Lupin the III: The Castle of Cagliostro (Special Edition) | 
| Director: Hayao Miyazaki
Actors: Bob Bergen, Yasuo Yamada, Eiko Masuyama, Kiyoshi Kobayashi, Makio Inoue
Studio: Manga Video
Category: DVD
List Price: $24.97
Buy Used: $11.48
You Save: $13.49 (54%)
New (42) Used (11) from $11.48
Rating:  122 reviews
Sales Rank: 15122
Format: Animated, Color, Dvd-video, Special Edition, Subtitled, Widescreen, Ntsc
Languages: English (Original Language), French (Original Language), Japanese (Original Language), Spanish (Original Language), English (Subtitled)
Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Region: 1
Aspect Ratio: 1.77:1
Number Of Discs: 1
Running Time: 102 Minutes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 7.4 x 5.4 x 0.7
MPN: MANDM2066D
UPC: 013138206695
EAN: 0013138206695
ASIN: B000FGG5NK
Theatrical Release Date: April 3, 1991
Release Date: August 29, 2006
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: DVD IN ORIGINAL CASE
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| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
Studio: Starz/sphe Release Date: 08/29/2006 Run time: 109 minutes Rating: Nr
Amazon.com
Hayao Miyazaki (Princess Mononoke, My Neighbor Totoro) achieved his first international hit with this delightful 1979 adventure yarn. Quick-paced, high-spirited, and loaded with wit, Cagliostro is a dandy throwback to the caper pictures of the '60s. International man of mystery Lupin III stumbles back into the picturesque European duchy of Cagliostro with his faithful and gruff sidekick, Jigen. They will encounter, in no particular order, a runaway bride, a magical ring, an evil count with a dastardly plan, an inspector bent on catching Lupin, perilous rooftop chases, hooded guards with superhuman powers, a well-used dungeon, a counterfeiting scheme, and an ancient mystery promising grand treasure. Lupin deploys an array of Bond-type gadgets, razor-sharp wit, and a surprise up both his sleeves. Despite the hail of bullets, this caper is great fun, never taking itself seriously. Miyazaki's career illustrates how limiting the term anime can be for these films; there are hardly more than 10 live-action films of this genre as entertaining. Far less mean than Hollywood fare, it nevertheless is for ages 9 and up with language and gunplay. The Lupin character has been featured in other anime films, but never as successfully or with as much fun as in Miyazaki's film. The new English-language dubbing is excellent to boot. --Doug Thomas
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| Customer Reviews: Read 117 more reviews...
 Bond.... James Bond (Japanese style) August 15, 2004
A. Cogan (San Jose, CA USA)
35 out of 38 found this review helpful
Grown-ups and non-anime fans should not be put off by the cover art for this DVD. This is a great action movie that reminds me of a Bond movie. It has exciting car chases, a clever hero that gets himself out of precarious situations, and an evil super-villain.
But Bond with a big difference: ironically, this movie is LESS cartooonish than the real Bond movies! Bond has lots of gadgets that are incredibly specialized yet just happen to come in handy EVERY TIME, villains who are usually just too loony to be believed, and he has babes who want to jump in the sack with him after eyeballing him for 30 seconds. As a teenage boy fantasy movie, Bond rules; but if you want to see a fun, rollicking adventure/spy movie, then Castle of Cagliostro is actually a better bet.
As other reviewers have mentioned, this is one of the earliest movies by a Japanese director named Miyazaki. Most Americans have never heard of him, but in Japan he's looked upon like Spielburg and Lucas rolled into one person. Many people have compared him to Disney, but I think that's not a good comparison. While Disney worked in the same medium, his films were much more child-oriented, and for better or worse, he established many of the animation formulas and cliches that have become the norm for American animation (with notable exceptions like the superb Iron Giant). Disney has become synonymous with dumbed-down and formulaic. No one would EVER use those terms to describe Miyazaki.
While it is really Miyazaki's later work, such as the incomparable Spirited Away, that earned him his reputation as a genius, this film is still very much worth seeing. In fact, what I generally tell anyone who will listen is that you can't go wrong treating Miyazaki's name as a sort of brand name: just rent or buy anything made by him and you're guaranteed to see a movie that is well made, thoughtfully written, a visual feast, and most of all, wonderfully original. How many directors can you think of that fit that description?
The main character of this movie, Lupin, is from a long-running series. But I haven't seen any of the other episodes, and I assure you that you don't have to see any of the series beforehand to be able to enjoy this movie: it stands on its own.
In closing, let me mention that there is a persistent myth perpetuated on various Internet sites that Steven Spielburg called this one of the greatest adventure movies ever made. As far as I can tell, he never said that. Still, this wonderful movie doesn't need any made-up endorsements. See it, and you'll see why.
 "Lupin III" stars in a Hayao Miyazaki animated masterpiece April 18, 2000
Derek Norcross (San Diego, California)
25 out of 28 found this review helpful
This tale stars the infamous gentleman-theif Lupin, along with Jigen the expert marksman, and Goemon the samurai of the old school. With Lupin and Jigen heading for Cagliostro (Europe's smallest country) they become involved in an adventure including preventing a fixed marriage, a Princess and an evil Count. This being one of my favorite movies, and Miyazaki being my god, I cannot recommend this movie enough. Highly original, Cagliostro's action sequences will leave you breathless while the emotion brought forth from the highly addictive story will draw you in and leave you lingering in a world that is simply too beatiful to want to leave. From the fist scene where Lupin and Jigen rob the Monte Carlo, and while escaping leap over several bicycle racks and sub-humanly glide 12 feet with perfect ease while a comical springing sound is made, this instantly becomes a classic. Thank God for Manga for re-releasing this film treasure.
Monkey Punch had to be proud of this July 3, 2005
THE MAIN MAN (Central Bookin', NY)
20 out of 21 found this review helpful
After a successful theft, Lupin and Jigen realize the casino they robbed carried counterfeit cash. The setback reminds Lupin of a once botched theft. He then returns to The Castle of Cagliostro to capture a treasure he couldn't before. On the way there, he encounters a young girl being chased by a gang. Lupin then tries to learn the mystery behind a ring he found while trying to protect the girl.
Many hail The Castle of Cagliostro as the best Lupin movie ever made. And I fully agree without the slightest bit of doubt. This movie was blessed by the near perfect mind of Hayao Miyazaki. Anyone who has ever seen a single one of this anime films. Knows for a fact the man can deliver an excellent story. The Castle of Cagliostro is nothing short of excellent.
The pros to this film simply cannot be measured. The characters were very well used. The romance angle seemed believeable and not forced at all. The action wasn't too over the top and the comedy was simply hilarious at times.
The animation was very good, especially considering how old this title is. The artwork seemed a little bit off but some may not notice the small details. Their is only one huge con I can think of. After seeing this, you may never look at another Lupin the 3rd film the same again. I have seen them all and I can think of only one that may come somewhat close. And even that one can be a turn off to many. The voice acting is very good but there is a bit of swearing.
I highly recommend this film even if you're not a Lupin fan or an anime fan. This is simply one of the best anime films out there, to me. If you already have a spot for Miyazaki's work. Then you should definitely give this a try.
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