Tintin in Istanbul

These days Steven Spielberg and Peter Jackson are looking for a co-financing and co-distribution partner for their 'Tintin' trilogy which could be shelved as we blog. According the Empire the magazine the second Tintin film is not only funded, but in pre-production already. However pople in the know can point to earlier Tintin movies. The first was "Tintin et le mystère de la Toison d'or". Ulvi Uraz and Dario Moreno had small parts in it.
Mavi Boncuk |
Tintin and the Golden Fleece (originally known as Tintin et le mystère de la Toison d'or, meaning Tintin and the mystery of the Golden Fleece) is a film directed by JEAN-JACQUES VIERNE, first released in France on December 6, 1961. It is a live-action film with an original story, featuring characters from the The Adventures of Tintin comic book series written and drawn by the Belgian writer-artist Hergé.

The film is set in Istanbul, Turkey, with the main characters of Tintin and Captain Haddock searching for a ship called the Golden Fleece. Tintin, Captain Haddock and Snowy travel to Istanbul to collect an old ship left to Haddock by his old friend, Paparanic. Haddock has no idea why it is of any worth as it is just an old wreck. However, some crooks know the secret of the ship as it contains treasure and they will do anything to get their hands on it. The treasure is later found to have been melted down and disguised as the ship's railings.

Review: This was the first Tintin movie using actors to play the characters. The personalities of the characters are perfect and the adventure is just like a classic Tintin tale, although it was not written by Hergé, instead it was created by André Barret and Rémo Forlani. Jean-Pierre Talbot fits the role of Tintin very well indeed ; in fact, all the actors look very similar to their fictional counterparts. There are many good scenes in this movie, such as the motorbike chase and Calculus' superfuel. This film has aged well and is very enjoyable and exciting. (click for source)

Movie book: Tintin and the Mystery of the Golden Fleece, Editions Casterman, Tournai, 1962.