Man From U.N.C.L.E., with nifty gadgets galore to get our heroes out of any and all scrapes. It’s a child centric movie that plasters wall to wall enjoyment all over the screen, depth be damned.

CONTENT: IS ‘CASTLE OF CAGLIOSTRO’ SUITABLE FOR CHILDREN?

The movie opens with Lupin (referred to as ‘Wolf’ in the dubbed version) and Jigen fleeing from a casino with bag of money, clearly having robbed the place.

Lupin and Jigen smoke constantly throughout the film as do many other characters. Jigen in particular is rarely seen without a cigarette in his mouth. The car ash tray is overflowing with stubbed out cigarettes. Lupin often puffs out smoke rings.

In a restaurant a waitress tells Lupin that someone has a “bad reputation as a womaniser”. He replies, “So have I. What are you doing later, sweetheart?”

Ninja assassins attack. They have metal face masks so just their eyes can be seen and they often move in an otherworldly manner. They swarm. The have metal gloves which make their fingers like knives. The wrists also have sharp blades. They are first seen attacking Lupin and Jigen in their hotel room. This is an exciting and brief fight, although later they are more ominous.

Lupin and Jigen swim under the castle to gain entry. Lupin realises at the last minute that he is going to be sucked through some machinery. Giant cogs appear to squash him somewhat but he comes out the other end unharmed.

In the tower where the princes is being held, the ninjas from earlier all emerge silently from behind columns. This is mildly disconcerting, but the scene quickly turns into Lupin bantering with the evil Count, even as he is surrounded by the ninjas who move threatening. The Count grabs the Princess’ face roughly as she sobs. There is talk of forced marriage. He says, “Don’t force me to be violent”. He pulls a ring off her finger and pushes her back hard so that she thumps against a column.

After being dropped through a trap door Lupin descends in the catacombs of the castle. There are lots of decomposed bodies hanging by ropes. The floor level is littered with skeletons in rotten clothing. Lots of bones are visible. Lupin shows no fear but the high volume of corpses might upset small children. Later, some skeletons are used as a diversion by Lupin when underwater assassins try to attack him. The bodies are strung up, the skulls scene in the middle of the shot in close up, and the sound of clattering bones heard.

A character is shot through the chest from behind as a flying vehicle bursts into flames in the background. They slump and slide down a roof, motionless. The character remains still with a streak of blood trickling out of them. After around a minute of machine gun fire the character starts to move a little and talk. They say “I’m alright.”

Lupin forces a large amount of food into his mouth, He stuffs it all in, barely chewing. This may be imitable.

Lupin emerges from an alter with his colleagues. He is lit in green and his face is bandaged. He’s described by others a ‘spirit of the past’. He is impales by tons of swords and the Princess yells out “you murder!”. However, all is not as it seems. The situation changes after 10 seconds or so.

Lupin is pursued into a clock tower. The chase takes place by many characters grabbing on to giant moving cogs. When Lupin looks back he sees a guard unable to get off one as it interlocks with another cog. The guard shouts, “No! No! Nooo!” and the scene cuts just as he would be squashed. Lupin turns away and tells the Princess not to look.

When climbing on the hands of a the clock face, The Count tells the Princess that, “You are going to die one way or the other.”

The clock hands come together to form 12 o’clock and a character is caught between the two of them. They struggle to push them apart but the hands keep moving. Their grunts of efforts get more desperate until the shot zooms out and there is a ‘click’ as the hands move together, implying that the character has been killed.

CAN I SEE A CLIP?

VERDICT: IS ‘CASTLE OF CAGLIOSTRO’ FOR KIDS?

‘Castle of Cagliostro’ is action adventure fun with a cheeky protagonist getting the better of everyone around him. Such a set up is inherently appealing to most children and the movie is paced well to ensure there is rarely too long a break from the excitement. Due to some minor violence and potential scare factor of the ninja assassins, we would recommend ‘Castle of Cagliostro’ as appropriate for ages 6 and up.

• Violence: 2/5 (Some blood. Some implied deaths. Sword fights and guns)
• Emotional Distress: 2/5 (Action adventure style stakes where the Princess is often afraid or upset although Lupin is usually fine in contrast)
• Fear Factor: 2/5 (The ninjas can be a little scary as can the catacombs of the castle that is full of skeletons)
• Sexual Content: 1/5 (References to womanising and forced marriage)
• Bad Language: 0/5
• Dialogue: 2/5 (the Count refers to the Princess as ‘wench’. “What the hell” is said frequently in the opening scenes. Several references to murder)
• Other Notes: Deals with themes of theft, kidnapping, forced marriage, state sponsored murder, counterfeiting, glamourous outlaw lifestyle, and treasure hunting at all costs.

Words by Michael Record