Corto Maltese: The Secret Court of the Arcane

Synopsis

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...

Ratings

Key crew

• Pascal MorelliDirector
• Thierry ThomasWriter
• Natalia BorodinWriter
• Pascal MorelliWriter
• Franco PiersantiOriginal Music Composer

Cast

• Richard BerryCorto Maltese (FR)
• Patrick BouchiteyRasputin (FR)
• Barbara SchulzShangai Li (FR)
• Marie TrintignantDuchessa Marina Seminova (FR)
• Marc ChapiteauL'Ataman Semenov (FR)
• Maxime LerouxNino (FR)
• Hervé BellonGenerale Chang (FR)
• Emmanuel CurtilTenente Barrow (FR)
• Patrice DozierLunga Vita (FR)
• Jean-Michel DupuisBarone Von Ungern-Sternberg (FR)
• Philippe CottenMaggiore Tippit (FR)
• Luca WardCorto Maltese (IT)

Stills

Themes