Tintin et les oranges bleues [Tintin and the Blue Oranges] (1964)
(Fourth or fifth viewing, On TV, January 2022) As someone who grew up on Tintin albums and whatever movies were re-run on over-the-air TV, there’s quite a bit of nostalgia in revisiting Tintin et les oranges bleues after a few decades. I still remembered bits and pieces of the film, but not enough to make this a repetitive experience. It’s not bad—the visual similarities to the comic book are astonishing, and the sense of adventure in mid-1960s Spain makes for a strong atmosphere. (Alas, the version still broadcast on French-Canadian TV channels is faded and dull—I’m told there’s a more recent restoration, but this wasn’t it.) But while this second live-action Tintin film has a few fun gadgets, stunts and characters and was probably my favourite growing up thanks to the focus on Professeur Tournesol, I now like the previous live-action film (Tintin et la toison d’or) a bit more due to its sense of adventure. Oh well—I’m not sure how much of Tintin et les oranges bleues holds up for modern kids who haven’t mainlined the albums yet: it suspects that the decrepit, gritty, almost disreputable cinematography doesn’t help, nor the rather strong stereotypes about the Arabic characters. For me, though, it’s quite a bit of fun and a welcome excuse to revisit a film I saw a few times as a kid.