La Ballade des Dalton (1978)

La Ballade des Dalton is a French western first released in 1978, directed by René Goscinny, Henri Gruel, Morris and Pierre Watrin.  The film stars Daniel Ceccaldi, Pierre Trabaud, Jacques Balutin, Gérard Hernandez    and Pierre Tornade.  It has also been released under the title: The Ballad of the Daltons.  Our overall rating for this film is: very good.


The villainous Dalton brothers are a few days into their 2,400 year-long prison sentence when they learn of the death of their Uncle Henry.  Before he was hung for his many crimes, Henry wrote a will in which he left the Daltons his entire fortune, provided they kill the eight jury members and the judge who sentenced him to death.  To ensure the terms of the will are honoured, Henry also insists that the nine killings be witnessed by Lucky Luke, a notorious good guy and the Daltons’ sworn enemy.  Having broken out of their prison, the Daltons collect Lucky Luke and offer him a share in their inheritance if he agrees to play along with them.  The mild-mannered cowboy accepts the offer and appears strangely eager to cooperate with the Daltons…

After Tintin and Astérix, the most enduring comic creation in French culture is most probably Lucky Luke, whose Wild West cartoon adventures continue to delight thousands of children and adults.  Created by René Goscinny (of Astérix fame) and Morris, Lucky Luke is a tongue-in-cheek caricature of the taciturn Western hero, the seemingly inoffensive lawman who uses brains, not brawn, to defeat his opponents.  The character made his film début in Daisy Town in 1971, directed by his creator, René Goscinny.  This was followed by La Ballade des Dalton, which was released shortly after Goscinny’s death in 1977.  Lucky Luke has since reappeared in film form on a few occasions, but La Ballade des Dalton remains unquestionably the best in the series.

With its inventive script, colourful characters and relentless sequence of madcap visual jokes, La Ballade des Dalton is the kind of animated film that appeals as much to adults as to children.  The film’s greatest strength is the quality of its characterisation – from the decidedly nasty Daltons to the loveable (but unimaginably thick) dog Ran Tan Plan, not to mention Lucky Luke and a cavalcade of lesser creations, each character is distinctive and memorable.  Another asset is Claude Bolling’s music, which is used to greatest effect in the brilliant ballad of the film’s title and an amazing sequence which pays homage to (or cheekily parodies) the Hollywood musical.

La Ballade des Dalton is certainly a classic of its genre, lovingly created, witty, intelligent, and a wonderful piece of escapist fun – like so much of Goscinny’s work.  Fans of Astérix, the classic American western and cartoons in general are unlikely to be disappointed by this magnificent example of French animation.

© James Travers 2005

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