Tintin and the Mystery of the Golden Fleece (1961)

Sorry, this movie sucks

Bad Acting and worse Bad Screenplay

At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

The joyful confection is coated in a sparkly gloss, bright enough to gleam from the darkest, most cynical corners.

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.

I had never heard of this 1961 film before seeing it at the 2016 Edinburgh International Film Festival. It is not based on one of Hergé's books, but the storyline - involving a trip to İstanbul, a dilapidated boat, a South American revolution and hidden treasure - contains elements that will be familiar to anyone who has read a couple of them. It also has a definite 'feel' of 1960s films about it.With any comic book adaptation the main issue, of course, is how close to the source material are the characters? As everyone's favourite boy reporter (sorry, Jimmy Olsen!), Jean-Pierre Talbot is game as tuppence, leaping about rocks and boats like a mountain goat, acquiting himself well in two choreographed fight scenes (even if he does seem to enjoy them more than Tintin should) and, in stripping down to a pair of tiny blue swimming shorts, showing far more skin than his pen-and-ink counterpart ever did. As Captain Haddock, Georges Wilson I found less impressive - although that may be because whenever I read one of the books Haddock always sounds, in my mind, like human foghorn Brian Blessed. Other characters appearing from the books include Professor Calculus, ineffectual policemen Thompson & Thomson (with a 'p' and without), Nestor the butler and, of course, Snowy the dog (who spends lots of his time being cradled in Tintin's arms then suddenly dropped on the floor, poor animal). Barring Tintin's blond (instead of ginger) hair, they are all styled to look very much like Hergé's illustrations - and that creates an unexpected problem, because when only they are on screen the viewer does not notice anything unusual about them, but when sharing space with characters created especially for the film, who have not been so styled, they look by comparison cartoony and unreal.Still, this is an enjoyable film - enjoyable enough, indeed, that I shall forgive the glaring continuity error where, early in the film, Tintin says he never touches alcohol, then at the end of the adventure is seen knocking back a glass of champagne...

A rare adaptation of the most famous reporter comics. a collector! This film respects the spirit of the comics and the time.Tintin and the Mystery of the Golden Fleece does not appear to have been the subject of a restoration (at least on the television version that I have viewed August 2010). That's why we could see the film grain of the era that is still properly maintained. This may delight lovers and nostalgic film.Proper distribution is an unforgettable experience Tintin, Captain Haddock, Professor Calculus, Thomson and Thompson ... and Snowy.The realization is very correct and respects the spirit, tone and pace of the comic.A good adaptation of the comic books and even a very good compared to the various adaptations that have been made in recent years that show overwhelmingly disappointing. We forget the original work for a film format ensuring a minimum of risk for financiers, so that the original work is often already very good. (Otherwise we would not an adaptation)Watch it, such a good time with [email protected]

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.