Corto Maltese: La cour secrète des Arcanes (2002)

Note Générale:

6,5/10   

Réalisateur:

Pascal Morelli

Scénaristes:

Natalia Borodin (writer)
Hugo Pratt (graphic novel "Corto Sconta dette Arcana")

Date de sortie:

25 septembre 2002 (France)

Genre:

Animation | Aventure | Drame | Romance | Guerre

Intrigue:

At the end of 1918 while civil war is raging on in Russia, antagonism is slowly spreading to the East...

Plot Keywords:

Train | Gold | Secret Organization | Prostitute | Siberia

Avis des utilisateurs:

As good as possible.

Ensemble

Richard Berry	...	Corto Maltese (voice)
Patrick Bouchitey	...	Raspoutine (voice)
Barbara Schulz	...	Changaï Li (voice)
Marie Trintignant	...	La Duchesse Marina Seminova (voice)
Frédéric van den Driessche	...	(voice)
Marc Chapiteau	...	(voice)
Maxime Leroux	...	(voice)
reste de la distribution par ordre alphabétique:
Hervé Bellon	...	(voice)
Philippe Cotten	...	(voice)
Emmanuel Curtil	...	(voice)
Patrice Dozier	...	(voice)
Jean-Michel Dupuis	...	(voice)
Sébastien Fromanger	...	(voice)
Bô Geste	...	(voice)
Christophe Guichet	...	(voice)
Fabrice Josso	...	(voice)
Nadja Nguyen	...	(voice)
Laure Sabardin	...	(voice)
François Siener	...	(voice)
Benjamin Van Meggelem	...	(voice)

Autre(s) titre(s):

Corto Maltese en Sibérie (France) (working title)

Durée:

92 min

Pays:

France | Italy | Luxembourg

Langue:

Français

Couleur:

Couleur

Classification:

Finland:K-11 | France:U | Switzerland:14 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Vaud)

Lieux de tournage:

Cuba

Société:

Canal+

Connexions:

figure dans "Troldspejlet: (#32.14)" (2004)

As good as possible.

Being a big fan of Hugo Pratt's comic, I was pleased with this animated adaptation of Corto Maltese. The plot was most faithful to the original graphic novel, the dialogue being used almost verbatim. This must've been somewhat risky, since the story isn't exactly easy to follow. Animated features cost more than comics, so they also need bigger audiences, and the film-makers must've been tempted to tighten the pace and cut some of the historical references. Luckily, they haven't done so.

The drawing style is also truthful to Pratt, and the animation is as good as it can be without a Disney budget. Regarding this, one could even say that the faithfulness of the adaptation is a limiting factor. Pratt's contemplative and somewhat static form of storytelling is perhaps unfitting for an animated film, since animation has a different set of dynamics than comics.

The biggest flaw with the film is something that couldn't have been helped: the original comic is a long series of stories, of which the film can offer only a slice. Pratt's world isn't the easiest to enter, and seeing one film (or reading one comic, to that matter) probably isn't enough to make one see what's so special about Corto Maltese. The friendship between Corto and Rasputin, one of the most interesting aspects of the comic, is well conveyed in this particular story. But to wholly understand this relationship one needs to know their past - which the film can only refer to. The film-makers' choice of not starting from the beginning is understandable, since the first Corto Maltese story isn't the best or the most filmable of the bunch.

To sum it up: while I liked the film very much, someone not familiar with the comic probably doesn't get as much out of it. The best thing this film can do is to acquaint such people with Pratt's masterful work.