Film Review
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.
Alan Ladd's
Shane may have been his
role model. 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 - most recently as a live-action version
played by Jean Dujardin in
Lucky Luke (2009) -
but
La Ballade des Dalton remains unquestionably his
best screen outing to date.
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
The above content is owned by filmsdefrance.com and must not be copied.
Film Synopsis
The Wild West has its fair share of desperados, but few are as desperate
as the Dalton brothers, the sad bunch of despicable outlaws who are now just
a few days into their two and half thousand year long prison sentence.
They have the incentive they need to escape when they learn that their rich
uncle Henry has just been hanged and has left them a fortune in his will.
But there is a catch. In order to collect the money, the Daltons must
kill each member of the jury and the magistrate, Judge Groovy, who convicted
him. And to ensure that the terms of the will are met in full, each
of the murders must be witnessed by someone who is beyond reproach, namely
Lucky Luke.
Without delay, the Daltons break out of their prison cell and go after their
sworn enemy, intending to kill him if he refuses to play ball. It is
Joe Dalton who has the idea of bribing the seemingly incorruptible cowboy,
offering him a large share of the inheritance if he will agree to witness
the killings. Lucky Luke takes the Daltons by surprise by agreeing
to their plan, but in fact he has his own little scheme in mind. By
exercising his ingenuity, the intrepid cowboy manages to save each of the
nine intended victims, whilst letting the criminals think they are getting
away with murder...
© James Travers
The above content is owned by filmsdefrance.com and must not be copied.