Asterix chez les Bretons; animated comedy, France / Denmark, 1986; D: Pino Van Lamsveerde, S: Roger Carel, Pierre Tornade, Graham Bushnell, Pierre Mondy
Caesar's soldiers conquered Britain thanks to the fact that British people don't fight during the weekend. But one village is still fighting against the Roman occupation, thus sending Anticlimax to the Gaul village to seek help from the druid. Asterix and Obelix get the assignment to escort Anticlimax and the magic potion back to Britain. Although they manage through many obstacles, the Roman soldiers are still able to destroy he magic potion. But Asterix motivates the British to win anyway by giving them false magic potion — tea.
After probably the best contribution to the Asterix film series, the 4th film, that placed the emphasis on emotions, the lucky streak continued with "Asterix in Britain" already the following year that once again returned the emphasis on pure comedy. It's a wonderfully elegant sequel that once again recycles the standard story of the two man heroes traveling to a different country, in a rare movie depicting the Roman invasion of Britain, but a one that sparkles with wonderful visual gags, inspired ideas and ironic jabs at English culture (for instance, it is revealed the British previously drank only "hot water" (!) before Asterix introduced tea to them; during a battle with the Roman soldiers, an English soldier is impossibly polite and asks: "If you would allow me?" before he hits him). Gauls as proto-French thus represent the "normal" standard that wonders at the peculiarities of the British. Also, at least two sequences are simply perfect: one is when Obelix wakes up in the tower of a maximum security prison with Gaulix, comes to the door and says to the guards: "If you like your door, you better open them up because we want to get out". When the guards just burst out laughing, Obelix uses his superhuman strength to easily break the door and simply destroy the prison by going down the tower—while at the same time Asterix is climbing up and also beating up every guard in sight, so that they get beaten up in a "double edition". The other is the highlight moment of dog Idefix getting cornered inside a house by a giant bulldog, but just as everything seems lost, drops of the magic potion drop from a barrel on Idefix's mouth, changing his destiny to more favorable terms. The opening song by Vladimir Cosma is energetic, while the friendship and loyalty are some of the main motives, making the film an amusing, simple and wildly inspired contribution to the film series.
After probably the best contribution to the Asterix film series, the 4th film, that placed the emphasis on emotions, the lucky streak continued with "Asterix in Britain" already the following year that once again returned the emphasis on pure comedy. It's a wonderfully elegant sequel that once again recycles the standard story of the two man heroes traveling to a different country, in a rare movie depicting the Roman invasion of Britain, but a one that sparkles with wonderful visual gags, inspired ideas and ironic jabs at English culture (for instance, it is revealed the British previously drank only "hot water" (!) before Asterix introduced tea to them; during a battle with the Roman soldiers, an English soldier is impossibly polite and asks: "If you would allow me?" before he hits him). Gauls as proto-French thus represent the "normal" standard that wonders at the peculiarities of the British. Also, at least two sequences are simply perfect: one is when Obelix wakes up in the tower of a maximum security prison with Gaulix, comes to the door and says to the guards: "If you like your door, you better open them up because we want to get out". When the guards just burst out laughing, Obelix uses his superhuman strength to easily break the door and simply destroy the prison by going down the tower—while at the same time Asterix is climbing up and also beating up every guard in sight, so that they get beaten up in a "double edition". The other is the highlight moment of dog Idefix getting cornered inside a house by a giant bulldog, but just as everything seems lost, drops of the magic potion drop from a barrel on Idefix's mouth, changing his destiny to more favorable terms. The opening song by Vladimir Cosma is energetic, while the friendship and loyalty are some of the main motives, making the film an amusing, simple and wildly inspired contribution to the film series.
Grade:+++
No comments:
Post a Comment