Asterix the Gaul (film)
Encyclopedia
Asterix the Gaul is a 1967 Belgian
/French
animated film, based on the comic book of the same name
, which was the first book in the highly popular comic series Asterix
by Goscinny and Uderzo. The film sticks to the book's plot very closely.
It was originally planned to be aired on French
television, but instead it was released as a theatrical feature film. It was made without the knowledge or involvement of Goscinny and Uderzo (instead being produced by the Belgian company responsible for the animated Tintin
films), and they were unable to stop the production and release of the film in time. Instead they ordered production halted on the sequel, Asterix and the Golden Sickle
, and worked with the company to produce the next film, based on Asterix and Cleopatra
.
as he encounters a group of Roman
legionaries in the forest. Despite being significantly outnumbered, Asterix leaves the Romans beaten and bruised for daring to interrupt his wild boar hunt. Their state upon their return to camp prompts the leader Phonus Balonus to seek the secret behind the Gauls' seemingly superhuman strength. Phonus selects a volunteer (by means of a single round of musical chairs
) to pose as a Gaul in order to infiltrate the village; the unlucky loser is a short, slack-tongued misfit named Caligula Minus. He is dressed in a wig, false moustache and traditional Gaulish dress and led in chains through the forest as a prisoner, awaiting rescue by the Gauls. Sure enough, Asterix and Obelix
free Minus and believe his flimsy cover story.
Once inside the Gaulish village, Minus goads Asterix into sharing the secret of the magic potion with him; he goes on to use the same tactic against Getafix in order to try the potion for himself. Before he has a chance to steal some of the potion to take back to the Roman camp, Minus' cover is blown during a traditional dance; Asterix pulls off Minus' moustache. Still empowered by the magic potion, Minus makes good his escape, with the Gauls powerless to stop him.
Minus is debriefed by Phonus Balonus, who on learning of the magic potion orders his legionaries to capture Getafix and bring him back to the camp. Getafix is later ambushed by the Romans while he is out collecting mistletoe, but refuses to divulge any of the secrets of the magic potion to Phonus. When Getafix fails to return to the village, Asterix goes into the forest to look for him where he encounters a slow-witted merchant with a dilemma over his oxen. After benefiting from Asterix's common sense the merchant agrees to take him to the Roman camp on his cart, hidden in a pile of hay until nightfall. Having infiltrated the camp, Asterix locates Getafix and forms a plan to free him. He seemingly surrenders and convinces the Romans that he and Getafix will co-operate at the prospect of being tortured; Getafix is then escorted by legionnaires as he collects the required ingredients for the potion in the forest. Unable to locate strawberries (since they are not in season), Getafix orders the Romans to search far and wide for them. When an exhausted legionnaire returns with a basket of them from Greece
, the Gauls proceed to eat them all and request that some more be sourced. This drives the Romans to despair; Getafix quickly relents and prepares the potion without strawberries.
Believing that the potion Getafix has made is the same as that which gives the Gauls their strength, the Romans drink it and discover to their dismay that it is in fact a hair-growing formula. The entire legion is soon at the mercy of Getafix as their hair and beards grow out of control, rendering them practically helpless. Getafix claims that he can reverse the effects of the first potion by making another; with the Romans' distracted he collects the ingredients for the real magic potion, which he makes just for Asterix. Just as the pair begin to overpower their captors, Phonus receives a surprise visit from Julius Caesar
who – dismayed by the state in which he finds the camp – relieves Phonus of his duties and awards Asterix and Getafix their freedom.
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
/French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
animated film, based on the comic book of the same name
Asterix the Gaul
Asterix the Gaul is the first volume of the Asterix comic strip series, by René Goscinny and Albert Uderzo .-Plot summary:...
, which was the first book in the highly popular comic series 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...
by Goscinny and Uderzo. The film sticks to the book's plot very closely.
It was originally planned to be aired on French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
television, but instead it was released as a theatrical feature film. It was made without the knowledge or involvement of Goscinny and Uderzo (instead being produced by the Belgian company responsible for the animated Tintin
The Adventures of Tintin
The Adventures of Tintin is a series of classic comic books created by Belgian artist , who wrote under the pen name of Hergé...
films), and they were unable to stop the production and release of the film in time. Instead they ordered production halted on the sequel, Asterix and the Golden Sickle
Asterix and the Golden Sickle
Asterix and the Golden Sickle is the second volume of the Asterix comic book series, by René Goscinny and Albert Uderzo . It was first serialized in Pilote issues 42-74 in 1960.-Plot summary:...
, and worked with the company to produce the next film, based on Asterix and Cleopatra
Asterix and Cleopatra
Asterix and Cleopatra is the sixth book in the Asterix comic book series by René Goscinny and Albert Uderzo. It was first published in serial form in Pilote magazine, issues 215-257, in 1963.-Synopsis:...
.
Plot
After a brief introduction to the principal characters, the film follows AsterixAsterix (character)
Asterix is a fictional character, the titular hero of the French comic book series The Adventures of Asterix.The series portrays him as a diminutive but fearless Gaulish warrior living in the time of Julius Caesar's Gallic Wars. Asterix was created in 1959 by writer René Goscinny and illustrator...
as he encounters a group of Roman
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
legionaries in the forest. Despite being significantly outnumbered, Asterix leaves the Romans beaten and bruised for daring to interrupt his wild boar hunt. Their state upon their return to camp prompts the leader Phonus Balonus to seek the secret behind the Gauls' seemingly superhuman strength. Phonus selects a volunteer (by means of a single round of musical chairs
Musical chairs
Musical chairs is a game played by a group of people , often in an informal setting purely for entertainment such as a birthday party...
) to pose as a Gaul in order to infiltrate the village; the unlucky loser is a short, slack-tongued misfit named Caligula Minus. He is dressed in a wig, false moustache and traditional Gaulish dress and led in chains through the forest as a prisoner, awaiting rescue by the Gauls. Sure enough, Asterix and 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...
free Minus and believe his flimsy cover story.
Once inside the Gaulish village, Minus goads Asterix into sharing the secret of the magic potion with him; he goes on to use the same tactic against Getafix in order to try the potion for himself. Before he has a chance to steal some of the potion to take back to the Roman camp, Minus' cover is blown during a traditional dance; Asterix pulls off Minus' moustache. Still empowered by the magic potion, Minus makes good his escape, with the Gauls powerless to stop him.
Minus is debriefed by Phonus Balonus, who on learning of the magic potion orders his legionaries to capture Getafix and bring him back to the camp. Getafix is later ambushed by the Romans while he is out collecting mistletoe, but refuses to divulge any of the secrets of the magic potion to Phonus. When Getafix fails to return to the village, Asterix goes into the forest to look for him where he encounters a slow-witted merchant with a dilemma over his oxen. After benefiting from Asterix's common sense the merchant agrees to take him to the Roman camp on his cart, hidden in a pile of hay until nightfall. Having infiltrated the camp, Asterix locates Getafix and forms a plan to free him. He seemingly surrenders and convinces the Romans that he and Getafix will co-operate at the prospect of being tortured; Getafix is then escorted by legionnaires as he collects the required ingredients for the potion in the forest. Unable to locate strawberries (since they are not in season), Getafix orders the Romans to search far and wide for them. When an exhausted legionnaire returns with a basket of them from Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
, the Gauls proceed to eat them all and request that some more be sourced. This drives the Romans to despair; Getafix quickly relents and prepares the potion without strawberries.
Believing that the potion Getafix has made is the same as that which gives the Gauls their strength, the Romans drink it and discover to their dismay that it is in fact a hair-growing formula. The entire legion is soon at the mercy of Getafix as their hair and beards grow out of control, rendering them practically helpless. Getafix claims that he can reverse the effects of the first potion by making another; with the Romans' distracted he collects the ingredients for the real magic potion, which he makes just for Asterix. Just as the pair begin to overpower their captors, Phonus receives a surprise visit from Julius Caesar
Julius Caesar
Gaius Julius Caesar was a Roman general and statesman and a distinguished writer of Latin prose. He played a critical role in the gradual transformation of the Roman Republic into the Roman Empire....
who – dismayed by the state in which he finds the camp – relieves Phonus of his duties and awards Asterix and Getafix their freedom.
Trivia
- In the EnglishEnglish languageEnglish is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
version of the film, many of the characters' names are inconsistent with those used in the rest of the series and books. Getafix is named Panoramix, Vitalstatistix is named Tonabrix and the bardBardIn medieval Gaelic and British culture a bard was a professional poet, employed by a patron, such as a monarch or nobleman, to commemorate the patron's ancestors and to praise the patron's own activities.Originally a specific class of poet, contrasting with another class known as fili in Ireland...
Cacofonix is named Stopthemusix. This was due to the film being dubbed into English before the books were translated.
- Goscinny and Uderzo weren't completely happy with the film, as they were not invited to participate in its making and considered the animation to be subpar for a theater audience. As a result, they took a direct part in subsequent cartoon adaptations.
- In the scene where Caligula Minus is drinking the magic potion Getafix seem to be really tall and someone is wearing the same clothes as AsterixAsterixAsterix 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...
.
- The film was re-released in West Germany in 1984. That version had new dialogue due to the fact that the original first German version in 1971 had missing dialogue. Besides the new dialogue (with new actors replacing the dialogue made by different actors in 1971) the 1984 version also included a newly composed electronic music soundtrack by Klaus Zuball and Hans Cies.