Would you like to inspect the original subtitles? These are the user uploaded subtitles that are being translated:
1
00:00:48,300 --> 00:00:50,067
- This is the fascinating story
2
00:00:50,067 --> 00:00:52,433
of Georges Remi, alias Herge,
3
00:00:52,433 --> 00:00:54,633
a press cartoonist
who became a legend
4
00:00:54,633 --> 00:00:56,900
and a monument of
comic book culture.
5
00:00:58,367 --> 00:01:00,767
His drawings reach record
prices in auction houses
6
00:01:00,767 --> 00:01:02,467
and are today among
the most expensive
7
00:01:02,467 --> 00:01:04,900
comic book artworks
in the world.
8
00:01:04,900 --> 00:01:08,600
Tintin albums have
been translated into
almost 90 languages
9
00:01:08,600 --> 00:01:10,700
and are read everywhere
in the world.
10
00:01:12,800 --> 00:01:15,233
- We're talking about
200 million copies
11
00:01:15,233 --> 00:01:17,900
of the Tintin books
have been sold,
12
00:01:17,900 --> 00:01:21,567
more than a million are
published every year.
13
00:01:21,567 --> 00:01:23,067
I mean, it is amazing.
14
00:01:23,067 --> 00:01:25,133
Then he said he was
pinching himself
15
00:01:25,133 --> 00:01:26,233
to see how this was happening.
16
00:01:26,233 --> 00:01:28,100
He wouldn't believe it now.
17
00:01:28,100 --> 00:01:29,533
, he would say.
18
00:01:29,533 --> 00:01:31,533
"Absolutely impossible,
couldn't be."
19
00:01:34,200 --> 00:01:35,700
- Herge said, "Tintin is me.
20
00:01:35,700 --> 00:01:38,633
"Would you believe that I've
put my whole life into Tintin?"
21
00:01:38,633 --> 00:01:40,267
And "my whole life"
obviously means
22
00:01:40,267 --> 00:01:42,367
that he really sacrificed
a lot for Tintin.
23
00:01:43,600 --> 00:01:44,667
- What's wonderful with Tintin
24
00:01:44,667 --> 00:01:46,300
is that Herge conveyed much more
25
00:01:46,300 --> 00:01:48,600
than you might
ever have imagined.
26
00:01:48,600 --> 00:01:50,667
The character takes
priority in some ways.
27
00:01:50,667 --> 00:01:53,400
Herge created something
bigger than himself.
28
00:01:55,200 --> 00:01:57,067
- Who was Georges Remi,
29
00:01:57,067 --> 00:01:59,133
whose creature became
much more famous
30
00:01:59,133 --> 00:02:00,767
than the man who created him?
31
00:02:02,267 --> 00:02:05,367
This is the astonishing
story of an artistic genius
32
00:02:05,367 --> 00:02:09,700
who lived as best he could
in the shadow of Tintin.
33
00:03:10,567 --> 00:03:13,200
"My childhood seems
very gray to me,"
34
00:03:13,200 --> 00:03:14,733
Georges Remi used to say.
35
00:03:16,600 --> 00:03:18,767
Born in 1907 into a middle class
36
00:03:18,767 --> 00:03:20,400
Catholic family in Brussels,
37
00:03:20,400 --> 00:03:23,700
as a boy, Georges tried to
escape from a certain darkness
38
00:03:23,700 --> 00:03:25,733
brought on by his
mother's melancholy
39
00:03:25,733 --> 00:03:27,800
and his father's
regular absences.
40
00:03:29,067 --> 00:03:31,400
When Brussels was
occupied by the Germans
41
00:03:31,400 --> 00:03:34,067
during World War I,
he overcame boredom
42
00:03:34,067 --> 00:03:36,700
by drawing stories of
a young Belgian boy
43
00:03:36,700 --> 00:03:38,667
who played tricks
on the occupier.
44
00:03:40,200 --> 00:03:43,267
The young self-taught artist
enthusiastically sketched
45
00:03:43,267 --> 00:03:45,633
countless figures and
scenes in his notebooks.
46
00:03:47,900 --> 00:03:51,067
The drawings were initially
signed Georges Remi,
47
00:03:51,067 --> 00:03:53,067
then just the initials GR.
48
00:03:54,533 --> 00:03:57,067
Soon enough, the budding
artist reversed them,
49
00:03:57,067 --> 00:04:00,200
and the familiar
signature Herge was born.
50
00:04:02,067 --> 00:04:05,100
As Georges himself often said,
his life changed radically
51
00:04:05,100 --> 00:04:07,433
when he discovered
the Scout Movement.
52
00:04:28,267 --> 00:04:30,500
- Herge, on a
Saturday afternoon,
53
00:04:30,500 --> 00:04:33,200
would go to a little,
what was a new cinema,
54
00:04:33,200 --> 00:04:35,700
Actualite Cinema in Brussels.
55
00:04:35,700 --> 00:04:39,533
He saw his first silent
films, with Charlie Chaplin,
56
00:04:39,533 --> 00:04:41,767
and then it became all the
other great heroes of his,
57
00:04:41,767 --> 00:04:44,700
Harold Lloyd, Buster Keaton,
58
00:04:44,700 --> 00:04:46,300
the Mack Sennett things,
59
00:04:46,300 --> 00:04:49,900
and he developed
this fascination
60
00:04:49,900 --> 00:04:51,733
in the early black
and white cinema.
61
00:04:55,067 --> 00:04:56,867
- In silent films,
everything has to be
62
00:04:56,867 --> 00:04:58,967
expressed through
gestures, poses,
63
00:04:58,967 --> 00:05:00,600
and all sorts of movement.
64
00:05:00,600 --> 00:05:02,400
It doesn't happen through words,
65
00:05:02,400 --> 00:05:03,667
and obviously it's wonderful
66
00:05:03,667 --> 00:05:05,833
to be able to use
that in drawings.
67
00:05:25,100 --> 00:05:28,067
He appropriated the
rules of silent film
68
00:05:28,067 --> 00:05:29,933
and used them to
invent a new language
69
00:05:29,933 --> 00:05:31,533
specifically for comics.
70
00:05:35,833 --> 00:05:37,300
- At the age of 18,
71
00:05:37,300 --> 00:05:39,767
Georges was hired by the
newspaper The 20th Century,
72
00:05:39,767 --> 00:05:42,067
an editorial spearhead
for Belgium's Catholic
73
00:05:42,067 --> 00:05:45,233
and nationalist right wing, run
by an abbot, Norbert Wallez.
74
00:05:47,200 --> 00:05:48,967
- [Translator] Herge was very,
very young at that point,
75
00:05:48,967 --> 00:05:51,533
21 or 22, he was just a kid.
76
00:05:51,533 --> 00:05:53,767
But he discovered a
mentor, who told him,
77
00:05:53,767 --> 00:05:55,600
"Okay, you're going to do that,
78
00:05:55,600 --> 00:05:58,467
"we're gonna train our readers
to become good Catholics,
79
00:05:58,467 --> 00:06:00,767
"good 20th century Catholics,"
80
00:06:00,767 --> 00:06:03,067
meaning good
conservative Catholics.
81
00:06:04,700 --> 00:06:06,267
- Abbe Wallez had an idea
82
00:06:06,267 --> 00:06:08,333
that he presented to Herge.
83
00:06:08,333 --> 00:06:10,567
Why not create a
character like Totor
84
00:06:10,567 --> 00:06:12,233
for the paper's supplement,
85
00:06:12,233 --> 00:06:15,300
a pictorial hero without
fear and reproach
86
00:06:15,300 --> 00:06:17,900
transmitting the paper's ideas?
87
00:06:17,900 --> 00:06:20,333
What better way to
educate its young readers?
88
00:06:25,367 --> 00:06:27,067
"The Adventures of Tintin,"
89
00:06:27,067 --> 00:06:28,833
a reporter at the
Petit Vingtieme,
90
00:06:28,833 --> 00:06:31,067
accompanied by the
faithful Snowy,
91
00:06:31,067 --> 00:06:34,167
were first published on
January the 10th, 1929.
92
00:06:36,267 --> 00:06:38,200
Playing with the codes
of the written press,
93
00:06:38,200 --> 00:06:40,900
with drawings replacing an
article and photographs,
94
00:06:40,900 --> 00:06:44,567
Herge participated in the
invention of modern comics.
95
00:06:47,067 --> 00:06:50,100
- Herge himself, because
he worked in a newspaper,
96
00:06:50,100 --> 00:06:53,333
he knew all about how
newspapers worked.
97
00:06:53,333 --> 00:06:57,100
The Vingtieme Siecle,
being a national newspaper,
98
00:06:57,100 --> 00:06:59,767
it had all international
editions there,
99
00:06:59,767 --> 00:07:02,267
so he could see the big
names on the newspaper,
100
00:07:02,267 --> 00:07:05,533
who would send their stories
from far-flung places
101
00:07:05,533 --> 00:07:07,533
where exciting things
were happening.
102
00:07:07,533 --> 00:07:09,767
And he thought this
was tremendous,
103
00:07:09,767 --> 00:07:11,833
and, obviously, as a young man,
104
00:07:11,833 --> 00:07:14,267
he would've loved to
have done that himself.
105
00:07:14,267 --> 00:07:15,500
But what did he do?
106
00:07:15,500 --> 00:07:18,600
He creates Tintin, who
he offers that job.
107
00:07:20,800 --> 00:07:23,533
- Tintin would embody
investigative journalism
108
00:07:23,533 --> 00:07:26,600
for youngsters, an intrepid
reporter traveling the globe
109
00:07:26,600 --> 00:07:30,400
to bring back his sensational
stories in pictures.
110
00:07:30,400 --> 00:07:33,933
Young Tintin's first
destination, chosen
by Abbe Wallez,
111
00:07:33,933 --> 00:07:36,967
was Soviet Russia, the
new communist regime
112
00:07:36,967 --> 00:07:39,733
which so appalled Europe's
Catholic conservatives.
113
00:07:44,667 --> 00:07:47,600
In his first appearances
in the Petit Vingtieme,
114
00:07:47,600 --> 00:07:50,500
the young hero's hair
is brushed forward,
115
00:07:50,500 --> 00:07:53,733
but suddenly, after
a brisk car chase,
116
00:07:53,733 --> 00:07:57,633
his quiff stands up straight,
and would continue to do so.
117
00:08:03,600 --> 00:08:06,967
A quiff of blonde
hair standing upright,
118
00:08:06,967 --> 00:08:10,500
soon to become the hero's
most recognizable feature
119
00:08:10,500 --> 00:08:12,567
in his evermore
exciting adventures
120
00:08:12,567 --> 00:08:14,400
from one week to the next.
121
00:08:22,367 --> 00:08:24,600
- He created a unique mix
of adventure,
122
00:08:24,600 --> 00:08:26,933
action, and burlesque humor,
123
00:08:26,933 --> 00:08:29,200
which had never existed
before in that form,
124
00:08:31,833 --> 00:08:34,300
notably by imposing
a very rapid pace.
125
00:08:35,800 --> 00:08:38,600
When I read Tintin in the
Land of the Soviets today,
126
00:08:38,600 --> 00:08:41,667
the story has aged, but we
can still feel the pace.
127
00:08:43,133 --> 00:08:46,067
From the outset, Tintin
has to cross a river,
128
00:08:46,067 --> 00:08:49,467
then snow-covered landscapes,
and something happens,
129
00:08:49,467 --> 00:08:50,800
and then something else,
130
00:08:50,800 --> 00:08:52,733
and finally he escapes by plane.
131
00:08:54,467 --> 00:08:57,433
The nonstop movement is
quite simply unprecedented,
132
00:08:57,433 --> 00:08:59,533
it was completely
new at the time.
133
00:09:03,067 --> 00:09:05,067
- Tintin's success was amazing.
134
00:09:05,067 --> 00:09:09,500
It sold out the first issue
on January the 10th, 1929,
135
00:09:09,500 --> 00:09:12,067
so the publisher of the
newspaper decided to double
136
00:09:12,067 --> 00:09:14,067
the print run for the next week.
137
00:09:14,067 --> 00:09:15,300
Sold out.
138
00:09:15,300 --> 00:09:17,700
Trebled it for the
next week, it sold out.
139
00:09:17,700 --> 00:09:20,467
He was becoming instantly known
140
00:09:20,467 --> 00:09:22,400
in the French-speaking
world already
141
00:09:22,400 --> 00:09:25,100
in his first year in 1929.
142
00:09:26,633 --> 00:09:27,967
- In just a few months,
143
00:09:27,967 --> 00:09:30,267
the Petit Vingtieme's
intrepid reporter
144
00:09:30,267 --> 00:09:32,400
became the newspaper's
star feature.
145
00:09:33,567 --> 00:09:35,900
There was no question of
ending his adventures.
146
00:09:35,900 --> 00:09:38,167
The thousands of readers
of the youth supplement
147
00:09:38,167 --> 00:09:40,133
couldn't wait to find
out which continent
148
00:09:40,133 --> 00:09:42,700
Tintin and Snowy would
take them to next.
149
00:09:45,067 --> 00:09:47,067
- He'd been to Russia,
which was fine,
150
00:09:47,067 --> 00:09:49,800
and now Herge wanted
to send him to America,
151
00:09:49,800 --> 00:09:52,600
because you couldn't have
one without the other.
152
00:09:52,600 --> 00:09:54,200
And things were
happening in America.
153
00:09:54,200 --> 00:09:56,467
There was a lot of
talk about Al Capone
154
00:09:56,467 --> 00:09:57,933
and gangsters, et cetera.
155
00:09:57,933 --> 00:09:59,900
But Abbe Wallez,
who was obviously
156
00:09:59,900 --> 00:10:01,967
an advocate of Catholicism,
157
00:10:01,967 --> 00:10:04,333
and for whom Belgium's
colony, the Congo,
158
00:10:04,333 --> 00:10:06,100
was very important in terms of
159
00:10:06,100 --> 00:10:08,667
the missionaries'
civilizing influence,
160
00:10:08,667 --> 00:10:11,067
didn't see things the
same way as Herge.
161
00:10:12,733 --> 00:10:15,700
He said, "It would be good
now to send him to the Congo
162
00:10:15,700 --> 00:10:18,433
"so he can take stock of
what our companions are doing
163
00:10:18,433 --> 00:10:21,000
"to bring civilization
to the darkies."
164
00:10:30,167 --> 00:10:31,967
- In Tintin's early adventures,
165
00:10:31,967 --> 00:10:34,600
Herge didn't really have
a pre-established script.
166
00:10:36,033 --> 00:10:39,433
Each week, he would simply dream
up a new twist in the tale.
167
00:10:39,433 --> 00:10:41,000
As in "The Land of the Soviets,"
168
00:10:41,000 --> 00:10:44,667
Tintin's only assistant was
his faithful friend, Snowy,
169
00:10:44,667 --> 00:10:47,467
a wily fox terrier who
would play a key role
170
00:10:47,467 --> 00:10:50,500
in the exotic adventure
in the Belgian Congo.
171
00:10:52,867 --> 00:10:55,300
- Herge had never been
to the Congo.
172
00:10:55,300 --> 00:10:57,500
He researched it
as best he could,
173
00:10:57,500 --> 00:11:00,433
and above all, he listened
to what was being said.
174
00:11:00,433 --> 00:11:03,400
And, at that time, like the
French and other countries too,
175
00:11:03,400 --> 00:11:05,800
the Belgians were colonialists.
176
00:11:05,800 --> 00:11:06,933
Those were the times,
177
00:11:06,933 --> 00:11:09,533
and so, it was something
of a caricature,
178
00:11:09,533 --> 00:11:12,300
and looking back now,
rather unpleasant.
179
00:11:12,300 --> 00:11:15,100
That vision of the Congolese
is obviously not at all
180
00:11:15,100 --> 00:11:16,433
what it should have been.
181
00:11:37,800 --> 00:11:40,200
- In hindsight,
Herge came to consider
182
00:11:40,200 --> 00:11:43,067
that certain scenes
were not acceptable.
183
00:11:43,067 --> 00:11:46,300
A lesson in geography, for
example, glorifying Belgium,
184
00:11:46,300 --> 00:11:49,067
would be replaced by
a simple maths class.
185
00:11:52,667 --> 00:11:54,367
In view of Tintin's popularity
186
00:11:54,367 --> 00:11:56,133
among the paper's
younger readers,
187
00:11:56,133 --> 00:11:59,333
Abbe Wallez suggested that
Herge publish an album
188
00:11:59,333 --> 00:12:01,700
of the young
reporter's adventures.
189
00:12:01,700 --> 00:12:05,633
And so, "In the Land of the
Soviets" was published in 1930,
190
00:12:05,633 --> 00:12:08,200
"Tintin in the Congo" in 1931,
191
00:12:08,200 --> 00:12:10,400
and then "Tintin in America,"
192
00:12:10,400 --> 00:12:13,500
which he had finally
managed to visit, in 1932.
193
00:12:14,633 --> 00:12:16,567
The imaginary scout
returned in a burlesque
194
00:12:16,567 --> 00:12:19,600
transatlantic adventure
combining far West cowboys
195
00:12:19,600 --> 00:12:22,500
and Chicago gangsters
in a comic tradition
196
00:12:22,500 --> 00:12:24,967
born in the USA just
a few years before.
197
00:12:27,333 --> 00:12:29,500
- It's the essence of comics,
198
00:12:29,500 --> 00:12:32,500
which were always intended
to be comical and funny.
199
00:12:33,933 --> 00:12:36,067
The humor was more
important than the story,
200
00:12:36,067 --> 00:12:37,067
which was secondary.
201
00:12:38,433 --> 00:12:41,067
At the end of each page,
something funny had to happen,
202
00:12:41,067 --> 00:12:44,600
like someone falling over, or
something being knocked down.
203
00:13:23,267 --> 00:13:24,867
- Georges Remi was doing well,
204
00:13:24,867 --> 00:13:27,233
both professionally and
in his private life.
205
00:13:28,767 --> 00:13:30,767
After months of
patient courtship,
206
00:13:30,767 --> 00:13:32,700
he managed to win
the woman he loved,
207
00:13:32,700 --> 00:13:35,467
Germaine, Norbert
Wallez's secretary.
208
00:13:39,267 --> 00:13:40,700
After a brief engagement,
209
00:13:40,700 --> 00:13:43,600
Georges and Germaine were
married at the Saint-Roch Church
210
00:13:43,600 --> 00:13:46,300
in Laeken in July, 1932.
211
00:13:47,700 --> 00:13:49,767
Germaine would be his
principal assistant
212
00:13:49,767 --> 00:13:51,300
and a valuable adviser.
213
00:13:53,933 --> 00:13:55,333
Georges was ambitious
214
00:13:55,333 --> 00:13:58,067
and set up a graphics
and advertising company,
215
00:13:58,067 --> 00:14:00,067
believing that his
talent and vocation
216
00:14:00,067 --> 00:14:02,900
lay principally in
illustrations and posters.
217
00:14:09,667 --> 00:14:10,667
- Up to a certain age,
218
00:14:10,667 --> 00:14:12,967
probably about 28 or 29,
219
00:14:12,967 --> 00:14:15,267
Herge was convinced that
his professional career
220
00:14:15,267 --> 00:14:17,400
would be in advertising
and posters,
221
00:14:17,400 --> 00:14:21,200
not in comics, or (speaks in
foreign language) in French,
222
00:14:21,200 --> 00:14:23,433
a term that didn't even
exist at that time.
223
00:14:26,667 --> 00:14:28,967
- Georges Remi was a workaholic.
224
00:14:28,967 --> 00:14:30,600
In addition to
his graphics work,
225
00:14:30,600 --> 00:14:33,500
he was a mainstay of the
Petit Vingtieme's operation.
226
00:14:34,733 --> 00:14:37,067
Every week, he had more
and more drawings to do
227
00:14:37,067 --> 00:14:39,300
to fill the paper's 16 pages,
228
00:14:40,200 --> 00:14:41,600
notably the cover,
229
00:14:42,467 --> 00:14:44,533
various illustrations,
230
00:14:44,533 --> 00:14:47,267
and a double-page Tintin story.
231
00:14:50,300 --> 00:14:52,100
- When we see the time Herge spent
232
00:14:52,100 --> 00:14:56,400
working in any one week, I
don't know how it was possible.
233
00:14:56,400 --> 00:14:59,800
He did two pages of Tintin,
and one with Quick & Flupke,
234
00:14:59,800 --> 00:15:01,900
he'd do the covers
and other things.
235
00:15:03,100 --> 00:15:04,467
I don't know how it was
possible to work so much
236
00:15:04,467 --> 00:15:07,167
and to obtain such
extraordinary results.
237
00:15:08,700 --> 00:15:11,233
- In 1934, Georges finally managed
238
00:15:11,233 --> 00:15:14,833
to free himself from Abbe
Wallez's political directives.
239
00:15:17,067 --> 00:15:19,133
He was finally the
master of a creature
240
00:15:19,133 --> 00:15:22,067
he could develop and
shape little by little.
241
00:15:22,067 --> 00:15:24,967
The Tintin albums were now
published by Casterman,
242
00:15:24,967 --> 00:15:27,733
beginning with the reporter's
adventures in the Middle East
243
00:15:27,733 --> 00:15:30,900
on the trail of a
mysterious secret society.
244
00:15:43,767 --> 00:15:46,400
Herge gradually improved
his narrative style
245
00:15:46,400 --> 00:15:49,533
and invented what would
be called Tintin's family.
246
00:15:50,933 --> 00:15:54,133
Inspired notably by his
father, who had a twin brother,
247
00:15:54,133 --> 00:15:57,333
he created the police
officers Thomson without a P
248
00:15:57,333 --> 00:16:01,067
and Thompson with a P, in
French, Dupont and Dupond,
249
00:16:01,067 --> 00:16:02,900
who would henceforth
be regulars,
250
00:16:02,900 --> 00:16:05,067
adding to the comedy
and the adventures.
251
00:16:12,133 --> 00:16:14,600
Georges Remi was
finding his way.
252
00:16:16,067 --> 00:16:18,600
Alone at his desk, he was
now preparing an album
253
00:16:18,600 --> 00:16:21,600
that would mark the history
of comics and cartoons.
254
00:16:24,800 --> 00:16:26,400
- He could have stayed as he was,
255
00:16:26,400 --> 00:16:30,500
in a narrow, limited, and
stereotypical vision of society,
256
00:16:30,500 --> 00:16:31,967
highly politicized.
257
00:16:31,967 --> 00:16:35,200
But, paradoxically, it
was Tintin that gave Herge
258
00:16:35,200 --> 00:16:36,700
a much broader viewpoint.
259
00:16:38,367 --> 00:16:42,467
In the early albums, Tintin
spoke to practically nobody,
260
00:16:42,467 --> 00:16:45,100
and, in fact, he
didn't have a mouth.
261
00:16:45,100 --> 00:16:48,100
But as he met more people,
Tintin became someone
262
00:16:48,100 --> 00:16:51,267
who was increasingly
attentive to others.
263
00:16:51,267 --> 00:16:53,700
The turning point was
obviously "The Blue Lotus,"
264
00:16:53,700 --> 00:16:55,467
with Tintin meeting Chang,
265
00:16:55,467 --> 00:16:58,133
corresponding to Herge
meeting a Chinese friend,
266
00:16:58,133 --> 00:17:01,633
also called Chang, who was
an artist of his own age.
267
00:17:35,633 --> 00:17:37,733
- Inspired by Chang's calligraphy,
268
00:17:37,733 --> 00:17:39,500
which Chang himself taught him,
269
00:17:39,500 --> 00:17:42,933
in 1934, Herge drew Shanghai
270
00:17:42,933 --> 00:17:45,633
as it had never been
depicted before.
271
00:17:45,633 --> 00:17:48,900
Chang himself came every
Sunday to paint the ideograms
272
00:17:48,900 --> 00:17:50,700
on the drawings
prepared by Georges.
273
00:17:53,333 --> 00:17:55,600
Above all, Chang
convinced his friend
274
00:17:55,600 --> 00:17:58,767
that the Chinese were
being treated unjustly,
275
00:17:58,767 --> 00:18:02,300
caught between corrupt and
racist Western colonialists,
276
00:18:02,300 --> 00:18:03,967
who were occupying Shanghai
277
00:18:05,900 --> 00:18:07,700
and the aggressive Japanese,
278
00:18:07,700 --> 00:18:09,900
who were preparing to
invade his country.
279
00:18:12,933 --> 00:18:15,800
And so, real life politics
suddenly came to life
280
00:18:15,800 --> 00:18:19,100
in "The Adventures of
Tintin," who chose his side.
281
00:18:20,900 --> 00:18:24,100
Herge denounced Japan's
military intervention
282
00:18:24,100 --> 00:18:26,267
and the occupation
of part of China.
283
00:18:36,933 --> 00:18:38,667
His friend and colleague Chang
284
00:18:38,667 --> 00:18:40,433
appeared as a
fictional character
285
00:18:40,433 --> 00:18:42,733
in an historic
encounter with Tintin.
286
00:18:50,833 --> 00:18:52,700
Like paper doppelgangers,
287
00:18:52,700 --> 00:18:55,700
Tintin and Chang sealed
the friendship of Herge
288
00:18:55,700 --> 00:18:57,400
and his young Chinese friend.
289
00:18:59,167 --> 00:19:01,500
- It was a magic moment,
"The Blue Lotus."
290
00:19:01,500 --> 00:19:03,067
When I seen the
original drawings,
291
00:19:03,067 --> 00:19:05,700
I'm moved that
they're extraordinary.
292
00:19:05,700 --> 00:19:08,500
First, I think Herge is a great
black and white draftsman,
293
00:19:08,500 --> 00:19:10,600
that cannot be overstated,
294
00:19:10,600 --> 00:19:12,300
and obviously, that's
where I see the artist
295
00:19:12,300 --> 00:19:14,267
as being unbeatable,
at his best.
296
00:19:15,467 --> 00:19:17,267
Some of the pages
are breathtaking,
297
00:19:17,267 --> 00:19:19,833
specifically in the mastery
of the black and white.
298
00:19:21,267 --> 00:19:23,067
And the original prints have
these little blue washes,
299
00:19:23,067 --> 00:19:25,700
which are quite disconcerting,
they're very beautiful.
300
00:19:26,967 --> 00:19:28,600
I'd love to see a
facsimile edition
301
00:19:28,600 --> 00:19:30,733
of the originals
with the washes.
302
00:19:32,167 --> 00:19:33,800
It would be a comic book
that everyone should have
303
00:19:33,800 --> 00:19:36,267
in their library, because,
and it's very rarely
304
00:19:36,267 --> 00:19:37,867
that one can say this,
305
00:19:37,867 --> 00:19:40,800
something happens when you look
at those original drawings.
306
00:19:44,833 --> 00:19:47,833
- Georges Remi was
at the peak of his powers.
307
00:19:47,833 --> 00:19:50,900
His narrative system was
now well-established.
308
00:19:50,900 --> 00:19:53,367
Just 29 years old, the
young man from Brussels
309
00:19:53,367 --> 00:19:55,500
had invented his
own graphic style,
310
00:19:55,500 --> 00:19:58,067
or the clear line,
311
00:19:58,067 --> 00:20:00,200
which would influence
generations to come.
312
00:20:01,533 --> 00:20:04,133
This concept was so-called
by a Dutch artist,
313
00:20:04,133 --> 00:20:06,567
Joost Swarte, who was
himself influenced
314
00:20:06,567 --> 00:20:08,833
by Georges Remi's
original style.
315
00:20:11,633 --> 00:20:13,467
- In fact, for the catalog
316
00:20:13,467 --> 00:20:18,033
of an Herge exhibition
in Rotterdam, in 1976,
317
00:20:18,033 --> 00:20:20,100
we were looking for
a powerful title,
318
00:20:21,533 --> 00:20:24,500
and I thought, (speaks in
foreign language) was ideal.
319
00:20:25,800 --> 00:20:27,467
When we talk about the,
320
00:20:28,600 --> 00:20:31,000
we're talking about
a drawing style
321
00:20:31,000 --> 00:20:32,733
where we're not using shadow,
322
00:20:32,733 --> 00:20:37,433
and contours are drawn with
strong lines of equal width.
323
00:20:42,633 --> 00:20:45,367
- [Translator] Doubts or
shades don't exist with Herge.
324
00:20:47,100 --> 00:20:49,133
From a graphical point of view,
325
00:20:49,133 --> 00:20:51,933
this is pursued to the extent
that, in Herge's drawings,
326
00:20:51,933 --> 00:20:53,200
there are no shadows.
327
00:20:54,500 --> 00:20:56,800
Each scene, each panel
is perfectly lit.
328
00:20:58,333 --> 00:21:00,433
And with these
clearly drawn lines,
329
00:21:00,433 --> 00:21:03,733
ultimately the drawings almost
attain the purity of signs.
330
00:21:06,467 --> 00:21:10,067
Signs and pictograms are
universally understood elements.
331
00:21:12,500 --> 00:21:15,067
In my view, he invented
something that relates
332
00:21:15,067 --> 00:21:17,200
to a universal language
through images.
333
00:21:19,500 --> 00:21:23,267
It's the reason why his comics
can be read around the world
334
00:21:23,267 --> 00:21:24,833
in the most diverse cultures.
335
00:21:31,433 --> 00:21:33,567
- For Herge, the
336
00:21:33,567 --> 00:21:35,767
was, above all, a
matter of legibility
337
00:21:35,767 --> 00:21:38,067
and narrative effectiveness.
338
00:21:38,067 --> 00:21:40,667
"The Adventures of Tintin"
were similar to detective
339
00:21:40,667 --> 00:21:44,167
or spy films, dramatic
yarns steeped in reality.
340
00:21:45,467 --> 00:21:48,067
"The Broken Ear" is
based on the conflict
341
00:21:48,067 --> 00:21:49,967
between Bolivia and Paraguay,
342
00:21:49,967 --> 00:21:51,833
which was making the
news at the time.
343
00:21:53,300 --> 00:21:56,300
"The Black Island" was based
on attempts by Nazi spies
344
00:21:56,300 --> 00:21:58,067
to destabilize Great Britain
345
00:21:58,067 --> 00:22:00,867
through the mass distribution
of counterfeit money.
346
00:22:08,300 --> 00:22:10,200
In "King Ottokar's Sceptre,"
347
00:22:10,200 --> 00:22:12,100
Herge's drawings
related the perils
348
00:22:12,100 --> 00:22:14,400
of expansionist
polices in Europe.
349
00:22:15,867 --> 00:22:18,067
- I particularly love
"King Ottokar's Sceptre,"
350
00:22:18,067 --> 00:22:19,900
another wonderful
anti-fascist book.
351
00:22:19,900 --> 00:22:22,333
Just as "The Blue
Lotus" was against
352
00:22:22,333 --> 00:22:24,200
the fascism and imperialism
353
00:22:24,200 --> 00:22:26,700
which the Japanese were
imposing on the Chinese,
354
00:22:26,700 --> 00:22:27,933
we have the "Ottokar's Sceptre,"
355
00:22:27,933 --> 00:22:30,600
which is a story
of a failed attempt
356
00:22:30,600 --> 00:22:32,500
of a fascist dictatorship
357
00:22:32,500 --> 00:22:36,600
to take over a neighboring
small country with a king.
358
00:22:36,600 --> 00:22:39,600
And, of course, the
villain, who we never see,
359
00:22:39,600 --> 00:22:41,867
but the villain is Musstler,
360
00:22:41,867 --> 00:22:44,300
combination of
Mussolini and Hitler.
361
00:22:44,300 --> 00:22:48,933
It's his wonderful way,
Herge relates world events,
362
00:22:48,933 --> 00:22:52,400
things which are
happening, to the stories.
363
00:23:01,067 --> 00:23:02,933
- Georges was a pacifist.
364
00:23:02,933 --> 00:23:05,067
Through a character
named Mr. Bellum,
365
00:23:05,067 --> 00:23:07,433
appearing on the front cover
of the Petit Vingtieme,
366
00:23:07,433 --> 00:23:10,133
he attempted to denounce
Hitler as a danger
367
00:23:10,133 --> 00:23:13,133
and announce his own opposition
to another world war.
368
00:23:17,633 --> 00:23:19,600
But it was too late.
369
00:23:19,600 --> 00:23:22,900
Tintin was swept aside
by the chaos of war,
370
00:23:22,900 --> 00:23:25,200
and his adventures, for
the moment, were over.
371
00:23:48,633 --> 00:23:50,400
- Like thousands of Belgians,
372
00:23:50,400 --> 00:23:52,800
Georges and his wife
Germaine took to the road
373
00:23:52,800 --> 00:23:55,300
and sought exile in France.
374
00:23:55,300 --> 00:23:58,300
But after France collapsed,
there was nowhere else to go.
375
00:23:59,700 --> 00:24:03,133
The couple returned to Brussels,
now occupied by the Nazis.
376
00:24:06,233 --> 00:24:07,900
It was during these
troubled times
377
00:24:07,900 --> 00:24:09,833
that Herge would
draw and publish
378
00:24:09,833 --> 00:24:13,433
some of the masterpieces
that made Tintin a legend.
379
00:24:17,767 --> 00:24:19,833
- The war changed many things
for Herge,
380
00:24:19,833 --> 00:24:21,900
in the sense that the
invasion of Belgium
381
00:24:21,900 --> 00:24:24,400
caused the Vingtieme
Siecle paper to disappear,
382
00:24:24,400 --> 00:24:25,833
and the Petit Vingtieme too,
383
00:24:25,833 --> 00:24:28,333
and so he lost his regular
publication medium.
384
00:24:30,667 --> 00:24:32,500
- The thousands of Tintin readers
385
00:24:32,500 --> 00:24:35,067
were a much sought-after
audience, however,
386
00:24:35,067 --> 00:24:37,933
and several newspapers
tried to hire him.
387
00:24:37,933 --> 00:24:40,400
He refused an offer
from the Rexist Party
388
00:24:40,400 --> 00:24:42,100
founded by Leon Degrelle,
389
00:24:42,100 --> 00:24:44,200
Belgium's far right
Catholic party,
390
00:24:44,200 --> 00:24:46,800
which had sought to use his
drawings for some years.
391
00:24:48,133 --> 00:24:50,200
But he agreed to
work for Le Soir,
392
00:24:50,200 --> 00:24:51,800
the leading national daily,
393
00:24:51,800 --> 00:24:53,733
which was launching
a youth supplement.
394
00:24:55,167 --> 00:24:57,967
This decision to publish his
drawings under the occupation
395
00:24:57,967 --> 00:25:00,567
would be held against
Herge for a long time.
396
00:25:01,700 --> 00:25:03,233
- He agreed to work for "Le Soir" ,
397
00:25:03,233 --> 00:25:04,800
which was an important paper,
398
00:25:04,800 --> 00:25:07,367
but was obviously
controlled by the occupier.
399
00:25:07,367 --> 00:25:09,333
All the papers published
during the occupation
400
00:25:09,333 --> 00:25:11,067
were controlled by the occupier.
401
00:25:13,233 --> 00:25:14,733
- And so it was in Le Soir's
402
00:25:14,733 --> 00:25:17,767
daily youth supplement
that Tintin returned.
403
00:25:34,200 --> 00:25:35,400
- What happened during the war
404
00:25:35,400 --> 00:25:37,700
was that Herge continued
to be dominated
405
00:25:37,700 --> 00:25:39,900
by his character and
his comic creations.
406
00:25:39,900 --> 00:25:41,133
It was all he could see.
407
00:25:42,067 --> 00:25:44,067
He was living in a bubble,
408
00:25:44,067 --> 00:25:46,500
in which Tintin was the
principal inhabitant.
409
00:25:52,900 --> 00:25:54,400
- His new adventure took place
410
00:25:54,400 --> 00:25:56,200
far from war-torn Europe,
411
00:25:58,067 --> 00:26:00,133
surrounded by sand and sea
412
00:26:00,133 --> 00:26:02,433
against a backdrop
of opium smuggling.
413
00:26:12,233 --> 00:26:13,667
In his notebooks where he wrote
414
00:26:13,667 --> 00:26:15,600
the first version
of his scenarios,
415
00:26:15,600 --> 00:26:18,733
Herge imagined an
exotic detective story,
416
00:26:18,733 --> 00:26:20,567
with no reference
to the world war.
417
00:26:23,100 --> 00:26:25,133
"The Crab with the Golden Claws"
418
00:26:25,133 --> 00:26:27,967
marks a key turning
point in Tintin history,
419
00:26:27,967 --> 00:26:30,200
particularly for the
appearance of a new character
420
00:26:30,200 --> 00:26:32,400
who would change the
reporter's destiny.
421
00:27:02,567 --> 00:27:04,100
- Captain Haddock can do everything
422
00:27:04,100 --> 00:27:05,233
that Tintin can't.
423
00:27:06,300 --> 00:27:07,200
He can swear,
424
00:27:08,500 --> 00:27:10,733
and there's even a dictionary
of his curse words.
425
00:27:10,733 --> 00:27:11,567
He can drink.
426
00:27:13,333 --> 00:27:16,867
Tintin first meets him when
he's a fully fledge alcoholic.
427
00:27:16,867 --> 00:27:18,567
And in the following albums,
there is always a time
428
00:27:18,567 --> 00:27:20,900
when Haddock loses control
and grabs a bottle.
429
00:27:22,267 --> 00:27:24,067
It's the sign that something
serious is happening,
430
00:27:24,067 --> 00:27:26,700
as if real life were
intervening in the story.
431
00:27:31,067 --> 00:27:33,967
"The Crab with the Golden
Claws" was a success,
432
00:27:33,967 --> 00:27:36,600
but the tenth Tintin
story, "The Shooting Star,"
433
00:27:36,600 --> 00:27:38,500
also published during
the occupation,
434
00:27:38,500 --> 00:27:39,933
would be more controversial.
435
00:27:41,067 --> 00:27:43,367
Beginning in an
apocalyptic atmosphere,
436
00:27:43,367 --> 00:27:45,967
reflecting conditions
in war-ravaged Brussels,
437
00:27:45,967 --> 00:27:48,267
"The Shooting Star"
is a fascinating
438
00:27:48,267 --> 00:27:49,867
science fiction adventure.
439
00:27:50,933 --> 00:27:52,900
What Herge was criticized for
440
00:27:52,900 --> 00:27:55,567
was his conciliatory
portrayal of scientists
441
00:27:55,567 --> 00:27:57,733
from Axis countries
or neutral states
442
00:27:57,733 --> 00:28:00,533
such as Switzerland and
Portugal, and above all,
443
00:28:00,533 --> 00:28:03,833
the caricatural depiction
of the story's baddie,
444
00:28:03,833 --> 00:28:06,600
an American financier
with a Jewish name.
445
00:28:37,467 --> 00:28:39,233
- "The Shooting Star" is less concerned
446
00:28:39,233 --> 00:28:41,633
with propaganda than
"Tintin in the Congo,"
447
00:28:41,633 --> 00:28:44,833
"Tintin in America," or "Tintin
in the Land of the Soviets."
448
00:28:46,233 --> 00:28:48,867
"The Shooting Star" is, above
all, the story of a chase.
449
00:28:48,867 --> 00:28:50,933
If you wanted to demonstrate
that there was a strong
450
00:28:50,933 --> 00:28:53,833
ideological intention there,
you'd have a hard time
451
00:28:53,833 --> 00:28:56,600
because there is no
ideology in the story.
452
00:29:00,133 --> 00:29:02,200
- The stories were now
published in "Le Soir"
453
00:29:02,200 --> 00:29:04,433
in a format of just four panels.
454
00:29:05,800 --> 00:29:08,967
Paper shortages led to the
demise of the youth supplement,
455
00:29:08,967 --> 00:29:11,200
and also put paid to
any hopes of publishing
456
00:29:11,200 --> 00:29:14,067
"The Shooting Star"
in a 120-page album.
457
00:29:16,400 --> 00:29:19,733
Casterman wanted to halve
the number of pages.
458
00:29:19,733 --> 00:29:21,467
In exchange, the
publisher offered
459
00:29:21,467 --> 00:29:23,600
to print the album in color.
460
00:29:23,600 --> 00:29:26,167
"It would be a
revolution," they said.
461
00:29:29,900 --> 00:29:31,900
In order to use his
original drawings
462
00:29:31,900 --> 00:29:34,200
and to preserve the
legibility and clarity
463
00:29:34,200 --> 00:29:35,900
of the ,
464
00:29:35,900 --> 00:29:37,733
Georges found a solution:
465
00:29:39,167 --> 00:29:42,233
The colors would be printed
separately from the black.
466
00:29:44,133 --> 00:29:45,500
On the reproduction of a page
467
00:29:45,500 --> 00:29:47,867
where the lines had
become blue-gray,
468
00:29:47,867 --> 00:29:51,733
the colors would be applied
by hand, then printed first.
469
00:29:57,567 --> 00:30:00,533
The black lines were then
added to the color images.
470
00:30:01,933 --> 00:30:04,433
The enclosed the areas of color
471
00:30:04,433 --> 00:30:07,600
and perfectly outlined every
element within the drawing.
472
00:30:09,867 --> 00:30:12,200
- He encouraged his editor
and the printers
473
00:30:12,200 --> 00:30:14,633
to get the hightest
quality possible.
474
00:30:14,633 --> 00:30:17,967
He knew all the techniques
that were used very well.
475
00:30:17,967 --> 00:30:20,500
The hardbound 64-page album,
476
00:30:20,500 --> 00:30:22,767
which is something
of a standard,
477
00:30:22,767 --> 00:30:25,000
it was Herge who
contributed to that.
478
00:30:26,400 --> 00:30:27,800
- "The Adventures of Tintin"
479
00:30:27,800 --> 00:30:31,033
continued uninterrupted
in the Le Soir.
480
00:30:31,033 --> 00:30:34,233
"The Crab with the Golden
Claws appeared in 1941,
481
00:30:34,233 --> 00:30:36,667
"The Shooting Star" in 1942,
482
00:30:36,667 --> 00:30:38,167
"The Secret of the Unicorn"
483
00:30:38,167 --> 00:30:40,967
and "Red Rackham's
Treasure" in 1943.
484
00:30:42,900 --> 00:30:44,633
"The Secret of the Unicorn,"
485
00:30:44,633 --> 00:30:47,267
which begins at a famous
flea market in Brussels,
486
00:30:47,267 --> 00:30:51,033
is the story of a
timeless and exotic quest,
487
00:30:51,033 --> 00:30:52,633
the quest for a treasure,
488
00:30:52,633 --> 00:30:55,500
and above all, for
origins and roots.
489
00:30:55,500 --> 00:30:58,000
This time, Herge
doesn't focus on Tintin
490
00:30:58,000 --> 00:31:01,467
but on Captain Haddock, on
the trail of his ancestors.
491
00:31:03,700 --> 00:31:06,067
With the splendid
panels of pages
492
00:31:06,067 --> 00:31:07,733
of "The Secret of the Unicorn,"
493
00:31:07,733 --> 00:31:10,167
Herge perfected his
coloring methods.
494
00:31:13,267 --> 00:31:16,533
The clear line technique
surrounding the flat colors
495
00:31:16,533 --> 00:31:19,300
enhanced the readability
of the panels
496
00:31:19,300 --> 00:31:23,200
by giving equal priority to
every element in the drawing,
497
00:31:23,200 --> 00:31:25,833
whether in the background
or the foreground.
498
00:31:34,100 --> 00:31:35,133
- Herge said that his job
499
00:31:35,133 --> 00:31:37,533
was that of an illuminator.
500
00:31:37,533 --> 00:31:38,967
There's something very laborious
501
00:31:38,967 --> 00:31:41,500
about putting all
these panels together,
502
00:31:41,500 --> 00:31:45,067
making sure they're well
drawn, clean, and readable.
503
00:31:45,067 --> 00:31:47,433
And so, there's a homemade
craft element to it.
504
00:31:49,633 --> 00:31:51,267
It's very demanding.
505
00:31:51,267 --> 00:31:53,633
And on a daily basis, it requires
an incredible discipline.
506
00:31:55,933 --> 00:31:58,533
- After the Thomsons
and Captain Haddock,
507
00:31:58,533 --> 00:32:01,800
Herge completed Tintin's family
in "Red Rackham's Treasure"
508
00:32:01,800 --> 00:32:04,067
with an ingenious egghead,
509
00:32:04,067 --> 00:32:05,700
an odd little academic
510
00:32:05,700 --> 00:32:08,167
inspired by the explorer
Auguste Piccard.
511
00:32:17,833 --> 00:32:19,800
- Professor Cuthbert Calculus,
512
00:32:19,800 --> 00:32:22,733
an absent-minded and
half-deaf physicist,
513
00:32:22,733 --> 00:32:25,967
suddenly appears with
his ingenious inventions,
514
00:32:25,967 --> 00:32:28,700
a character destined to
become an inexhaustible source
515
00:32:28,700 --> 00:32:30,833
of gags and misunderstandings.
516
00:32:47,400 --> 00:32:50,400
- The figures around
Tintin, his friends,
517
00:32:50,400 --> 00:32:52,633
the what you call in French
(speaks in a foreign language),
518
00:32:52,633 --> 00:32:55,067
the world characters around him,
519
00:32:55,067 --> 00:32:57,100
they are very realistic.
520
00:32:57,100 --> 00:33:00,733
You see every wrinkle on
Captain Haddock's face,
521
00:33:00,733 --> 00:33:04,800
every detail about
Professor Calculus.
522
00:33:04,800 --> 00:33:07,533
It's all terribly,
terribly detailed,
523
00:33:07,533 --> 00:33:10,200
but also, the key thing,
which is more important,
524
00:33:10,200 --> 00:33:11,933
is the hero, Tintin,
525
00:33:13,367 --> 00:33:16,933
is wonderfully vague,
he's an anonymous figure,
526
00:33:16,933 --> 00:33:19,467
with the round head,
just the quiff thing,
527
00:33:19,467 --> 00:33:21,433
the two dots, the little nose.
528
00:33:21,433 --> 00:33:24,067
And what's so clever about that
529
00:33:24,067 --> 00:33:29,067
is that any reader can
identify with Tintin.
530
00:33:30,333 --> 00:33:32,833
So, it's a brilliant combination
of the central figure,
531
00:33:32,833 --> 00:33:36,367
Tintin, who is not well-defined,
532
00:33:36,367 --> 00:33:39,433
and the very realistic
setting of the country
533
00:33:39,433 --> 00:33:41,067
where the adventure
is taking place
534
00:33:41,067 --> 00:33:42,633
and the characters around it.
535
00:33:45,067 --> 00:33:47,067
- Georges Remi's imaginary world
536
00:33:47,067 --> 00:33:49,800
was dramatically submerged
by the real world
537
00:33:49,800 --> 00:33:52,167
when the Allies finally
liberated Brussels
538
00:33:52,167 --> 00:33:54,100
in September, 1944.
539
00:34:08,133 --> 00:34:11,433
A period of joyous relief
was also a time of reckoning
540
00:34:11,433 --> 00:34:14,133
for those suspected of
fraternizing with the enemy.
541
00:34:16,733 --> 00:34:19,300
An accusatory finger
was pointed at everyone
542
00:34:19,300 --> 00:34:22,167
who had worked at the
German-run Le Soir newspaper.
543
00:34:23,867 --> 00:34:26,400
Georges Remi even
spent one night in jail
544
00:34:26,400 --> 00:34:28,633
before the authorities
dropped the charges,
545
00:34:28,633 --> 00:34:31,800
having found nothing compromising
in Tintin's adventures
546
00:34:31,800 --> 00:34:33,100
during the occupation.
547
00:34:37,567 --> 00:34:39,100
- The immediate postwar period
548
00:34:39,100 --> 00:34:40,633
was very hard for Herge.
549
00:34:41,800 --> 00:34:43,867
All at once, he was
caught up in reality,
550
00:34:43,867 --> 00:34:46,600
meaning that, like everyone
else, he was made aware
551
00:34:46,600 --> 00:34:50,133
of the horror of
the extermination
camps, for example,
552
00:34:50,133 --> 00:34:53,467
and so, like anyone else
who considered themselves
553
00:34:53,467 --> 00:34:56,733
to be neutral, there were
questions to be answered.
554
00:34:57,900 --> 00:35:00,567
Did I ignore what I
should've noticed?
555
00:35:00,567 --> 00:35:03,233
Did I deliberately not
see things, et cetera.
556
00:35:03,233 --> 00:35:06,367
And so they were troubled
times for many people,
557
00:35:06,367 --> 00:35:07,867
and the bubble he
was locked inside
558
00:35:07,867 --> 00:35:09,767
with Tintin finally burst.
559
00:35:11,633 --> 00:35:14,067
Added to that, there were
depression and overwork,
560
00:35:14,067 --> 00:35:15,533
which is a physical ailment.
561
00:35:16,433 --> 00:35:17,667
There are letters which reveal
562
00:35:17,667 --> 00:35:19,233
that he was really
sick of Tintin,
563
00:35:19,233 --> 00:35:20,900
he didn't want to
hear about him.
564
00:35:22,500 --> 00:35:24,967
He saw the younger
audience as a cruel monster
565
00:35:24,967 --> 00:35:26,900
just waiting for
things to befall him.
566
00:35:28,367 --> 00:35:32,167
There are some very harsh words
that are extremely poignant.
567
00:35:35,667 --> 00:35:38,933
- What had the past 20 years
brought him?
568
00:35:38,933 --> 00:35:40,700
20 years stuck to his desk
569
00:35:40,700 --> 00:35:43,800
with no time off apart
from the odd Sunday.
570
00:35:43,800 --> 00:35:46,267
Georges had the impression
life had passed him by,
571
00:35:46,267 --> 00:35:48,467
that he was a prisoner
of his own characters,
572
00:35:48,467 --> 00:35:50,067
and above all, of Tintin,
573
00:35:50,067 --> 00:35:52,667
who he drew, at that moment,
with a whip in his hand.
574
00:35:54,867 --> 00:35:57,367
- The drawing board
is like a home,
575
00:35:57,367 --> 00:35:59,200
it's a personal
and private place,
576
00:36:00,433 --> 00:36:02,100
and is no doubt a source
of pleasure and dreams
577
00:36:02,100 --> 00:36:04,767
for so many authors, and
definitely for Herge.
578
00:36:06,400 --> 00:36:08,800
But it can become an
instrument of torture too.
579
00:36:10,167 --> 00:36:13,333
It can become a source
of worry and of stress.
580
00:36:22,700 --> 00:36:25,200
- Despite exhaustion and doubt,
581
00:36:25,200 --> 00:36:28,733
Herge gave a favorable response
to three industrialists,
582
00:36:28,733 --> 00:36:30,633
notably to Raymond Leblanc,
583
00:36:30,633 --> 00:36:33,133
who suggested in
the autumn of 1946
584
00:36:33,133 --> 00:36:35,500
that they launch
a Tintin magazine,
585
00:36:35,500 --> 00:36:37,267
where he would
publish new adventures
586
00:36:37,267 --> 00:36:38,833
after a two-year absence.
587
00:36:41,467 --> 00:36:44,433
The magazine gave Georges
the possibility of completing
588
00:36:44,433 --> 00:36:46,633
a project that was
close to his heart,
589
00:36:46,633 --> 00:36:49,267
and which reflected his
state of mind at the time,
590
00:36:50,333 --> 00:36:53,067
a disturbing, paranormal story,
591
00:36:53,067 --> 00:36:55,133
in which the main
character was the mummy
592
00:36:55,133 --> 00:36:57,867
of an Inca king, Rascar Capac.
593
00:37:08,167 --> 00:37:09,333
- "The Seven Crystal Balls"
594
00:37:09,333 --> 00:37:11,667
is one of the most
frightening adventures,
595
00:37:11,667 --> 00:37:15,333
one of the stories
most concerned with
the fear of madness,
596
00:37:15,333 --> 00:37:17,967
which was a very
personal theme for Herge.
597
00:37:22,733 --> 00:37:25,067
His mother, who was
extremely fragile,
598
00:37:25,067 --> 00:37:27,100
had been interned several times,
599
00:37:27,100 --> 00:37:30,067
and unfortunately, received
electric shock treatment,
600
00:37:30,067 --> 00:37:31,567
if one could call it treatment.
601
00:37:33,100 --> 00:37:35,733
In any case, it was
extremely hard on her.
602
00:37:35,733 --> 00:37:37,967
Elisabeth Remi, Herge's mother,
603
00:37:37,967 --> 00:37:39,467
wouldn't survive such treatment,
604
00:37:39,467 --> 00:37:41,633
and she died in April, 1946.
605
00:37:43,767 --> 00:37:46,533
"The Seven Crystal Balls"
and "Prisoners of the Sun"
606
00:37:46,533 --> 00:37:49,733
perhaps metaphorically, but
nonetheless quite directly,
607
00:37:49,733 --> 00:37:52,900
are marked by his concerns,
and at the same time,
608
00:37:52,900 --> 00:37:55,900
a certain tolerance for various
perceptions of the world
609
00:37:55,900 --> 00:37:57,467
which are perhaps not the norm.
610
00:37:59,067 --> 00:38:01,567
- Georges's depression
worsened at times,
611
00:38:01,567 --> 00:38:04,533
much to the dismay of the
"Tintin" magazine personnel.
612
00:38:05,433 --> 00:38:06,933
He increasingly found refuge
613
00:38:06,933 --> 00:38:09,100
in Switzerland or
at the seaside,
614
00:38:09,100 --> 00:38:11,800
as he couldn't find the
strength to keep on drawing,
615
00:38:11,800 --> 00:38:15,167
and refused to continue working
as the slave to a creature
616
00:38:15,167 --> 00:38:17,067
that was sucking
the life out of him.
617
00:38:18,400 --> 00:38:20,400
- It's very unpredictable.
618
00:38:20,400 --> 00:38:21,667
What's wonderful with writers
619
00:38:21,667 --> 00:38:23,300
is that things
just come to them.
620
00:38:24,667 --> 00:38:27,500
They may wonder what's
going on, what's happening,
621
00:38:27,500 --> 00:38:30,067
and everything may
be fine in some ways,
622
00:38:30,067 --> 00:38:31,833
but then they lose something
623
00:38:31,833 --> 00:38:33,400
and they can't find that thread
624
00:38:33,400 --> 00:38:35,667
that they've been
following so easily.
625
00:38:35,667 --> 00:38:37,600
It's very odd, that thread,
626
00:38:37,600 --> 00:38:39,967
it's a thread that connects
you with childhood,
627
00:38:41,067 --> 00:38:42,900
a link with the
childhood of the readers
628
00:38:42,900 --> 00:38:44,167
for whom you're writing.
629
00:38:45,633 --> 00:38:47,900
At times like that,
you're on a tightrope,
630
00:38:49,100 --> 00:38:50,533
but you're able to
balance and juggle
631
00:38:50,533 --> 00:38:51,833
with so many things.
632
00:39:18,400 --> 00:39:20,300
- To protect
himself from overwork,
633
00:39:20,300 --> 00:39:21,867
Georges made a decision.
634
00:39:23,133 --> 00:39:25,533
He created a refuge
with Germaine,
635
00:39:25,533 --> 00:39:28,833
a real retreat in a large
house in Ceroux-Mousty
636
00:39:28,833 --> 00:39:31,067
in the countryside
outside Brussels.
637
00:39:33,700 --> 00:39:37,067
The image was one of a
well-settled, satisfied couple.
638
00:39:38,400 --> 00:39:40,500
Georges believed
his country retreat
639
00:39:40,500 --> 00:39:43,300
could stave off his
existential anguish.
640
00:39:46,800 --> 00:39:49,633
A second, and vital,
decision was to create
641
00:39:49,633 --> 00:39:53,300
a better workplace, with
a team to assist him.
642
00:39:53,300 --> 00:39:57,600
The Studios Herge was set
up in Brussels in 1950.
643
00:39:58,733 --> 00:40:00,800
Georges could now
count on other artists
644
00:40:00,800 --> 00:40:02,967
to create his
backgrounds and settings,
645
00:40:04,400 --> 00:40:06,933
and colorists to complete
the painstaking job
646
00:40:06,933 --> 00:40:10,233
of hand-painting every
panel in a Tintin story.
647
00:40:11,367 --> 00:40:13,333
The studio team enabled Herge
648
00:40:13,333 --> 00:40:15,333
to concentrate on
what he preferred,
649
00:40:15,333 --> 00:40:16,767
drawing his characters
650
00:40:16,767 --> 00:40:19,200
and dreaming up
incredible new adventures.
651
00:40:21,067 --> 00:40:23,667
- In a way, Tintin led him on.
652
00:40:23,667 --> 00:40:25,700
He was larger than life,
653
00:40:25,700 --> 00:40:27,300
and he had an
incredible intuition
654
00:40:27,300 --> 00:40:29,700
for finding whatever
enabled the character
655
00:40:29,700 --> 00:40:31,067
and his world to grow.
656
00:40:32,233 --> 00:40:34,800
He realized that each
album was an adventure,
657
00:40:34,800 --> 00:40:38,867
an adventure for Tintin, but
also an adventure for himself.
658
00:40:38,867 --> 00:40:41,133
He was looking for something.
659
00:40:41,133 --> 00:40:42,400
It had to be exciting,
660
00:40:42,400 --> 00:40:44,900
every page had to be
new and inventive,
661
00:40:44,900 --> 00:40:47,367
he had to create and
surprise himself.
662
00:40:51,433 --> 00:40:53,467
- Largely thanks
to the team around him,
663
00:40:53,467 --> 00:40:56,333
Herge was able to imagine
a futuristic adventure
664
00:40:56,333 --> 00:40:58,933
that demanded a good deal
of scientific research
665
00:40:58,933 --> 00:41:00,433
and technical drawings
666
00:41:00,433 --> 00:41:03,500
that were unprecedented
for comic books.
667
00:41:34,567 --> 00:41:38,400
In 1953, 16 years
before Neil Armstrong,
668
00:41:38,400 --> 00:41:40,167
Tintin walked on the moon.
669
00:41:43,967 --> 00:41:46,867
Herge and his heroes were
now ahead of their time.
670
00:41:48,233 --> 00:41:50,667
Readers were thrilled
by the two-volume story,
671
00:41:50,667 --> 00:41:53,200
and the albums were
phenomenally successful.
672
00:42:07,667 --> 00:42:09,300
The teamwork organization
673
00:42:09,300 --> 00:42:12,633
really proved itself in
"The Calculus Affair."
674
00:42:12,633 --> 00:42:13,900
Herge had become a master
675
00:42:13,900 --> 00:42:16,267
in scriptwriting
and plot breakdown,
676
00:42:16,267 --> 00:42:17,900
borrowing the most
effective framing
677
00:42:17,900 --> 00:42:20,100
and sequencing techniques
from the cinema.
678
00:42:23,467 --> 00:42:24,900
In "The Calculus Affair,"
679
00:42:24,900 --> 00:42:27,967
the panels are like
perfectly framed film shots,
680
00:42:29,067 --> 00:42:30,567
building the intensity
of each scene
681
00:42:30,567 --> 00:42:32,533
to a cliffhanger situation,
682
00:42:32,533 --> 00:42:35,167
encouraging the readers
to turn the page.
683
00:42:47,067 --> 00:42:49,767
The global success of
Tintin's adventures,
684
00:42:49,767 --> 00:42:52,133
now translated into
numerous languages,
685
00:42:52,133 --> 00:42:54,433
did little to appease Georges.
686
00:42:54,433 --> 00:42:56,067
After 25 years of marriage,
687
00:42:56,067 --> 00:42:59,633
his relationship with Germaine
was constantly deteriorating.
688
00:43:01,433 --> 00:43:03,333
Georges succumbed to the charms
689
00:43:03,333 --> 00:43:06,433
of a young colorist at the
studios, Fanny Vlamynck.
690
00:43:07,800 --> 00:43:10,133
The sudden attraction
led to a relationship
691
00:43:10,133 --> 00:43:12,333
as of autumn 1956.
692
00:43:15,200 --> 00:43:18,767
As a scout steeped in the
values of honor and fidelity,
693
00:43:18,767 --> 00:43:22,667
Georges felt guilty and was
ill at ease in his double life.
694
00:43:22,667 --> 00:43:24,233
He worked harder than ever
695
00:43:24,233 --> 00:43:25,533
and came up with an album
696
00:43:25,533 --> 00:43:27,233
that was perhaps
the most personal
697
00:43:27,233 --> 00:43:28,867
and poignant in the series.
698
00:44:00,067 --> 00:44:01,533
- Writing a story isn't something
699
00:44:01,533 --> 00:44:02,967
that you do artificially,
700
00:44:02,967 --> 00:44:05,900
just inventing a character
and various events.
701
00:44:05,900 --> 00:44:07,667
You put your whole
being into it.
702
00:44:09,833 --> 00:44:12,333
"Tintin in Tibet" really
reflects what was going on
703
00:44:12,333 --> 00:44:14,133
in Herge's life at that point.
704
00:44:15,100 --> 00:44:17,067
He was wondering what to do.
705
00:44:17,067 --> 00:44:19,767
He was in love with someone
else, but at the same time,
706
00:44:19,767 --> 00:44:21,767
he didn't want to
make Germaine unhappy.
707
00:44:21,767 --> 00:44:23,067
And in a certain way,
708
00:44:23,067 --> 00:44:25,233
we can read "Tintin in
Tibet" in that light.
709
00:44:26,667 --> 00:44:29,967
Tintin is certain that he can
find his friend Chang alive.
710
00:44:31,433 --> 00:44:33,933
And that's the pretext for a
battle against the elements,
711
00:44:33,933 --> 00:44:37,133
and ultimately, he has to
go beyond his own limits.
712
00:44:44,867 --> 00:44:46,367
The dreams of white,
713
00:44:46,367 --> 00:44:48,900
torments that Herge himself
experienced in his own dreams,
714
00:44:48,900 --> 00:44:50,900
which he noted down at the time.
715
00:44:50,900 --> 00:44:53,067
The white we can find
in "Tintin in Tibet"
716
00:44:53,067 --> 00:44:54,867
is also very telling.
717
00:44:54,867 --> 00:44:57,500
It's not by chance that Herge
was so fond of this episode,
718
00:44:57,500 --> 00:45:00,267
it was the one in which he
invested himself the most.
719
00:45:01,900 --> 00:45:03,900
- In the end,
against all the odds,
720
00:45:03,900 --> 00:45:06,267
Tintin finally finds Chang,
721
00:45:06,267 --> 00:45:08,800
and Herge regained
a certain serenity,
722
00:45:08,800 --> 00:45:10,833
aided by oriental philosophers
723
00:45:10,833 --> 00:45:12,967
who accompanied him
to the Himalayas.
724
00:45:15,800 --> 00:45:18,967
Georges left Germaine
in the autumn of 1960
725
00:45:18,967 --> 00:45:20,300
and moved in with Fanny.
726
00:45:22,200 --> 00:45:25,767
A new life opened
up at the age of 53.
727
00:45:25,767 --> 00:45:28,167
Far from the classic
bourgeois environment
728
00:45:28,167 --> 00:45:30,667
of Ceroux-Mousty,
Georges gave vent
729
00:45:30,667 --> 00:45:33,267
to his passion for
contemporary art.
730
00:45:33,267 --> 00:45:34,900
He became a keen collector,
731
00:45:34,900 --> 00:45:38,067
and surrounded himself
with abstract paintings,
732
00:45:38,067 --> 00:45:41,233
Frank Stella, Serge Poliakoff,
733
00:45:41,233 --> 00:45:44,500
Sonia Delaunay, Jean Dubuffet,
734
00:45:44,500 --> 00:45:46,500
the Belgian Louis Van Lint,
735
00:45:46,500 --> 00:45:49,367
or the slash canvasses
of Lucio Fontana.
736
00:45:52,567 --> 00:45:54,067
- I remember the first time
737
00:45:54,067 --> 00:45:56,600
I went into his office and
I saw what was on the walls.
738
00:45:57,933 --> 00:45:59,600
It was quite surprising.
739
00:45:59,600 --> 00:46:02,067
I'll tell you the
most striking thing.
740
00:46:02,067 --> 00:46:03,467
There were some white tiles
741
00:46:03,467 --> 00:46:05,867
with a plastic funeral
wreath underneath,
742
00:46:07,400 --> 00:46:08,867
a piece by Raynaurd.
743
00:46:08,867 --> 00:46:11,500
I remember Herge explaining
who Raynaurd was,
744
00:46:11,500 --> 00:46:13,200
and why he generally
expressed himself
745
00:46:13,200 --> 00:46:14,867
using very cold images,
746
00:46:14,867 --> 00:46:18,400
with taboos and
transgressions, et cetera.
747
00:46:19,833 --> 00:46:21,067
It can all be quite puzzling
748
00:46:21,067 --> 00:46:23,467
for someone who
doesn't understand it.
749
00:46:23,467 --> 00:46:27,233
So, he had that talent, that
interest in certain artists,
750
00:46:27,233 --> 00:46:29,133
and he didn't but
things inadvisably.
751
00:46:30,300 --> 00:46:32,467
He was drawn by the
artistic approach
752
00:46:32,467 --> 00:46:34,200
as much as by the work itself.
753
00:46:35,500 --> 00:46:38,100
- Art was a breath of fresh air.
754
00:46:38,100 --> 00:46:40,100
What if he was a
frustrated artist
755
00:46:40,100 --> 00:46:42,367
who had missed his vocation?
756
00:46:42,367 --> 00:46:45,233
Herge posed the question
himself in the early '60s
757
00:46:45,233 --> 00:46:48,533
when he began painting
abstract subjects.
758
00:46:48,533 --> 00:46:52,933
- Then he wanted, he said, "I
would like to do this myself.
759
00:46:52,933 --> 00:46:55,233
"I would like to see
if I can do this."
760
00:46:55,233 --> 00:46:57,400
So, in fact, he got in touch
761
00:46:57,400 --> 00:47:01,367
with a leading Belgian
abstract artist and said,
762
00:47:01,367 --> 00:47:03,600
"Could you give me lessons,
could you instruct me?"
763
00:47:03,600 --> 00:47:06,767
and he had sessions with him.
764
00:47:06,767 --> 00:47:10,867
And he did, I think,
37 abstract canvasses.
765
00:47:23,800 --> 00:47:27,700
But the judgment of the
artist who was advising him
766
00:47:27,700 --> 00:47:32,500
and of his friends were, "It's
something you enjoy doing,
767
00:47:32,500 --> 00:47:34,267
"perhaps getting
out of the system,
768
00:47:34,267 --> 00:47:37,433
"but what you are best
at doing is Tintin."
769
00:47:41,967 --> 00:47:43,567
- Herge realized that painting
770
00:47:43,567 --> 00:47:45,367
required a lifelong devotion.
771
00:47:47,067 --> 00:47:48,633
He laid his brushes aside,
772
00:47:48,633 --> 00:47:51,067
picking up his pen
and Chinese ink again
773
00:47:51,067 --> 00:47:53,633
in order to finish
another album.
774
00:47:53,633 --> 00:47:55,067
This was a weak low,
775
00:47:55,067 --> 00:47:57,567
where nothing or very
little actually happens.
776
00:47:58,467 --> 00:47:59,733
The whole Tintin family
777
00:47:59,733 --> 00:48:02,167
is gathered together
at Marlinspike Hall,
778
00:48:02,167 --> 00:48:03,767
and the vaudeville entertainment
779
00:48:03,767 --> 00:48:06,067
could almost have
been the final album,
780
00:48:06,067 --> 00:48:09,633
as "The Castafiore Emerald"
has an air of completion
781
00:48:09,633 --> 00:48:11,400
and contentedness about it.
782
00:48:14,600 --> 00:48:16,767
- When you create
a family of characters,
783
00:48:16,767 --> 00:48:19,667
at some point, readers become
attached to each of them
784
00:48:19,667 --> 00:48:21,067
and wait for them to return.
785
00:48:22,733 --> 00:48:25,867
People expect to see Calculus
and the Thomsons, et cetera,
786
00:48:27,300 --> 00:48:29,467
and they're disappointed
if one is missing.
787
00:48:30,633 --> 00:48:32,567
So, the system becomes
a little parochial.
788
00:48:34,533 --> 00:48:37,833
What's extraordinary with
"The Castafiore Emerald"
789
00:48:37,833 --> 00:48:40,200
is that he ultimately
manages to turn the system
790
00:48:40,200 --> 00:48:43,067
on its head and
reverse everything,
791
00:48:43,067 --> 00:48:45,567
with an idea that I think
is incredibly daring.
792
00:48:47,100 --> 00:48:48,467
Tintin doesn't go anywhere.
793
00:48:49,867 --> 00:48:51,800
As a child, you might
like this story a bit less
794
00:48:51,800 --> 00:48:54,267
because maybe it's
too sophisticated,
795
00:48:54,267 --> 00:48:57,267
but when you read it now,
it's quite a remarkable feat.
796
00:49:07,333 --> 00:49:08,567
What's wonderful with Herge
797
00:49:08,567 --> 00:49:10,900
is that he really
believes in comics.
798
00:49:10,900 --> 00:49:13,900
He believes that comics can
translate every type of emotion.
799
00:49:15,300 --> 00:49:17,200
They can make you cry and
laugh, and puzzle you,
800
00:49:17,200 --> 00:49:18,333
and haunt your dreams.
801
00:49:22,700 --> 00:49:24,933
- Herge is a veritable author,
802
00:49:24,933 --> 00:49:27,900
in the sense that he
expresses his obsessions,
803
00:49:27,900 --> 00:49:31,933
he presents his vision of
the world, a form of humor.
804
00:49:31,933 --> 00:49:34,567
He makes it a very
personal form of expression
805
00:49:34,567 --> 00:49:37,733
and, almost unconsciously,
a private journal.
806
00:49:39,100 --> 00:49:42,200
Tintin is an idealized
projection of Herge,
807
00:49:42,200 --> 00:49:45,367
but Herge is as much
Haddock, or Calculus,
808
00:49:45,367 --> 00:49:47,233
or even perhaps the Thomsons,
809
00:49:47,233 --> 00:49:49,233
and Bianca Castafiore, who knows?
810
00:49:55,800 --> 00:49:58,067
After 50 years of cohabitation,
811
00:49:58,067 --> 00:50:01,267
Herge and Tintin
were reconciled.
812
00:50:01,267 --> 00:50:03,600
He realized that, after
a string of adventures
813
00:50:03,600 --> 00:50:07,800
begun in 1929, he had
finally created a major work
814
00:50:07,800 --> 00:50:09,933
that would mark
comic book history
815
00:50:09,933 --> 00:50:11,867
and, no doubt, art history too.
816
00:50:16,067 --> 00:50:18,000
To celebrate their
golden anniversary,
817
00:50:18,000 --> 00:50:20,400
Herge made a
caricature of himself
818
00:50:20,400 --> 00:50:22,067
and his life as a prisoner,
819
00:50:22,067 --> 00:50:24,833
gray-haired and chained
to his drawing table.
820
00:50:39,300 --> 00:50:41,800
Yes, we met
first five years ago.
821
00:50:41,800 --> 00:50:43,433
- At the end of the 1970s,
822
00:50:43,433 --> 00:50:46,533
the modern art fan gained
a passion for pop art,
823
00:50:48,200 --> 00:50:51,033
and his office featured
paintings by Roy Lichtenstein.
824
00:50:52,233 --> 00:50:54,067
Andy Warhol himself
made the inventor
825
00:50:54,067 --> 00:50:56,167
of modern comics a pop icon.
826
00:50:58,167 --> 00:51:01,400
But time was running out
for Georges, he was ill.
827
00:51:04,700 --> 00:51:07,733
He was diagnosed with
bone marrow cancer.
828
00:51:18,500 --> 00:51:23,100
He bought one last artwork,
in 1982, Bleu de Nuit,
829
00:51:23,100 --> 00:51:25,967
a Polaroid mosaic
by Stefan de Jaeger,
830
00:51:25,967 --> 00:51:28,500
in which a ghostly
double seems to emerge.
831
00:51:30,400 --> 00:51:33,200
Georges Remi, Herge,
perhaps responsible
832
00:51:33,200 --> 00:51:34,900
for raising comics and cartoons
833
00:51:34,900 --> 00:51:37,133
to the status of the ninth art,
834
00:51:37,133 --> 00:51:40,100
died on March the 3rd, 1983.
835
00:51:40,100 --> 00:51:42,367
He specified that,
after his death,
836
00:51:42,367 --> 00:51:46,933
no one else should ever create
another Tintin adventure.
62779
Can't find what you're looking for?
Get subtitles in any language from opensubtitles.com, and translate them here.