Tintin et les oranges bleues (1964) - film review

Shortly after he receives a mysterious package containing a blue orange, Professor Tournesol is kidnapped.  Tintin, Captain Haddock and trusty dog Milou trace the professor to Valencia, Spain, where they find their friend is being held prisoner, along with another world-famous scientist, by some fiendish arch-criminal…

This is the second 1960s live action big screen adaptation of Tintin’s adventures, not to be confused with the better known (and more widely distributed) animated films. As in its predecessor, Tintin et le mystère de la toison d’or, Jean-Pierre Talbot plays the hero, instantly recognisable as the gutsy boy reporter Tintin, but Captain Haddock is now played by Jean Bouise, who is a pretty poor replacement for Georges Wilson. On balance, this is the weaker of the two Tintin films – the plot is more juvenile, the characters more wooden, and it lacks the fun, charm and sophistication of Hergé’s original stories. That said, there are a few memorable comic moments (particularly from Milou), and fans of the original Tintin stories will find something to delight them in this film.

© James Travers 2000

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