Tintin et le Mystère de la Toison d'Or

Don't judge the book by the cover, for all its B-movie look, this is A-entertainment.

"Tintin and the Mystery of the Golden Fleece" is a product of its era: released in 1961, it carries the old-fashioned allure of 50's adventurous pictures and let's say the more sophisticated tone of the 60's, yet not devoid of the same obsolescent charm that makes a James Bond girl "innocent" by our modern day's standards. The film has the thrills, the fun and the escapism magnificently rendered by the Turkish countryside, with the exotic little tune to enhance the feeling that we're enjoying a nice little vacation with Tintin and Captain Haddock.

Because that's what it's all about, it's a Tintin adventure and yet the enjoyment doesn't only depend on the appeal of the comic-books, in its own right, this is a good movie.

Now, some history… Tintin had already come to maturity in the early 60's but the big screen has always been a hit-or-miss, it was probably a credit to Herge's uniqueness of style and his trademark clear line to have created a world so naturally proficient in thrills and so emotionally engaging that even the camera of the 60's couldn't capture. Yes, even Steven Spielberg could only make a CGI version of the "Unicorn", perhaps one of the less 'cinematic' of all Tintin's books. That's how difficult the transition from book to screen is, and maybe the safest and wisest choice was to have an original story and compensate the 'newness' of the material with actors who'd look like shoot- outs of the original characters.

The originality of the story is the first masterstroke, it's an interesting whodunit set in Turkey and centering on a mysterious ship named "Golden Fleece" that Haddock inherited from a long-time friend. And despite the little predictable plot elements such as the evil businessman who seems to have a personal reason to buy the ship, the sneaky tourist guide, the colorful encounters, a talking parrot, a black cook, the story works not to mention that it also features two nice cameos from Charles Vanel and Dario Moreno. And we forgive the flaw because there's a sort of realism in the relationship between good old Tintin and Captain Haddock, both played by Jean- Pierre Talbot and George Wilson. Tintin leads the action with the impatience and curiosity of youth and Haddock is the eternal follower.

And that's it, the characters are alive again.

Herge said it himself, Tintin was some kind of a joke, he needed the blandest and most neutral looking hero, so he made a round, two dots for the eyes, and no hair color (meaning he was blonde) then just to give him a little edge with the little tuft. A legend was born, a perfect hero who was courageous, brave and embodied youth's thirst of adventure but with a sense of righteousness. The challenge to turn Tintin into a real character was twice, finding someone who'd match the facial features and making the hero heroic without being unrealistic. Needless to say that Talbot did a great job, but as he stated himself, he didn't have to try, he channeled Tintin naturally and you can tell when you see him that he was born to be Tintin.

Talbot was approached for his his physical abilities, he was such a complete athlete, he provided almost all the stunts (with a few exceptions) and you can see in his eyes during the fight scenes how focused he is, it's very interesting that his skills look less fake than many other actors who'd play James Bond. But if he's no Sean Connery, Talbot makes his Tintin believable and appealing and the cute Belgian accent reminds us where Tintin came from. Talbot didn't have to play Tintin, he happened to be like Tintin and that was the film's greatest blessing. He admitted later that Tintin was a good influence on his life, and always try to adopt a righteous approach in general and in his job, as a teacher.

Naturally, the film would have worked only half if Haddock didn't have a great actor to play Captain Haddock and it was George Wilson (from the French Academy), the father of actor Lambert, who played the iconic seaman. He chews the script enough to match the Captain's histrionic tantrums but in the quieter moments when he contemplates the death of his friend, gazing at his picture, there's a sort of poignancy that makes you forget you're watching a Tintin movie, it becomes the story of two friends caught in an adventure. There are also Thompson and Thompson and Calculus but really, this is a Tintin and Haddock (and Snowy) picture.

The film is far from being flawless but these supposedly flaws hold up quite well, and have aged better than many superior movies, there's nothing calculated in this film, it's innocent, non-cynical and ultimately, fun to watch, it's not an equivalent to Tintin comic but, it does justice to the legacy of the legendary Belgian reporter. And the two actors are too likable not to like this film.

This is easily the best of the two live-action Tintin adaptations(the other being TINTIN ET LES ORANGES BLEUES which was ok, but nothing special). For the uninitiated, Tintin is the well known Belgian comic book character created by Herge. Every French-speaking child and most European children have grown up following his many comic book adventures. The film is not an adaptation of a Tintin story but this does not matter greatly. Instead we have an exciting adventure that sees Tintin and Capitaine Haddock travel to Turkey to claim a boat(the Toison D'or)that the good captain inherited from a friend. The intrigue starts at this point as numerous people want the boat for some mysterious reason. Jean-Pierre Talbot is perfectly cast as Tintin. Not only does he resemble the character physically but he shares the enthusiasm and athletic agility of his comic book counterpart. Georges Wilson is also good as Capitaine Haddock(gruff and a little silly). The beautiful sun-drenched Turkish and Greek locations are a delight to look at and the story moves along at a good clip. Milou the dog is also quite good. What more can one ask for? An excellent film for the young and young at heart.

I should know this movie fairly well, since it was a central object of scrutiny for my film major thesis. And I must say, being a Tintin devotee since the late seventies, I enjoyed this film quite a lot.

It's not a direct adaptation as such, since the story did not exist as a comic book prior to the shoot. The script was in fact specially conceived for this particular movie. Nevertheless, apart from a few more or less significant deviations from the Tintin norms - some of them necessary by way of making a film in its own right and not a live action comic book (the latter more true in the case of the sequel) - it's still very much a Tintin story. We have the same ingredients; the exotism, the heroism, the adventure... And the characters are being portrayed wonderfully. So, I give it 7 out of 10 points.

A must-see for all Tintin fans. If you can get your hands on a copy, that is.

The adventures of Tintin and Milou(Tin Tin and snowy) are now part of European culture.Their impact is so awesome that they are the subject of many university thesis;there are more books about Hergé than about the other European cartoonists put together.Although overshadowed by Asterix in terms of sales,Tintin remains the intellectuals' favorite ,who particularly relish with Hergé's most modern album "les bijoux de la Castafiore".

What they're doing with Asterix now (Asterix:mission Cleopatre),they did it with Tintin forty years ago.It was an impossible task.All the characters of the albums get lost on the screen:George Wilson is physically captain Haddock but he is far from his model;the same goes for Professeur Tournesol (Calculus) and the Dupondt (Thompson twins).As for Milou(Snowy) ,the dog which plays the part is completely insignificant ,except for the dynamite scene.Jean-Pierre Talbot resembles Tin Tin but finding the right actor was impossible cause Tin Tin is neither an adolescent nor a young adult.Hergé used to say his hero was some kind of neutral creature,with which the reader could identify himself.

The film is watchable ,because the screenplay is OK,even if it's a million miles away from Hergé's remarkable stories:there are villains,beautiful landscapes(Istambul,The Greek Meteors) a cameo of Charles Vanel at his shrewdest .

The second attempt,"Tintin et les oranges bleues" ,was a complete disaster and unlike this one, has nothing to commend it.

Original plot inspired on the popular and famous comic books by the genius Herge . Since his creation in 1930 with ¨Tintin in the land of Soviets¨ the success has been unstoppable . Within the next 80 years Tintin became one of the most popular European comics of the 20th Century, due to its well-researched plots, appealing characters, humor, political thrillers, & real world settings. The tale is ordinary Tintin album , with adventure in exotic places, in this case Turkey and Greece . For those of you not familiar with Tintin, let's just say that every Belgium kids and most European children under the age and grown-up have been excited by his comic book adventures for over half a century . This time our friends go to Turkey and Greek islands where take place several adventures . The picture will appeal to the fans of the popular animated hero named Tintin and his faithful sidekicks as well as the comic-books nostalgics . Our friends Tintin , Haddock , Tournesol and the butler Nestor are living at the palace of Moulinsard when the captain receives a letter. As Tintin and captain Haddock along with the Dupont brothers (In Spain are named Hernandez and Fernandez) travel in Turkey , Greek coast and Meteor monastery when Temistocle Paparanic, an old friend of Captain Haddock, dies and he inherits Paparanic's ship, called "La Toison d'or" and now his old shipmate is to attempting get hold of it. Tintin (Jean Pierre Talbot who looks exactly like him) and Haddock (Georges Wilson who bears remarkable resemblance and perfect performance) travel to Istanbul to pick it up, only to encounter that its a worthless-looking wreck. However, soon a certain Anton Karabine (Demetrios) offers him a lot of money for it. When Haddock refuses to sell , he's nearly murdered . Tintin and Captain Haddock try to discover what is so desirable about their old and apparently worthless ship. After a while, the truth comes out and battling over-the-top bad guys

This is a funny , light , adventure comic book adaptation with hilarious moments here and there . It has Tintin and his inseparable friends captain Haddock , absent-minded professor Tournesol , the botcher Dupont brothers taking on , as always, against stupid enemies , and ruthless and mean international delinquents . This live action movie of the popular "Tintin" comic-book magazine brilliantly captures the outrageous adventures, tongue-in-cheek, satire, comedy ,taking the characters and some elements from original stories . Although contains some silly scenes and a medium budget , however being better developed than subsequent entry titled ¨Tintin and the blue oranges¨ . This amusing movie is accompanied by lively musical score with a catching leitmotif on the start and the ending. Full of humor , it's a funny entertaining for kids and grown-ups . Entertaining screenplay isn't based on the known comics by Herge but originally written by Forlani . Based on the unforgettable characters created by "Hergé" born under the name Georges Remi on May 22, 1907 in Brussels, Belgium. As a child, Herge had a gift for drawing but never had any formal training in the visual arts. He attended both school and the boy scouts during the World War 1 and post-World War 1 era. After he finished school Herge published his first ever cartoon: "The Adventures of Totor". 1929, Herge introduced a cartoon about a traveling Belgium reporter (Tintin) accompanied by his fox terrier (Snowy) traveling the Soviet Union. By 1930,Herge published the very first Tintin book: "Tintin in the Land of the Soviets". After that , followed a weekly magazine in 1946 . Later on , it's published successful comic books as ¨Cigarrettes of pharaoh, Treasure of Rackam the Red ,Tintin and the scepter of Ottokar¨. Tintin soon became Herge's "ligne Claire" (French for clear line) legacy. The later adventures of Tintin involved other locations of the world from China ¨The blue Lotus¨ all the way to America as ¨Tintin in America¨. After completing 23 books, Herge passed away on March 3, 1983, leaving "Tintin & the Alpha-Art" (The 24th book) unfinished. Under Belgium publisher Raimond Leblanc's guidance, the boy reporter became the hero of a weekly children's magazine, with Hergé as the artistic director and magnificent creator of the immortal personage . Later on ,Raymond Leblanc produced the following films: ¨Tintin in the lake of Sharks¨ and 1970 ¨Tintín in the temple of the sun¨. The picture will appeal to Tintin comic-books buffs. An agreeable , funny adaptation from a great comic book.