Corto Maltese: The Secret Court of the Arcane

2002 1h 32m FR

👍

6.5

SOLID

★6.5TMDB · 59

DramaAnimationHistoryAdventure

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

At the end of 1918 while civil war is raging on in Russia, antagonism is slowly spreading to the East, between the Oral mountains and Shanghai. Stuck between a desire to save what's left of the great Imperial Russia, and starting from a clean slate, old generals, secret organizations, and mercenaries attracted by gold, struggle to take advantage of the events. As Corto Maltese returns to Shanghai, he barely gets time to cross paths with his old friend/nemesis Rasputin, and escape a murder attempt before being contacted by members of a Chinese secret organization called "The Red Lanterns". In the heart of violent Manchurian horizons, Corto and Rasputin launch themselves into a fabulous treasure hunt, following the tracks of the mysterious armor-plated train of Kolchak. A steel monster spiked with canons and machine guns, this trains protects the counter-revolutionaries gold...

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Cast

Richard Berry
Corto Maltese (FR)
Patrick Bouchitey
Rasputin (FR)
Barbara Schulz
Shangai Li (FR)
Marie Trintignant
Duchessa Marina Seminova (FR)
Marc Chapiteau
L'Ataman Semenov (FR)
Maxime Leroux
Nino (FR)
Hervé Bellon
Generale Chang (FR)
Emmanuel Curtil
Tenente Barrow (FR)

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Pascal Morelli
Writers: Thierry Thomas, Natalia Borodin, Pascal Morelli
Languages: French, Italian
Countries: Italy, France

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 24 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: French, Italian.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 2 countries: Italy, France.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

CINEMA

Did you know

Part of the "Corto Maltese Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Franco Piersanti. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Richard Berry and Patrick Bouchitey and Barbara Schulz carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0259134 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

Only 59 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Pascal Morelli directs. Franco Piersanti scores. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in Italy, France. Dialogue in French, Italian.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Released 24 years ago.
2Dialogue crosses 2 languages: French, Italian.
3International production across 2 countries: Italy, France.
4Part of the "Corto Maltese Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
5Original score by Franco Piersanti. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Richard Berry and Patrick Bouchitey and Barbara Schulz carry the top of the cast.
7IMDB entry: tt0259134 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
8Only 59 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.