The Belgian Reporter and the Secret of the Unicorn
November 10th 2011 02:16
Link: hotsup.blogspot.com/
Spielberg does Tintin.
The director and a Tintin figurine.
Given the predominance of Hollywood movies, it would be easy to think that European characters aren’t as popular as those made in the USA; well, okay, maybe except for Harry Potter and Sherlock Holmes, both of which are British.
In terms of historical past, however, there has also been another European character who has achieved a certain degree of popularity: a young Belgian newspaper reporter named Tintin.
Granted, the character of Tintin might not be as well known as Harry Potter or have existed as long as Sherlock Holmes. Moreover, as a literary character he doesn’t have the street credibility that the other two characters have, as his medium is comics, the barely tolerated stepchild of Western literature.
That said, Tintin’s adventures are just as vibrant as those of any character in literature, ranging from diving into the depths of the ocean to traveling the heights of the Tibetan plateau and its mountains. While his early adventures were influenced by the cultural European myopia of the early 1930’s, when the comic book began, those written from the mid-1930’s onwards were culturally more evenhanded.
Give credit to Hergé, Tintin’s creator. After Cigars of the Pharaoh, Tintin’s creator, Belgian artist Georges Rémi, began using research and photographic references to fully develop the lands that Tintin traveled through from the mid-1930’s onwards, a method which future storytellers adapted. His ligne claire (“clear line”) style of drawing influenced such artists as Andy Warhol, who even made some paintings in this style.
Give credit, too, to Steven Spielberg, who’s bringing Tintin into the 21st century. The movie is based on the plotline of three Tintin books – The Crab with the Golden Claws, Red Rackham’s Treasure and The Secret of the Unicorn – and it will be presented, in the latest fashion, as a motion capture 3-D movie.
As a long time fan of the character, I can’t wait to see how well his adventures translate to the big screens of the 21st century.
In terms of historical past, however, there has also been another European character who has achieved a certain degree of popularity: a young Belgian newspaper reporter named Tintin.
Granted, the character of Tintin might not be as well known as Harry Potter or have existed as long as Sherlock Holmes. Moreover, as a literary character he doesn’t have the street credibility that the other two characters have, as his medium is comics, the barely tolerated stepchild of Western literature.
That said, Tintin’s adventures are just as vibrant as those of any character in literature, ranging from diving into the depths of the ocean to traveling the heights of the Tibetan plateau and its mountains. While his early adventures were influenced by the cultural European myopia of the early 1930’s, when the comic book began, those written from the mid-1930’s onwards were culturally more evenhanded.
Give credit to Hergé, Tintin’s creator. After Cigars of the Pharaoh, Tintin’s creator, Belgian artist Georges Rémi, began using research and photographic references to fully develop the lands that Tintin traveled through from the mid-1930’s onwards, a method which future storytellers adapted. His ligne claire (“clear line”) style of drawing influenced such artists as Andy Warhol, who even made some paintings in this style.
Give credit, too, to Steven Spielberg, who’s bringing Tintin into the 21st century. The movie is based on the plotline of three Tintin books – The Crab with the Golden Claws, Red Rackham’s Treasure and The Secret of the Unicorn – and it will be presented, in the latest fashion, as a motion capture 3-D movie.
As a long time fan of the character, I can’t wait to see how well his adventures translate to the big screens of the 21st century.
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