Legend of the Gold of Babylon

Lupin III: Legend of the Gold of Babylon

Japanese DVD Cover
Directed by Seijun Suzuki
Shigetsugu Yoshida
Produced by Tetsuo Katayama
Kazushichi Sano
Hidehiko Takei
Screenplay by Yoshio Urasawa
Atsushi Yamatoya
Based on Lupin III
by Monkey Punch
Starring Yasuo Yamada
Kiyoshi Kobayashi
Eiko Masuyama
Makio Inoue
Gorō Naya
Music by Yuji Ohno
Cinematography Hajime Hasegawa
Edited by Masatoshi Tsurubuchi
Production
company
Distributed by Toho
Release date
  • July 13, 1985 (1985-07-13)
Running time
100 minutes
Country Japan
Language Japanese

Lupin III: Legend of the Gold of Babylon (Japanese: ルパン三世 バビロンの黄金伝説, Hepburn: Rupan sansei: Babiron no Ōgon Densetsu) is a 1985 Japanese animated film co-directed by Seijun Suzuki and Shigetsugu Yoshida. It is the third feature film based on Monkey Punch's popular Lupin III manga.

It was released on subtitled VHS and LaserDisc in North America by AnimEigo in 1994 under the "Rupan III" name, due to copyright concerns with Maurice Leblanc's Arsène Lupin.

Synopsis

Lupin searches for a gigantic hoard of hidden treasure originating in ancient Babylon, with the help of his usual team, a set of stone tablets, and a drunken old woman by the name of Rosetta. Complicating matters is Inspector Zenigata, who has been roped into judging the "Miss ICPO Beauty Contest" and must now drag a group of nominees around with him, all eager to prove themselves as agents.

Cast

Character Japanese
Arsène Lupin III Yasuo Yamada
Fujiko Mine Eiko Masuyama
Daisuke Jigen Kiyoshi Kobayashi
Goemon Ishikawa XIII Makio Inoue
Inspector Zenigata Gorō Naya
Rosetta Toki Shiozawa
Naoko Kawai (young)
Marciano Maki Carrousel
Kowalski Chikao Ōtsuka
Willy Obon
Chen Kobon
Caramel Fumi Hirano
Chinjao Keiko Han
Zakusukaya Rihoko Yoshida
Saranda Keiko Toda
Lasanga Saeko Shimazu
Sam Kenichi Ogata

Production

This film is the only Lupin film where he wears the pink jacket from the third TV series. AnimEigo released the film with English subtitles and Japanese dialogue under the title "Rupan III: Legend of the Gold of Babylon" on VHS in the North America in 1995.[1] In 2005, Discotek Media acquired it for a DVD release,[2] however, it was later cancelled due to NA's declining anime industry.[3]

Reception

Mike Toole of Anime News Network stated that when he first watched the film in the 1990s, he hated it, having only known Lupin as the "smooth, gallant antihero" from The Castle of Cagliostro and The Plot of the Fuma Clan. Whereas Legend of the Gold of Babylon's version of Lupin is closer to Monkey Punch's original "rough, drunken, lecherous crook." However, a decade later, he stated that the film "goes down much smoother" having been acquainted with Suzuki's other work, the director being known for his bizarre and oddly-structured films.[1]

References

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