rich23434565 Member
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#28 · Posted: 15 May 2005 13:08
the drawing is possibly the worst in the canon. It's scratchy, seems rushed, and is occasionally grotesque.
Oh, I can't possibly agree with that :) I'd side more with Thompson's verdict in 'Hergé and his Creation': "Artistically, the book is his greatest achievement" As Thompson goes on to say, Flight 714 was a huge collaborative effort by the Hergé studio but (and I think this is the book's greatest triumph): 'Hergé deserves special credit for the cinematic ingenuity of his composition. With more use of the long shot and the close-up than before, almost every frame within the scene offers an intriguing variant on its predecessor'.
The projection of the narrative through these carefully crafted frames is nothing short of astounding.
I do take the point that there's a strangely malicious element to the humour, especially in the depiction of Rastapopoulos and Allan - he spares them nothing, gleefully making them as ridiculous as possible, suffering all manner of petty humiliations, such as Allan losing his dentures and Rastapopoulos's smack on the head. Yes, it's grotesque at times, even cruel, perhaps evidence of Herge's increasing weariness with his characters. Carreidas is loathsome - just repellent, totally devoid of any redeeming feature. The point, I think, Herge was trying to make was that there's really no difference between Carreidas and Rastapopoulos, both being cast from the same mould, both immoral in their own ways.
As for the aliens, as other posters have said, it really is just a sign of the cultural times in which the book was written. Erich von Däniken has already been mentioned, although it does seem clear that, as in other books, Hergé had to scramble to fit the story into the format.
I think it's a small price to pay for such a wonderful piece of cartoon art and wealth of dark humour.
Rich
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