Cinema Wednesdays - Jonas Follonier
The animated film Asterix - The secret of the magic potion is a great success. By combining all the ingredients of a children's film, it also delights older viewers. Here are a few impressions.
A cartoon? Am I really going to the cinema to see this? These were naturally the thoughts of the prejudiced being that I am. Fortunately, curiosity is always part of the equation! And what a positive surprise it was to see it on screen, so much so that what was offered to me was not only a good time, but a real spectacle. As the Vaudois would say, I was «disappointed in a good way».
The ingredients of a good animated film
Going to see a cartoon is in a way like going to see a film. destiny animated. Indeed, in a successful animated film such as this one, we are presented with a wealth of adventures, colors and characters. Asterix - The secret of the magic potion, telling the story of the druid Panoramix, who leads the village in the quest for a successor for his magical gifts, has the great advantage of always keeping the rhythm. May certain contemporary creations from a seventh art still stuck in the New Wave draw inspiration from it!
An animated film as we love them also has the merit of counting on quality instrumental music. The classical music that opens the prologue of’Asterix is worthy of the great Tom and Jerry. But at this stage, you haven't seen, or rather heard, anything yet. Wait for the opening credits. There, the various characters - Gauls, animals, others - begin to perform a kind of hilarious choreography, giving rise to what the French philosopher Henri Bergson defined as the essence of comedy: the stiffness of the mechanical where one would expect life.
Animals alone are laughable in themselves: if you think about it, an animal is funny. It's always funny. Especially in an animated film. For the simple reason that, in this kind of cinema, the artificial animal resembles us, which is a sign of an abundance of burlesque: who would be so pretentious as to claim to equal man, who alone holds the key to language, reason and - precisely - laughter?
Christian Clavier's voice alone is funny.
If you're still with me, let's take a look at the voices. off. A fundamental element in films of this type, the voices given to the characters certainly have a major influence on the viewer's experience. In the case of Asterix, it was Christian Clavier who did the voice-over, having already played the Gaul in the films. A little ridiculous, we thought for a moment, thinking of the blond hair of the not-so-wanting character dubbed by a not-so-young actor. But what a funny voice!
A cartoon makes us wonder even more about the uniqueness of the voice of the Frenchman who played Jacquouille in The Visitors than Claude Verneuil in What have we done to God?. And perhaps we can put our finger on one element: the pronunciation of the nasal diphthong «in», or «hein» if you prefer. Imagine Asterix, in the design so typical of today's animated films, and stick on this phrase uttered by Clavier: «What's this zinziiin? He's from the coiiin?», or: «He's diiingue!». Funny, but funny!
That's the power of animation. And particularly’Asterix - The secret of the magic potion directed by Louis Clichy and Alexandre Astier. To give us a good time. Whether or not we can guess the film's mechanisms. Whether you're a child or an adult. As for the messages the film may convey about the society in which we live, why not consider them secondary? Let's have fun and eat some wild boar.
Write to the author: jonas.follonier@leregardlibre.com
Photo credit: © Pathé Films AG
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