Moving Narrative Research - Lupin III/The Castle of Cagliostro

The biggest inspiration for my film was the 'Lupin III' franchise. The series began life as a Japanese manga written and illustrated by Monkey Punch (real name Kazuhiko Kato) back in 1967. The series focus on a group of criminals comprising of suave gentleman thief Arsene Lupin III, sharp shooting gangster Jigen, samurai Goemon and femme fatale Fujiko on the run from international police officer Inspector Zenigata. It was later added into an animated series in 1971 before finally getting a feature length film in the form of 'The Secret of Mamo' which played out as a faithful adaptation. The second film, 'The Castle of Cagliostro', was helmed by animation legend Hayao Miyazaki in 1979.

The reason that, of all forms of 'Lupin III' I could have picked, I have chosen 'The Castle of Cagliostro' is because of how different it is to the rest of the franchise. In terms of character, the cast are much deeper and more varied than in the show especially Lupin himself. In the show/manga, Lupin was little more than a snarky, perverted thief however he is made into a much more likeable rogue who only does his crimes for the thrill and adventure. The plot of the film even reflects this ideal as it boils down to saving a princess from a tower, carrying on the classic adventure story. Lupin does still show signs of his TV self however he has a much more friendly side, most notable when he confronts the princess Clarisse as well as the heart warming send off at the ending. Another character given more depth was Zenigata. As there is already a villain, Zenigata instead acts more like a friendly rival even to the point of teaming up with him in the third act.

In incorporated 'Lupin III' as inspiration for my piece by use of character, tone and action. As the gang is constantly hounded by Zenigata, there is always a chase scene on the horizon and a great sense of drifting. Rarely are episodes set in the same place. My protagonist, Slade, represents this as he can be classed as a drifter. The word Slade means valley which I used to represent that he is always between two places, just like a valley. Other characters are inspired by the cast of 'Lupin III' such as Drake who takes after Jigen for being the designated sharp shooter of the team (however I have Drake a western background as opposed to Jigen's gangster background), Norman who is based on Zenigata as he fulfils the role of pursuer and Scarlett who, while not strictly a femme fatale like Fujiko, is more boisterous and relies more on strategy.

Another element inspired would be Slade and Norman's relationship. Like Lupin and Zenigata, they would act more like rivals with Amos taking the role as primary antagonist. Slade doesn't even seen Norman as a threat and sees it more like a game of cat and mouse. Slade baits Norman only to relish in his escape. This would harken back to Slade's backstory as a member of a biker gang who was arrested by an up and coming Norman. Slade and Drake's banter would also reflect that of Lupin and Jigen, most notably at the start of the film where Lupin and Jigen play rock, paper, scissors over who has to change the burst tyre.

The look and iconography of my film is derived from 'Lupin III' too. Lupin and Slade dress in a similar manner although Lupin wears more colours than Slade and also a tie. Drake and Jigen both have distinct hats and Scarlett and Fujiko wear stealthy outfits fitting for their occupation. The use of classic guns and cars is also used. Lupin and Jigen drive a yellow Fiat 500 while Slade and Drake drive a red Triumph TR6. Lupin and Slade both use Walther P38s too while Drake weilds a Colt Python, inspired by Rick Grimes' weapon of choice from 'The Walking Dead'.

Fiat 500

Triumph TR6

Walther P38

Colt Python

In my research, I discovered that in 2014, there was a live action adaptation of 'Lupin III'. In terms of iconography, tone and action, this is how my film would look. I compared my film to being a live action version of 'The Castle of Cagliostro' and now I know that exists. There isn't much else to say, I just found it interesting that a live action film does indeed exist and I can use it for comparison sake. 

To summarise, my film takes most inspiration from 'Lupin III' based on characters, tone and iconography. Slade and Lupin share a lot of common as do other characters previously stated, they drive classic cars and wield classic guns and they both get caught up in bombastic and grand conspiracies and adventures.


Links:
Characters in Lupin III: http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Characters/LupinIII
Profile for Monkey Punch: http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/people.php?id=41
'The Castle of Cagliostro' imdb page: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0079833/