Asterix the Gaul (film)

Asterix the Gaul ( Original title: Astérix le Gaulois ) is the first Asterix cartoon from 1967, the French-Belgian co-production based on the first, eponymous, comic book by Albert Uderzo and René Goscinny. .

Action

While BC all Gaul is subject to and occupied by the Romans in 50 AD, the inhabitants of a small Gallic village on the coast of Armorica continue to make resistance. To be able to stand against the Roman supremacy, they use this one brewed by the Druid Getafix potion that gives superhuman strength. One of the bravest warriors of the village is the clever Asterix. This is friends with the good-natured, but somewhat simple-minded Obelix.

Gaius bonus, the centurion and commander of the Roman camp Compendium is angry that you now for over five years besieged the Gauls village and not one step progresses. Together with Marcus Schmalzlockus he devises a plan to finally discover the secret of the superhuman strength of the Gauls: A dressed as Roman Gaul spy to be transported into the village. Since reporting no volunteers, organized to the game "Trip to Rome " in which the Legionnaires Caligula loses minus. He is sent as alleged prisoner of the Romans in the forest, where he is actually exempt from Asterix and Obelix and brought to the village. Compared to the Gauls he declared he was a tourist guide from Lutetia named Kannwenix Minimix. Getafix makes him either taste the potion. He then, however, unmasked as drops him at the traditional dance his false beard.

After his unmasking the spy flees back to Compendium and reported to Gaius bonus, which now wants to get to the recipe of the potion and then the druid Getafix had kidnapped. Asterix can be driven on the oxcart of a trader by Compendium and gets hidden in the hay to the camp, where he finds the captive Getafix and then gives the Romans. Gaius bonus will overthrow with the help of magic potion Julius Caesar gain power in the Roman Empire and therefore requires the Druids that he concocts the potion for him, what this ultimately does. After all the Romans have tasted it, the alleged magic potion but turns out to be highly potent hair restorer. Getafix agrees to brew an antidote, which he takes the opportunity the way to brew the potion for Asterix.

Just when Getafix and Asterix will flee from Compendium, Julius Caesar achieved with an overwhelming number of legionaries the camp. When the Gauls report that Gaius bonus would march with the magic potion to Rome to overthrow Caesar, Gaius makes this bonus to Mongolia punitive move. Thanks to Caesar Asterix and Getafix can freely and both return back to their village.

Publication

The film was shot without the knowledge of the authors Goscinny and Uderzo. Originally, the company had planned to film several Asterix albums and divide them as a series for television. After a test screening of " Asterix the Gaul " Uderzo and Goscinny showed himself very angry about the project and criticized, especially the character style. Nevertheless, they gave their consent for the theatrical release, but they stopped the nearly finished filming of ' The Golden Sickle ' to start their own, more complex project. The film negatives to " The Golden Sickle " had to be completely destroyed.

To the film, there are three different German dubbed versions: In addition to the version for the German cinema premiere on July 16, 1971, Synchronous revision including new music was to cinema re-release on April 6, 1984 created that also from the November 29, 1985 the GDR was seen. For the release of the movie on video and DVD on December 27, 2001, a dialect version of Saxon was created, in which again the original music was used. The DVD also contains the 88- minute documentary René Goscinny - A Life for the humor ( Original title: René Goscinny: Profession humoriste ) by Michel Viotte from 1998 in French language with German subtitles.

Synchronization

Reviews

" The first Asterix movie disappointed in the German version by his lack of dialogue joke. The reissue 13 years later took place in a noticeably better resynchronization. "

"Did recognized patina, but still funny. "

Soundtrack

• Gérard Calvi: Astérix le Gaulois. Excerpts from the original soundtrack. In: Astérix au cinéma. 33 titres en version originale. Play -Time ( SMA) / BMG, Paris 1996 phonograms no. PL 961226/3017682 - Excerpts from the original recording of film music conducted by the composer.