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Asterix and the Big Fight (film)
Encyclopedia
Asterix and the Big Fight is a 1989
animated movie directed by Philippe Grimond as a French-German co-production which was produced by Yannick Piel as Astérix et le coup du menhir
. It is based on the Asterix
comic book series. The movie has a different plot from the book of the same name. It combines plot elements from Asterix and the Big Fight
and Asterix and the Soothsayer
. Although there is plenty of fighting — as usual for an Asterix story — the actual fight that the story is named for is not part of the movie's plot. The novelization
was titled "Operation Getafix" (the German translation of the film was Operation Hinkelstein, a hinkelstein being a menhir).
plan to capture Getafix to keep him from making the magic potion. In an effort to rescue him, Obelix
accidentally puts Getafix out of action with a menhir, the impact of which causes amnesia
and insanity
.
While the Gauls come to grips with this, a major storm sweeps over the village and a soothsayer named Prolix seeks shelter with them. He quickly deceives the more credulous villagers about the authenticity of his abilities and after the storm passes he sets up in the forest nearby.
Asterix and Vitalstatistix desperately attempt to have Getafix brew the potion, resulting in explosions and the occasional flying cauldron — alerting the Romans that something is up. They send a camouflaged, and very reluctant, spy to investigate. He is quickly captured and used as a guinea pig for Getafix' less explosive concoctions. However one of these makes him lighter than air causing him to float away, and he reports their problem.
The Romans send a patrol to investigate, and come back with the Soothsayer instead, however the villagers think the sceptical Asterix has driven him off. The centurion is quickly convinced that Prolix is genuine (much to his dismay since Gaulish soothsayers are to be arrested) and decides to use him to chase away the villagers. Soon Prolix appears at the gates and foretells doom if the village is not abandoned — all but Asterix, Obelix and a still crazed and potion brewing Getafix leave, going to a nearby island.
Meanwhile Getfix brews a truly noxious potion whose vapours engulf the village, driving off the Romans who had quickly moved in, but also convincing them that the soothsayer had real abilities since the smell matched his prediction of pestilence. However when Getafix accidentally tastes some he is cured (despite Obelix' attempt to treat his condition with a second tap from a menhir).
Getafix brews the magic potion and convinces the villagers to test the soothsayer's reliability by attacking the Roman camp. The soothsayer is "menhired", the centurion demoted to the ranks, and the village goes back to normal.
Box Set release, rather than using the British dub
, the American dub was included. This new dub was never released theatrically and is considered inferior by fans of the original due to it changing parts of the plot as well as character names ("Getafix" is changed to "Vitamix", "Vitalstatistix" to "Bombastix", "Cacofonix" to "Franksinatrix" and "Unhygienix" to "Fishstix"), and general dumbing down for an audience assumed to be unfamiliar with the characters.
The first English dub featured the voices of Bill Oddie
, Bernard Bresslaw
, Peter Hawkins
, Brian Blessed
, Tim Brooke-Taylor
and Ron Moody
amongst others. The American dub features the voices of Henry Winkler
as "Asterix" and Rosey Grier
as "Obelix".
In 2010, the film was released on Blu-ray.
wears a standard legionary's helmet in the film. In his rank, his helmet would actually have had plumes of horse hair or feathers on either side of his helmet that could be accompanied by a helmet crest. He would also carry the hastile, a special staff roughly his own size.
1989 in film
-Events:* Batman is released on June 23, and goes on to gross over $410 million worldwide.* Actress Kim Basinger and her brother Mick purchase Braselton, Georgia, for $20 million...
animated movie directed by Philippe Grimond as a French-German co-production which was produced by Yannick Piel as Astérix et le coup du menhir
Menhir
A menhir is a large upright standing stone. Menhirs may be found singly as monoliths, or as part of a group of similar stones. Their size can vary considerably; but their shape is generally uneven and squared, often tapering towards the top...
. It is based on the Asterix
Asterix
Asterix or The Adventures of Asterix is a series of French comic books written by René Goscinny and illustrated by Albert Uderzo . The series first appeared in French in the magazine Pilote on October 29, 1959...
comic book series. The movie has a different plot from the book of the same name. It combines plot elements from Asterix and the Big Fight
Asterix and the Big Fight
Asterix and the Big Fight is a French comic book, the seventh in the Asterix comic book series. It was written by René Goscinny and illustrated by Albert Uderzo. Its original French title is Le Combat des chefs and it was first published in serial form in Pilote magazines, issues 261-302, in 1964...
and Asterix and the Soothsayer
Asterix and the Soothsayer
Asterix and the Soothsayer is the nineteenth volume of the Asterix comic book series, by René Goscinny and Albert Uderzo . It was originally serialized in Pilote issues 652-673 in 1972.-Plot summary:...
. Although there is plenty of fighting — as usual for an Asterix story — the actual fight that the story is named for is not part of the movie's plot. The novelization
Novelization
A novelization is a novel that is written based on some other media story form rather than as an original work.Novelizations of films usually add background material not found in the original work to flesh out the story, because novels are generally longer than screenplays...
was titled "Operation Getafix" (the German translation of the film was Operation Hinkelstein, a hinkelstein being a menhir).
Plot summary
The RomansAncient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
plan to capture Getafix to keep him from making the magic potion. In an effort to rescue him, Obelix
Obelix
Obelix is a fictional character from the French comic book series Asterix. He works as a menhir sculptor and deliveryman, and is Asterix's best friend. Obelix is noted for his fatness, the menhirs he carries around on his back and his superhuman strength...
accidentally puts Getafix out of action with a menhir, the impact of which causes amnesia
Amnesia
Amnesia is a condition in which one's memory is lost. The causes of amnesia have traditionally been divided into categories. Memory appears to be stored in several parts of the limbic system of the brain, and any condition that interferes with the function of this system can cause amnesia...
and insanity
Insanity
Insanity, craziness or madness is a spectrum of behaviors characterized by certain abnormal mental or behavioral patterns. Insanity may manifest as violations of societal norms, including becoming a danger to themselves and others, though not all such acts are considered insanity...
.
While the Gauls come to grips with this, a major storm sweeps over the village and a soothsayer named Prolix seeks shelter with them. He quickly deceives the more credulous villagers about the authenticity of his abilities and after the storm passes he sets up in the forest nearby.
Asterix and Vitalstatistix desperately attempt to have Getafix brew the potion, resulting in explosions and the occasional flying cauldron — alerting the Romans that something is up. They send a camouflaged, and very reluctant, spy to investigate. He is quickly captured and used as a guinea pig for Getafix' less explosive concoctions. However one of these makes him lighter than air causing him to float away, and he reports their problem.
The Romans send a patrol to investigate, and come back with the Soothsayer instead, however the villagers think the sceptical Asterix has driven him off. The centurion is quickly convinced that Prolix is genuine (much to his dismay since Gaulish soothsayers are to be arrested) and decides to use him to chase away the villagers. Soon Prolix appears at the gates and foretells doom if the village is not abandoned — all but Asterix, Obelix and a still crazed and potion brewing Getafix leave, going to a nearby island.
Meanwhile Getfix brews a truly noxious potion whose vapours engulf the village, driving off the Romans who had quickly moved in, but also convincing them that the soothsayer had real abilities since the smell matched his prediction of pestilence. However when Getafix accidentally tastes some he is cured (despite Obelix' attempt to treat his condition with a second tap from a menhir).
Getafix brews the magic potion and convinces the villagers to test the soothsayer's reliability by attacking the Roman camp. The soothsayer is "menhired", the centurion demoted to the ranks, and the village goes back to normal.
Release notes
In the English DVDDVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
Box Set release, rather than using the British dub
Dubbing (filmmaking)
Dubbing is the post-production process of recording and replacing voices on a motion picture or television soundtrack subsequent to the original shooting. The term most commonly refers to the substitution of the voices of the actors shown on the screen by those of different performers, who may be...
, the American dub was included. This new dub was never released theatrically and is considered inferior by fans of the original due to it changing parts of the plot as well as character names ("Getafix" is changed to "Vitamix", "Vitalstatistix" to "Bombastix", "Cacofonix" to "Franksinatrix" and "Unhygienix" to "Fishstix"), and general dumbing down for an audience assumed to be unfamiliar with the characters.
The first English dub featured the voices of Bill Oddie
Bill Oddie
William "Bill" Edgar Oddie OBE is an English author, actor, comedian, artist, naturalist and musician, who became famous as one of The Goodies....
, Bernard Bresslaw
Bernard Bresslaw
Bernard Bresslaw was an English actor. He is best remembered for his comedy work, especially as a member of the Carry On team.-Biography:...
, Peter Hawkins
Peter Hawkins
Peter John Hawkins was an English actor and voice artist.- Career :Born in London and a native of Brixton, Hawkins' long association with British children's television began in 1952 when he voiced both Bill and Ben, the Flower Pot Men. In 1955–1956, He voiced Big Ears & Mr. Plod from The...
, Brian Blessed
Brian Blessed
Brian Blessed is an English actor, known for his sonorous voice and "hearty, king-sized portrayals".-Early life:The son of William Blessed, a socialist miner, and Hilda Wall, Blessed was born in the town of Goldthorpe, West Riding of Yorkshire, England...
, Tim Brooke-Taylor
Tim Brooke-Taylor
Timothy Julian Brooke-Taylor OBE is an English comic actor. He became active in performing in comedy sketches while at Cambridge University, and became President of the Footlights club, touring internationally with the Footlights revue in 1964...
and Ron Moody
Ron Moody
Ron Moody is an English actor.- Personal life :Moody was born in Tottenham, North London, England, the son of Kate and Bernard Moodnick, a studio executive. His father was of Russian Jewish descent and his mother was a Lithuanian Jew. He is a cousin of director Laurence Moody and actress Clare...
amongst others. The American dub features the voices of Henry Winkler
Henry Winkler
Henry Franklin Winkler, OBE is an American actor, director, producer, and author.Winkler is best known for his role as Fonzie on the 1970s American sitcom Happy Days...
as "Asterix" and Rosey Grier
Rosey Grier
Roosevelt "Rosey" Grier is an American actor, singer, Christian minister, and former professional American football player. He was a notable college football player for Pennsylvania State University who earned a retrospective place in the National Collegiate Athletic Association 100th anniversary...
as "Obelix".
In 2010, the film was released on Blu-ray.
Historical inaccuracies
The optioOptio
An optio , sometimes anglicized option , was a soldier in the Roman army who held a position similar to that of an executive officer in modern armies...
wears a standard legionary's helmet in the film. In his rank, his helmet would actually have had plumes of horse hair or feathers on either side of his helmet that could be accompanied by a helmet crest. He would also carry the hastile, a special staff roughly his own size.
External links
- Asterix and the Big Fight at Asterix NZ