Origin:

Not directly based on any of Hergé's Tintin stories, it was about a ship, La Toison d'or, that was bequeathed to Tintin's sailor friend Captain Haddock. As it turned out later, the ship had hidden on board the stolen gold from the central bank of a Latin American country. Although the friends had to battle baddies (and win) the end result was that no gold was found. "Mais alors" this cannot be true as the gold-ometer tells me it is there - and it was, hidden in the hand rails!

Belgian cartoonist Georges Rémi (1907-1983) first started drawing Tintin in 1929 for the weekly supplement to the newspaper Vingtieme Siecle (20th Century). The first Tintin book was Tintin in the Land of the Soviets (1930). The Tintin series of 24 hardback albums have been translated into more than 50 languages, and sold more than 200 million copies worldwide, backed up with a vast range of spin-off toys this makes Tintin the most popular cartoon character in the world, putting the likes of younger upstarts such as Superman into the shade.

Synopsis:

This children's adventure yarn stars one of the most famous comic-strip characters in Europe, Tintin, personified in the flesh by Jean-Pierre Talbot. The teen-ager Tintin and his dog are going to help their friend, Captain Haddock (Charles Wilson) on a special quest. The good but crotchety captain has inherited a ship and he needs to go to Turkey to pick it up and sail it home. Once the trio (including the dog) arrive at their destination, they quickly discover that the ship is far from being ship-shape. And so why is someone trying to assassinate them in order to get their hands on the sea-going craft? Maybe the rickety ship has a secret.

© Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide

Prequels, Sequels and Follow-ons:

Tintin et les Oranges Bleues (1964) Director: Philippe Condroyer Starring: Jean Bouise, Felix Fernandez, Jenny Orleans

Tintin and the Secret of the Unicorn (2011 - Spielberg film due out)