This turns out to be exactly how you would imagine an endearing, funny (Weimar) comedy with a love-struck Felix Bressart in the leading role! To me a little gem I'd love to watch over and over again 💗

"You have taken the east from me;
you have taken the west from me;
you have taken what is before me
and what is behind me;
you have taken the moon,
you have taken the sun from me;
and... my fear is great,
you have taken God from me!"

So it seems that David Cronenberg is the better Quentin Tarantino.

A wonderful homage to the French animated classic The King and the Mockingbird / Le Roi et l'Oiseau (1980), or more precisely to Grimault’s earlier, unfinished version of it: La bergère et le ramoneur (1952), which is known to be one of Miyazaki’s favourite films – or at least had a major influence on him – and which is said to have once inspired him to make films himself, something that becomes absolutely evident here (to me). Besides, master thief Arsène Lupin III is truly something quite special compared to all of Miyazaki’s other main characters 😄

4th viewing – my quintessential quote for now:

"Ich will nicht ruhen, bis ich die furchtbaren Dinge, die ringsum geschehen, begreife–."

// "I won't rest until I get to the bottom of these dreadful deeds"

Me falling in love with Therese Belivet who's falling in love with Carol Aird --
If I had just an idea how magical and well-crafted this film is, I certainly wouldn't have put it off for years <3