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Dark and disturbing scene in the Tintin albums?

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waveofplague
Member
#1 · Posted: 6 Apr 2007 18:05
I was reading Flight 714 today and the scene with Allan and Rastapopoulos, wherein we first discover Allan's lost his teeth and the ensuing scene, I found to be quite disturbing. The way he looked without teeth, as well as his speech impediment, not to mention the harsh and brutal way in which Rastapopoulos treats him, is most graphic. I mean, if I lost my teeth, I'd be utterly beside myself and would certainly not tolerate anybody screaming at me. But to Allan it's just any old thing.

What scene in any of the Tintin books stands out in your mind as being eerie/disturing/unsettling?
jock123
Moderator
#2 · Posted: 6 Apr 2007 22:03
What scene in any of the Tintin books stands out in your mind as being eerie/disturing/unsettling?
Apart from the animated mummy going about its grizzly business in the nightmarish bits of Seven Crystal Balls, which are fairly gruesome, I’d have to say that the scenes of the apparent end of the world in Shooting Star, with the melting road and the rats and the prophet with his gong do it for me; I don’t know quite how Hergé did it exactly, but the oppressive heat just shimmers off the page, and the strange use of shadow and light makes the whole sense of madness very real. That gets my vote for sheer eeriness.
Balthazar
Moderator
#3 · Posted: 6 Apr 2007 22:09
I think the famous scene in The Seven Crystal Balls of the Inca mummy (whose name I won't get right unless I go and look it up) coming through the window of Tintin's bedroom in his prescient dream has to be one of the most vividly disturbing.

Regarding Allan's loss of teeth: I think we're maybe meant to assume that he had a set of false teeth (more common for a man of his age back then), which were knocked out, rather than that he's had real teeth smashed from his gums. I don't know if that interpretation makes it any less disturbing for you, waveofplague - I hope it might!
waveofplague
Member
#4 · Posted: 6 Apr 2007 23:28
I haven't read Tintin in the Congo, but apparently Tintin tries to dynamite a rhino in that one. I rather doubt we'd find it very disturbing because as I understand it, Hergé's artwork was new and in fairly crude stages back then. Certainly, a more vivid sense of scene is found in the later books, with a more sophisticated plot and better artwork.
Isabel a marche sur la lune
Member
#5 · Posted: 7 Apr 2007 05:21
I was thinking the dynamite rhino, myself. Personally, i don't count Tintin in the congo in with the others, really, it's SO bad, like all he does in the book is kill animals, which isn't the tintin i know. Anyway, the rhino blows up into smithereems because he used too much dynamite, that is after hanging from a tree to drill a little hole in the rhino's back to stick the dynamite in. Like really, unless you're a complete metalhead, you must agree its ridiculous!


I always thought that the ship full of slaves in Coke En Stock was the most *disturbing* though.

I was also surprised in Tintin Au Pays de L'Or Noir when Dr. Muller realizes he's defeated then tries to shoot himself; it always seemed to me like a far departure from anything Herge would put into his work.

I've always enforced the view (as i have based many projects and such on Tintin) that underneath the PG-rated cartoon, there are some very dark issues present.

P.S. I'm sorry, i haven't quite learned all the book titles in English yet.
tuhatkauno
Member
#6 · Posted: 7 Apr 2007 10:44
The inca mummy is ultimately spooky. As a young boy (30 years ago) I was really scared of the mummy and even nowadays it gives me the creeps. (a little bit like the shadows of the skeleton swordsmen on the walls of the Scottish castle in Donald Duck story)

As an adult I have an oppressive feeling when I see Captain in "the land of thirst". An awful hangover, nothing to drink in the middle of the desert and in the end a surrealistic look in his eyes. After that experience everybody is ready to join S.S.S. or something alike.
Isabel a marche sur la lune
Member
#7 · Posted: 8 Apr 2007 02:58
The inca mummy is ultimately spooky. As a young boy (30 years ago) I was really scared of the mummy and even nowadays it gives me the creeps.

I can certainly identify with you on that one; when i was 3 or 4 years old, i used to call my parents in the middle of the night to check behind my cupboard doors and such to make sure he wasn't about to leap out. I lost alot of sleep over that guy. Mind you, it wasn't long until my parents started me on Star Trek, so i had infinitely scarier things to be afraid of in the dark. :P

After watching the Temple of the sun today, i was reminded of how weird those tripped out, psychedelic hallucination sequences are!! In Temple and in The Paharoh's cigars, they're such a surprise in comparison to all of herge's other work, which i think denotes versailte talents on his part.
skut
Member
#8 · Posted: 13 Apr 2007 05:49
Allan's lack of teeth in Flight 174 is one of the most hilarious moments in any Tintin book, if you ask me! ("Impoffible, boff, I lost my teef! Confoundef Fondenifians, vey did vif to me!")

One part that stands out for me as totally creepy is when Tintin descends into the tomb of Kih Oskh and finds various pieces of Sarcophagus' clothing. Then, of course, discovers the mummies with three empty coffins ready and waiting for them. And let's not forget Tintin's hallucinations when he's knocked out by the gas a few moments later.
waveofplague
Member
#9 · Posted: 13 Apr 2007 23:44
let's not forget Tintin's hallucinations when he's knocked out by the gas a few moments later.

I agree about the hallucinations. I don't know about the rest being all that disturbing to me, though. Cigars is one of the earlier books and so the drawing is sorta cartoony. I hate to say it but I thought the empty coffins were kind of silly.

Another scene I found creepy was in Flight 714. It's really just one panel, but it's chilling. Right after Tintin, the Captain, and the rest descend into the cave on the island, we see this ancient tribal carving of a huge face in the rock. It's really eerie, I think, especially on the inside of a dark and creepy cave.
Shaggy Milou
Member
#10 · Posted: 14 Apr 2007 11:07
For creepy, I don't think anything tops the scene in "King Ottokar's Sceptre" when Tintin is duped into believing that he's just eaten Snowy.

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