Jedi Council Forums - The Adventures of Tintin: "Tintin" is Non-PC

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Author	Topic: The Adventures of Tintin: "Tintin" is Non-PC
darkmole Registered: Jul '00	Date Posted: 12/18/06 9:23am Subject: RE: The Adventures of Tintin -"The Broken Ear" - Date Edited: 12/18/06 9:24am (1 edits total) Edited By: darkmole
	I've always liked The Broken Ear. It is the first of the early Tintins where the series format feels complete. Although Calculus and Haddock are yet to come along, Tintin is now a fully rounded character and, though Herge still writes episodically, the story feels much more integrated than it does even in The Blue Lotus. Part of the reason for this is, I believe, Herge , perhaps for the first time, realises that Tintin is basically a comedy rather than an adventure. The story itself is marvellous. From a comedy of errors chasing a parrot, to a 'spot the Tintin' episode on a boat, to Tintin drunkenly blundering his way through a coup in a fictionalising South American dictatorship, to the trials and tribulations of a colonel-turned-terrorist, to the golf-playing Arumbayas, each episode plays for laughs, with many events in the actual story (the original set-up, the murder of Balthazar, the criminals escape from prison etc.) actually happening 'off-camera'. With this in mind, the deaths of the principal villains is oddly off-beat. With Alcazar, Herge also realises how important it is that Tintin has a comic foil to drive the story. Unlike Asterix, Tintin is an intrinscially unfunny character - he is too perfect to really succeed, though Herge gets some humour out of him, even if he has to get him drunk first (as in his execution scene). It is other characters who carry the comedy, so in a lot of sequences Tintin takes second-place - as in the villains' comic attempts to unmask various Tintins on board the boat (an episode which elaborates on a similar skit in The Blue Lotus). Alcazar is a more substantial character and is in some ways an early draft of Haddock - older than Tintin, less predictable, short-tempered, a much-more flawed person than Tintin ever could be. In one of the series' few major plot holes, Herge ends Alcazar's story by having him send Tintin to prison, presumably to be executed -- the next time Tintin meets him, in the 7 Crystal Balls, they greet each other as friends.
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JediTrilobite Registered: Nov '99	Date Posted: 12/18/06 10:01am Subject: RE: The Adventures of Tintin -"The Broken Ear"
	This was a fun story. It's not my favorite, but it is a good one. -----signature----- Ever wonder what happened during the clone wars? Visit: http://www.theclonewarz.net My Blogs: http://www.jeditrilobite.com , http://tk3220.wordpress.com TK-3220, NEG VT Rep
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Zaz Title: Manager, The Ampitheatre Registered: Oct '98	Date Posted: 12/18/06 4:35pm Subject: RE: The Adventures of Tintin -"The Broken Ear"
	As darkmole says, Herge plays with the story a bit--I liked the comedy a lot--but Tintin does need more of a foil than Snowy.
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Rogue1-and-a-half Title: Manager: Amphitheatre Registered: Nov '00	Date Posted: 12/18/06 6:13pm Subject: RE: The Adventures of Tintin -"The Broken Ear"
	This is where I think the greatness begins. Some say Chang bookends the series; I say it's Alcazar. He's one of Herge's finest satirical creations. The bit where the political fortunes seems to change at the drop of a hat, leading to drunken revellers switching mid party to cheering for an entirely different leader ("Viva Alcazar!") is about as pointed a critique of South American politics as you're liable to get anywhere outside of Woody Allens' Bananas. There are several great running gags; the villains are a hoot, as is the parrot. The firing squad is a riot, with Tintin in one of his rare moments of absolute drunkeness. And I've always loved the panel of the demons dragging the villains down; utterly out of character, utterly jarring, utterly weird. I love it. The knife thrower, the firing squad, the assassination attempts, Alcazar; the essential Tintin begins here. -----signature----- Don't be a fool, don't be blind Heart of mine If you can't do the time, don't do the crime Heart of mine
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Zaz Title: Manager, The Ampitheatre Registered: Oct '98	Date Posted: 12/27/06 4:46pm Subject: RE: The Adventures of Tintin -"The Broken Ear"
	What's the next one in the chronology?
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Kyptastic Title: Manager Emeritus SWD Co-Commish Registered: Sep '05	Date Posted: 12/27/06 5:28pm Subject: RE: The Adventures of Tintin -"The Broken Ear"
	The Black Island IIRC -----signature----- "It is your choice," Saba said ."This one does not think it will interfere with our peace deal. We have plenty of Moffz. Blast two." Valar Morghulis
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Zaz Title: Manager, The Ampitheatre Registered: Oct '98	Date Posted: 12/27/06 6:11pm Subject: RE: The Adventures of Tintin -"The Broken Ear"
	Thanks...that will be next.
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Zaz Title: Manager, The Ampitheatre Registered: Oct '98	Date Posted: 1/7/07 9:57pm Subject: RE: The Adventures of Tintin -"The Broken Ear"
	And...next: "The Black Island" Published in French in 1938, but not until 1966 in English. From Wiki: "The Black Island is the seventh in the series of The Adventures of Tintin. It was first published in the newspaper supplement Le Petit Vingtième and published in a black and white album the year after. It is the only Tintin story to have had three major different editions in French. When The Black Island came to be published in English in 1966, Hergé's British publishers, Methuen, decided that the book did not portray Britain accurately, so Hergé had to rework it completely. Most of Methuen's proposed changes were minor, and perhaps pedantic, like the uniform of a policeman or the style of a train. One quite ironic one was the removal of a colour television in favour of a monochrome one, only a year before colour television was invented." The plot concerns a gang of counterfeiters; Tintin stumbles upon them and follows them to an island off the Scottish coast, which is reputed to be 'haunted.' Refrences, from Wiki: "When The Black Island was originally published in Le Petit Vingtième in 1937, many aspects of the story reflected popular movies of the time, such as Alfred Hitchcock's The Thirty-Nine Steps (the pursuit to Scotland) and King Kong (Ranko the gorilla). While talking to the old local in the pub, Tintin mentions the Loch Ness Monster which had been the subject of recent newspaper reports. When The Black Island came to be published in English, Hergé's British publishers, Methuen, decided that the book did not portray Great Britain accurately, so Hergé sent his assistant, Bob de Moor, to Britain to collect material. The story was also updated from the 1930s to the 1960s. [1] [2] The most significant changes: The counterfeiters 1 pound notes were updated to 5 pound notes. Snowy now drinks "Loch Lomond" while on the train. The use and portrayal of firearms was reduced. Some of Snowy's injuries, either from Tintin's doing or by accident were removed. Marco Rizotto and Christopher Willoughby-Drupe were added in a frame. 1930s model cars were updated to contemporary 1960s models. Tintin now leaves the UK on a jet aircraft from an airport, in the original he left from an airfield on a propeller plane. Tintin's hair colour was darkened and his brown suit was changed to his blue sweater and knickerbockers. The other characters' clothing was updated as well." I was very surprised that the television was original; anyway this is a first-class outing.
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Ive_Got_Two_Legs Registered: Jul '05	Date Posted: 1/8/07 9:01am Subject: RE: The Adventures of Tintin -"The Black Island"
	Here's something I noticed: In Cigars of the Pharaoh, the Shiekh is holding a copy of Destination Moon. I assume that was added in by the art team who translated it from French to English. -----signature----- "Where's your sense of optimism?" "It opted out."
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Zaz Title: Manager, The Ampitheatre Registered: Oct '98	Date Posted: 1/8/07 9:47am Subject: RE: The Adventures of Tintin -"The Black Island"
	I noticed that, too. It made me wonder if I had the chronology right. But the albums were often revamped when they were translated.
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Darth_Omega Registered: May '02	Date Posted: 1/8/07 10:18am Subject: RE: The Adventures of Tintin -"The Black Island"
	Nope its the same in the Dutch version. To explain the situation, the first 6/7 issues of Tintin were originally in black & white (1930s and early 1940s) the colourization of those issues happened during the late 1940s and 1950s. For example Cigars of the Pharaoh was colourized in 1955, while Destination Moon was released in 1953 hence the Sheikh could actually hold that issue. -----signature----- Stress makes you bald, but it's stressful to avoid stress, so you end up stressed out anyway. So in the end there's nothing you can do.
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Rogue1-and-a-half Title: Manager: Amphitheatre Registered: Nov '00	Date Posted: 1/8/07 12:41pm Subject: RE: The Adventures of Tintin -"The Black Island"
	That Destination Moon cameo in the earlier book used to blow my mind; I was so confused there for a while about the chronology. But, yes, I eventually discovered that the translator added that; it was originally, as I recall, Tintin in the Congo, which wasn't getting a big translation in the States because of the racial stuff in the book; so they changed it. Whatever. The Black Island is pretty good; Muller will be back in The Land of Black Gold, something I didn't expect, as he's a rather forgettable villain really. This one isn't up to The Broken Ear; not enough satire. I did love the accented Scotsman who warned Tintin away from the Black Island and then is seen towards the end telling a reporter about his pivotal role in sending Tintin to the island. Next one, if you wonder, is King Ottokar's Sceptre. -----signature----- Don't be a fool, don't be blind Heart of mine If you can't do the time, don't do the crime Heart of mine
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Darth_Omega Registered: May '02	Date Posted: 1/8/07 1:21pm Subject: RE: The Adventures of Tintin -"The Black Island" - Date Edited: 1/8/07 1:22pm (1 edits total) Edited By: Darth_Omega
	Rogue1-and-a-half posted: But, yes, I eventually discovered that the translator added that; That's impossible to clarify a bit more, the Dutch version is the first translated version of any of the Tintin comics (due to bilingual Belgium). So if the Dutch version also has the Sheikh holding Destination Moon then how can it be that an American or English translator changed that? I just checked, the French version also has the Sheikh holding Destination Moon -----signature----- Stress makes you bald, but it's stressful to avoid stress, so you end up stressed out anyway. So in the end there's nothing you can do.
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Zaz Title: Manager, The Ampitheatre Registered: Oct '98	Date Posted: 1/8/07 4:57pm Subject: RE: The Adventures of Tintin -"The Black Island"
	How much later was "Destination Moon"?
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darkmole Registered: Jul '00	Date Posted: 1/9/07 1:17am Subject: RE: The Adventures of Tintin -"The Black Island"
	The Black Island is a great, boys-own style adventure and one of the high points of Tintin's pre-Haddock phase. Herge's artwork had taken a new turn with The Blue Lotus, when he learnt Chinese drawing techniques and started to draw with much more discipline than he had before. With The Black Island, in its various versions, Herge masters his style. I am always amazed at how much energy Herge gets into his art, which is to me his most distinctive achievement. His stills are often more animated, more vibrant, than the cartoon versions made for television. The Black Island is a great example of his pacy art. It is a taut thriller which opens with Tintin being shot and keeps up the pace until the final battle with the 'beast' in Scotland. The Thomson Twins are more centre-stage than they have been so far and supply much of the comedy. Like King Ottokar's Sceptre and The Calculus Affair (a late-period works which looks back to these Euro-thrillers), The Black Island revolves around a mystery which draws Tintin and the reader in step-by-step, with the full story only fully unfolding in the last pages. This is Herge via Hitchcock, and it is a brilliant addition to the series. It is also a step forward in Tintin's development. Tintin had started out as a superhero in the Land of the Soviets and even in The Blue Lotus was easily able to beat up three goons twice his size. We had already seen Tintin drunk and dejected in The Broken Ear, but The Black Island goes further in humanising Tintin. He starts off by being shot, and nearly dies in the house fire, and in the cave on the island. When he stands on the cliff, gun at his back, one really does not know how he is going to escape. By making Tintin human and vulnerable, Herge was able to create much more suspense.
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