The Castle of Cagliostro, a feature length film, was the first attempt by animator Hayao Miyazaki, but this 1979 movie is not an ordinary movie. This animated movie let’s us follow the adventures of Arsène Lupin III, which was inspired by the French writer Maurice Leblanc introduced to the world a charming character thief. By including his personal understanding, the creator created action, humor, and memorable storytelling – what was going to become the trademark of his career in animation.
Synopsis
The story develops with Lupin III together with Daisuke Jigen as his accomplice, robbing a casino and later on looking for the owner of “Goat Bills” – only to turn out to be fakes. Chasing the origin of those decent quality forgeries, they track down high quality fakes to a tiny isolated European nation of Cagliostro.
As soon as they get there, Lupin and Jigen behold an armed lass, Clarisse, who is running away from her pursuers. Lupin who rescues her later discovers that she is a princess from Cagliostro but is going to be wed off to Lord Cagliostro who he despises. Lord Cagliostro’s main interest behind the marriage is to strengthen his claim over the throne and to gain a secret treasure, which can be unlocked by two family rings. One ring is with Princess Clarisse and the other is with Lord Cagliostro.
To avoid these obstacles, Lupin plans how to sneak into the well-guarded Castle of Cagliostro. He has the support of his allies: the snipper Jigen, Goemon Ishikawa XIII a sword master, and Fujiko Mine the cunning femme fatale who smuggled herself inside the castle. Among the developments, Interpol’s other Lupin’s nemeses, a dedicated inspector Koichi Zenigata arrives in Cagliostro for jokes, to catch Lupin but later joins him to help him expose the Count’s criminal activities.
As the film reaches its limit, there’s an exciting assortment of events, which include an exhilarating car chase, a daring rescue, and the final battle that takes place in the old clock tower of the castle. With the help of his companions and one of his several brilliant ideas himself, Lupin defeats the Count, frees Clarisse, and shows them the treasure they came for, which was lost in the depth of Cagliostro’s past.
Cast & Crew
- Director: Hayao Miyazaki
- Screenplay: Hayao Miyazaki, Haruya Yamazaki
- Original Creator: Monkey Punch, Kazuhiko Kato
- Music: Yuji Ohno
- Production Company: TMS Entertainment
Voice Cast:
- Arsène Lupin III: Yasuo Yamada
- Daisuke Jigen: Kiyoshi Kobayashi
- Goemon Ishikawa XIII: Makio Inoue
- Fujiko Mine: Eiko Masuyama
- Inspector Koichi Zenigata: Gorō Naya
- Lady Clarisse d’ Cagliostro: Sumi Shimamoto
- Count Lazare d’ Cagliostro: Tarō Ishida
Critical Reception
“The Castle of Cagliostro” was an interesting film for animation history. It was his first directorial work but also the movie demonstrates his storytelling and concentration on detail. The movie has enjoyed a great success, as it has been rated 7.6 out of 10 by users based on more than 34000 votes on the IMDb website.
IMDB
The Guardian’s Andrew Collins said that the film features brilliant balance of innovation and creativity, striking yet not over the top vivid high quality animation impeccable character development and an intense storyline. Collins clearly appreciates the combination in creative storytelling and animation. The progress in the 70s Japan continues his words with native Japanese cartoon style not reflecting the American beauty myth. He explains the treatment of native Japanese heroes and their characters as being quite far from the western perspective.
The film draws audiences in with its novel combinations of characters, engaging plots, and fascinating settings. According to Marc Savlov of The Austin Chronicle, many of the films relied heavily on violence for a solid, loyal fan base – Cagliostro instead makes use of various comedic elements. To keep eyes on the screen, Cagliostro uses much broader more vulgar scenes that add a humorous twist.
As for the cinema in Japan predominately offering lush, brutal and violent Cinematography, the film’s animation has been regarded with an award. Japan’s 70s culture was notorious but also filled with delicate artistry which allowed Cagliostro’s creation to flourish with inventive artistry. All of the elements mentioned conjured smooth transitions with upbeat music and caused audiences to applaud even more while the movie progressed.
Cagliostro’s Castle itself is rendered with special construction details that add to the overall atmosphere of the film. Other characteristics such as, elaborate mechanical devices and quick chasing scenes became part of Miyazaki’s works as well and they are very conspicuous in this film.
Although it is arguably built on a lighter note than the original Lupin III series, which would routinely portray Lupin in darker shades, this interpretation is much easier to follow and provides a more universal approach. Emotional development of activities, more so the linkage between Lupin and Clarisse, makes the story more than the much action oriented adventure had been.
Therefore, it is evident that the film “The castle of cagliostro” has clearly demonstrated the narrating and also the directing abilities of Hayao Miyazaki. The movie has a mixture of action, comedy and romance, all brought out by clear animations of high quality. It is no surprise that the film has been so well received as the undisputed classic amongst animation films.
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