This is one of those movies where every time you watch it, you notice something different (especially if you are a fan of the books and can catch all the references).
If you look carefully... there is actually a mini-side-plot during the whole Bagghar scene. If you aren't watching closely, you can easily miss it. And I think that this little side-plot thing perfectly captures Herge's writing. It's something he totally would have done in his books.
It starts out when Tintin and Captain Haddock are walking through Bagghar.... You see these signs in the background:
The people of Bagghar are suffering from a water shortage. Yet, later on in the film, you see this outside the home of Omar Ben Salaad (their wealthy leader):
A big, beautiful lake! Soon after, Captain Haddock shoots the dam that was keeping the water from Ben Salaad's people.
The people of Bagghar are very happy to have their water back.
They are so happy, in fact, that they don't even care that Tintin and his friends are destroying their city (something that I hate in movies... they did that in National Treasure to - destroy London and then leave without taking care of the damage).
It's kind of fun to watch the water in this scene (and all the different people trying to collect it)... In the background (right before Tintin rides through the spices and makes everything orange and dusty) you can see the water, which has been travelling through the city, down towards the ocean, pop up out of a fountain (showing that it is still, indeed, travelling down towards water, just like Tintin and his friends. They are all going down and end up in the same place. So does that one tank that is stuck in the hotel).
Herge deals with a lot of political things in his books, and a lot of morally unjust things. This little background plot in the movie fits with both of those criteria, and I think that Peter Jackson, Steven Spielberg, and the writers did an excellent job of portraying that part of the Tintin books - and all in the background as well! Not one comment was made about it by the characters. I think that's pretty cool.
Live long and prosper!
Love this movie!! :) lol I've read all the books (I did so before the movie came out, which was why I was so excited to see it) and I still didn't notice that! That is so cool! Very good at seeing that, Abbey:)
ReplyDeleteThat's a really cool thing I never noticed when watching the movie! I've never read any of the comics, though...
ReplyDeleteVery observant... and spoken like a true Tintinologist!!
ReplyDeleteAs many times as I've watched it and noticed the water and how they had none and he had it all, I never really paid attention. But it is really cool! As you said, I could see Herge doing something like that in his books - I mean, he did do things like that.
ReplyDeleteThis is why I don't like it when people say Herge would be mad about this movie. I think he would have loved it because it keeps to the character of his books. Maybe it didn't follow them exact, but it has their spirit.
Now all we need is a second........
I'm glad I'm not the only one who feels that way about Camp NaNo. I've been having fun, but it just isn't the same doing it in the summer.
And yes, a cliff hanger ending. MAWHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!