9

HERGÉ
 CONTENTS
5
2011, Tintin to the cinema!
editorial

6
How cinema inspired Georges Remi
report

16
Hergé, Tintin, Quick and Flupke on the big screen
cinema

32
Following in Tintin’s footsteps
discovery

40
Hergé Museum
news

48
Chronologie d’une œuvre, the final volume
news

Jean-Pierre Talbot and Hergé,

Tintin et le Mystère de la Toison d’Or [1961]
 editorial
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2011, TINTIN TO THE CINEMA!

This issue of Hergé magazine is dedicated to

Tintin and the cinema. The forthcoming release
of Steven Spielberg and Peter Jackson’s The Ad-
ventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn begs
a retrospective on the influence of cinema in the
work of Hergé, and on the films and animated
television series that were inspired by Hergé’s
stories.

To begin with we take a look at the era in which

Hergé grew up, particularly the 1920s, a time when
cinema was very different to what is has become
today. Discover an exhaustive list of the films fea-
turing Hergé, Tintin and Quick and Flupke, and find
out about the latest television series Sur les traces
de Tintin based on Hergé’s most famous character
and produced by French television channel Arte.
See who has been visiting the Hergé Museum
over the past few months.

The final pages of Hergé 9 contain an exclusive

interview with author and ‘Hergéologist’ Philippe
Goddin, to mark the publication of the seventh
and final volume of the Chronologie d’une œuvre
series.

In September Hergé magazine will make way for

the new newsletter being published for members
of the Hergé Museum society, the Amis du Musée
Hergé.
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HOW CINEMA INSPIRED GEORGES REMI

At the time Tintin set off on his first adventure on 10 January
1929, the first ‘talkies’ were being screened.

GEORGES REMI DISCOVERS CINEMA

Georges Remi was born in Brussels on 22 May 1907, around a

dozen years after the birth of cinema. His mother, Elizabeth Remi,
often took her son to the cinema, particularly during the years 1917
and 1918. Among the establishments they visited were the Cinéma
des Galeries, the same movie theatre in which the Lumière brothers
screened their first movies in 1896. By the time the future Hergé was
watching films in the cinema, there were movie theatres all over the
centre of Brussels. At the beginning of the 1920s the number grew
from 23 to no less than 71 cinemas, all located around the Bourse,
the Rue Neuve and the Place de Brouckère. These were the years
of the Pathé Palace, the Eldorado, the Trocadero and the Capitole.
Cinemas soon spread outwards into other districts of Brussels, all
the way up to the Gare du Nord [where movie theatres were of-
ten twinned with hotels] and then springing into existence around
the Place Madou. The Grand Casino [which became the Mirano in
1934], for example, was founded on the Chaussée de Louvain.

But what kind of films were these picture-houses screening? It

should be noted that, to begin with, films were often projected in
large restaurants and public halls, before permanent projection
galleries were set up. It was in some of these fledgling cinemas
that Hergé discovered Charlie Chaplin, Harry Langdon, Buster Built in 1913
Keaton and Harold Lloyd. He would later come to admire Stan by Art Nouveau
master Paul Hamesse,
Laurel and Oliver Hardy. The rapid-fire succession of gags and the Pathé Palace
puns clearly made an impression on the young man. Hergé be- on Boulevard Anspach,
came, without knowing it, an expert in slapstick humour. Silent considered the jewel
in the crown of the Charles
films also taught him a valuable lesson: that it was possible for a Pathé company, is the oldest
picture to tell the whole story. cinema in Belgium.
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CAPTURING MOTION AND EMOTION

Cinema screenings of the 1920s were never a one-film affair. The Hergé absorbed all the details of silent cinema: the shots, the edit-
main feature was accompanied by complementary short films, ing and the actors’ expressions and movements. During his career
news reports and cartoons adapted from comic strip series such as as a comic strip author he would adapt cinematic techniques to
Little Nemo by Winsor McCay [1867-1934] and Krazy Kat by George his ‘still’ format, rendering movement within a world of ink and
Herriman [1880-1944]. Georges Remi was captivated by these ad- paper and playing the roles of writer and director at the same
ditional programs. time. Hergé would have no need for animated cartoons to tell an
Tintin’s universe would action-packed and fast-paced adventure: it was the imagination
never be complete
without slapstick. The young man was enthusiastic about all genres: a real movie-buff. of the reader that would create movement on the page.
The sequence below
is taken from It was in cinemas that the future Hergé nourished his imagination
The Castafiore Emerald
[1961]. and developed his narrative technique. … best taxi in Delhi, Sahib.
Nothing can stop me!
… on that! See you soon, doctor!

Hergé knew how important it was

to generate suspense; sometimes
he wound up his readers for fun.
At the bottom of page 8 in Tintin
in Tibet (originally published one
page a week in Tintin magazine)
a car drives straight towards
a nail. The dialogue heightens
the suspense: ‘…best taxi in Delhi,
Sahib. Nothing can stop me!’
The first frame on page 9
(originally published one week
later) diffuses the suspense!
Great snakes! One day I really must
What's going to turn out the clutter
happen? in this car! THE ART OF SERIALISATION

Following on the heels of the slapstick and short film era came
the super-long films of the 1920s, for example the 9-episode ad-
aptation of Victor Hugo’s Les Misérables. There were the numer-
ous episodes of the Fantômas novels [Louis Feuillade]. The Three
Musketeers was serialised and screened over several weeks. In the
What was it?… What United States, The Adventures of Superman were spread out over
happened? months, and were only interrupted when audience numbers be-
What happened?
What was it? gan to go down. This type of cinema was the direct descendant
…
of serialised novels, popular from the 1830s until the 1950s, when
they became almost extinct. And this was all before the television
soap operas we know and love today!
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ALL THANKS TO CINEMA

Direct references to cinema appear in Hergé’s earliest work, par-

ticularly in Les Aventures de Totor, C.P. des Hannetons. The first two
The first films were shaped by technological constraints: silent pages of this series, published as a centre-page spread in the July
films showed images interspersed with written text that explained 1926 issue of Le Boy-Scout magazine, are subtitled ‘United Rov-
action or indicated essential dialogue. Episodes often had to end ers présentent: un grand film comique!’ United Rovers is a pun
with a cliffhanger or some kind of inextricable situation. Hergé on United Artists, the production company founded on 17 April
Hergé knew how clearly remembered these endings. Not only would he integrate 1919 by Mary Pickford and D.W. Griffith. On this occasion Hergé
to keep his readers
on their toes! these fundamental principals into his stories, but he also insisted introduced himself as ‘director’ and a few months later he was at it
This can be traced
to the serialised films that authors published in Tintin magazine [from 1946] also respect again, signing the title of his story with the words: ‘Hergé moving
that he watched
in his youth. the principles. pictures’!

In 1926, Hergé would probably have liked to be a film director.

On the other hand there is no trace of cinematic references in Tintin

in the Land of the Soviets, even if the Bolsheviks were the first to
understand the importance of cinema as a propaganda tool.
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It was in the brave reporter’s next adventure, Tintin in the Congo, Oddly enough however, when Tintin arrives in America, the home
that another direct reference to moving pictures was included. of Hollywood, there is no mention of cinema. The only slight ref-
Tintin makes good use of a film camera, and on the front cover of erence comes when we catch a glimpse of Rastapopoulos sitting
the colour version we can see a more up-to-date machine stick- next to a character that some Tintin experts claim is Mary Pickford.
ing out of Tintin’s Ford T.
You may be certain, ladies and gentlemen, that I shall take
away unforgettable memories of my short stay in America.
Next morning… With a full heart I say to you…
… and to crown
it call… I… hic…
Between 1930 I’ve got… hic…
and 1946, Tintin
manages to acquire hiccups…
some professional
equipment!

The first appearance of

Rastapopoulos in his guise
as a movie mogul, the ‘King
of Cosmos Pictures’ – bigger
than Universal Films! The
platinum blond could well be
Mary Pickford, co-founder of
On page 18 of the original black and white version of the story, United Artists.

there is some kind of camera rattling around in Tintin’s luggage,

but it is not until the colour version [1946] that we see a camera
appear on the book cover. The model used in 1930 is basic to say
the least: one has to ask why Tintin doesn’t make use of his better
camera within the pages of the 1946 version! Over the course of
the story Tintin even opens his own improvised cinema, to project
a reel that he has secretly filmed, exposing the corrupt collabora-
tion between a village sorcerer and Tom, Al Capone’s henchman
in the Congo.
In a later adventure, Cigars of the Pharaoh, Hergé draws a movie
set in the desert and it is at this point that we meet Rastapopoulos
properly. Soon to become Tintin’s archenemy, we first see Rasta-
popoulos as a movie producer, the ‘King of Cosmos Pictures’. The
film Tintin interrupts is actually projected in a Shanghai cinema in
the next Tintin adventure, The Blue Lotus, 1934.
The world of cinema is never far away in Tintin. The
first frame of The Red Sea Sharks shows the interior
of a cinema following the end of a western.

Photogenic, aren’t I,
Tintin?

Although he has a top-notch film

camera attached to his car in 1946,
within the pages of the story Tintin
continues use dilapidated equipment.
How strange!
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Hergé kept up to date with the latest advances in technology. He

was one of the first authors to draw televisions in comic strips, in
adventures such as The Black Island and The Castafiore Emerald.

Hergé also paid attention to and even took part in the develop-
ment of cartoons, but essentially his work remained influenced by
‘ordinary’ cinema. In 1932, the author told Saint-Boniface magazine
that, ‘Cartoons are the product of a special technique that I am
not adept with, and that I will never learn. I think that my way of
telling a story is much closer to ordinary cinema that to cartoons.
My editing is based on cinematic techniques…’

GOOD THINGS COME TO THOSE WHO WAIT

A whole sequence He’s absolutely
to reshoot, ruined my entrance!
thanks to you!
Hergé was always keen to learn about filmmaking techniques.
He couldn’t resist parodying the film The Sheik, starring
Rudolf Valentino [1921, by George Melford]: in the original black
and white version of Cigars of the Pharaoh [1932]. Rastapopoulos’
film is titled Haine d’Arabe [Sheik hate] or Petite-fille de Sheik
[The Sheik’s granddaughter] and stars Rudolf Valentino
and Mary Pickford. It could be Gary Cooper and Barbara Stanwyck
acting in the 1955 remake!
From the first stop-frame animations to the later full-length fea-
tures such as Tintin et le Lac aux Requins and Tintin et le Temple du
Soleil, Hergé was never fully satisfied with the adaptations of Tin-
tin. He was always worried that an adaptation would stray too far
from the original. The two live-action films, Tintin et le Mystère de
la Toison d’Or [1961] and Tintin et les Oranges bleues [1964] did not
do much to change his opinion. One of the people who worked
on the feature-length cartoon Tintin et le Lac aux Requins was
Greg [Michel Regnier, 1931-1999], a man who also worked as edi-
tor of Tintin magazine for a while during the 1960s. The fact that
Hergé found it difficult to work with Greg [who created a storyline
for a new Tintin adventure entitled Tintin et le Thermozéro], speaks
volumes about the author’s style of working. Hergé openly stated
that he felt like the ‘prisoner of someone else’s story’. Neverthe-
less, when in 1982 Steven Spielberg announced his intention to
adapt Tintin to the big screen, Hergé expressed his admiration for
the America director when he said, just a short while before he
died, that ‘Spielberg should do it his way.’

Alain De Kuyssche
 cinema Hergé, Tintin, Quick and Flupke
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Hergé, Tintin, Quick AND Flupke

ON THE BIG SCREEN

As a fan of cinema, it was logical for Hergé to allow his charac-

ters to make their way onto the big screen and then television.

FROM FILMSTRIP TO PUPPET ANIMATION

[1929-1947]

In 1938, The Adventures of Tintin was adapted Le Crabe aux Pinces d’Or
to filmstrips [a series of slides] by a company
called Les Beaux Films. A reedy-voiced Tintin Year 1947
was animated for the first time 64 years ago, in Duration 60 minutes
a puppet animation of The Crab with the Gold- Director Claude Misonne
en Claws [1947] by Claude Misonne. Puppets Producer Wilfried Bouchery and Cie
played the characters and miniscule changes of Format 35mm
position were shot frame by frame [stop-frame Editing A. Leduc
animation], to create the impression of move- Animation João Michiels
ment. It was a risky venture but the results were Sound and music G. Bethune, A. Ducat
promising enough to convince Hergé to write
to Walt Disney, with the request that his adven-
tures be made into a cartoon. Unfortunately,
Hergé would receive his books by return post a
few weeks later, along with a rebuff stating that
the production programme was fully booked
for the next four years. THE GOLDEN SIXTIES, LIVE-ACTION MOVIES

Tintin’s adventures in the cinema continued, but this time with real actors. Jean-Pierre
Talbot played the globe-trotting reporter in Tintin et le Mystère de la Toison d’Or
[by Jean-Jacques Vierne, 1961]. Despite a good storyline written by Remo Forlani
and excellent promotion and distribution, the whole endeavour left much to be
desired and seemed too far removed from the original work.
 cinema Hergé, Tintin, Quick and Flupke
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Tintin et le Mystère de la Toison d’Or
Georges Wilson Captain Haddock
Charles Vanel Father Alexandre
Marcel Bozzuffi Angorapoulos
Georges Loriot Professor Calculus
Dario Moreno Midas Papos
Year 1961
Duration 94 minutes
Country France
Director Jean-Jacques Vierne
Writers André Barret et Remo Forlani
Genre Aventure
Production André Barret, Alliance de production
cinématographique
Photography Raymond Le Moigne
Music André Popp
Editing Léonide Azar
Scenery Philippe Ancellin
Format Colour – 2,35:1 [Dyalisacope] – 35 mm
Tintin et les Oranges bleues, 1964, was certainly
more evocative of comic strips, although the plot
was somewhat inconsistent.
Tintin et les oranges bleues
Year 1964
Duration 96 minutes
Countries France, Espagne
Director Philippe Condroyer
Writers A
 ndré Barret, Philippe Condroyer, Remo Forlani and René Goscinny
Genre Aventure
Production André Barret, Alliance de production cinématographique
Photography Jean Badal
Music Antoine Duhamel
Montage Madeleine Bibollet
Scenery Pierre-Louis Thévenet
Costumes Taine Autré
Format Colour – 35 mm

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BACK TO CARTOONS
Faced with the lacklustre performance of the films
with live actors, an initiative by the dynamic boss
of Tintin magazine, Raymond Leblanc, brought
the reporter back to cartoons.
Leblanc, founder of Belvision Studios, produced
an animated series of 104 episodes [each lasting
5 minutes and 30 seconds] adapted from eight
of The Adventures de Tintin [adapted by Charles
Shows / created by Ray Goossens, 1956-1960].
Pleased with the results, Leblanc launched a
project to create feature-length episodes des-
tined for the big screen. L’ Affaire Tournesol [Ray
Goossens, 1964] was the first full-length anima-
tion to be produced. It was based on the televi-
sion episodes of the same title. The next instal-
ments were: Le Temple du Soleil [Eddie Lateste,
1969] and Le lac aux requins [Raymond Leblanc,
1972]. Although they enjoyed some success
Hergé did not believe that the films were faithful
enough to his artwork and storylines. The creator
of Tintin distanced himself from the cartoons.
cinema Hergé, Tintin, Quick and Flupke
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L’Affaire Tournesol
Year 1964
Duration 57 minutes
Director Ray Goossens
Tintin et Le Temple du Soleil
Year 1969
Duration 75 minutes
Production Belvision, Bruxelles
Countries France, Belgique
Genre Animation
Production director José Dutillieu
Executive producer Raymond Leblanc
Production Dargaud films, Belvision
Original dialogue Greg
Adaptation Hergé, Jos Marissen,
Eddie Lateste, Lazlo Molnar
Voices Philippe Ogouz, Claude Bertrand,
Georges Atlas, Albert Augier,
Geneviève Blau, Jacques Jouanneau,
Jacques Balutin, Gérard Hernandez,
Guy Pierrault, Serge Nadaud,
Henri Virlogeux, Jean Michaud,
André Valmy, Lucie Dolène
Music François Rauber, Jacques Brel
Scenery Bob De Moor, Jean Torton, Michou Wiggers,
directed by de Claude Lambert
Animation Vivian Miessen, Nic Broca, Marcel Colbrant,
Claude Monfort, Lawrence Moorcroft
Tracing and colouring directed by de Paulette Melloul
Sound effects Henri Gruel
 cinema Hergé, Tintin, Quick and Flupke
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Tintin et Le lac aux requins Moi, Tintin

Year 1972
Duration 75 minutes
Production Belvision
Genre Animation
Countries France, Belgique
Coproduction R  aymond Leblanc [Bruxelles],
Dargaud Films [Paris]
Director of Production José Dutillieu,
assisté de Rainer Gocksch
Audio 1.0
Storyline Greg
Animation Nic Broca, Marcel Colbrant,
Vivian Miessen, Louis-Michel Carpentier,
Claude Viseur
Voices J acques Careuil, Georges Atlas,
Jacques Balutin, Nadine Basile, Jean Berger,
Edmond Bernard, Claude Bertrand,
Jacqueline Brasseur, Jacques Ciron,
Pierre Collet, Micheline Dax, Jacques Ferriere,
Georges Hubert, Serge Nadaud, Maurice
Nasil, Nathalie Nerval, Alain Nobis, Guy
Pierrauld, Henri Virlojeux, Nicolas Youmatoff
Special effects Eddie Lateste
Scenery Claude Lambert, Philippe Wallet
Advisor Bob De Moor
Music François Rauber, Joseph Noël, Micheline Dax,
Jacques Vinitzki, Marie Vinitzki
Adaptation Jos Marissen, Eddie Lateste,
Rainer Gocksch, Jean-Michel Charlier
Artistic director Paulette Melloul
It was now Hergé's turn to take to the screen. As television became
commonplace, he found himself being interviewed on a regular
basis. Among the multitude of appearances he made on TV, three
shows stand out:
Hergé et Tintin
Year 1960
Country Switzerland
Duration 16 minutes
Production and creation TSR [Télévision Suisse Romande]
for the program Continents sans visa
Hergé explains his work methods, introduces his assistants and
explains their roles. Some of the film shows Studios Hergé in Avenue
Louise, Brussels.
Hergé, le père de Tintin
Year 1962
Country Canada
Duration 27 minutes and 28 seconds
Production and creation R
 adio-Canada
for the program Premier plan
Hergé was now a celebrity and the arrival of each new Tintin
adventure was seen as a major event. A journalist called Judith
Jasmin made the scoop of the year as she succeeded in arranging
a visit to Hergé's house in Céroux-Mousty, in the countryside of
Walloon Brabant. Relaxed, he spoke about the start of his career in
comic strips, the interest children have in Tintin and the translation
of his books.
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Moi, Tintin [documentary by Gérard Valet and Henri Roanne, 1976]
was the first long documentary about Hergé [Casterman and Bel-
vision had already created two audiovisual portraits and short
films]. In 1976, Hergé was 69 years old. 1976 was also the year his
last complete book was published. It was the right time to make an
informative film about the author, and to illustrate the relationship
between the creator and his cast of characters.
Moi, Tintin
Duration 52 minutes
Year 1976
Image Belvision [Belgique]
Editing Michele Maquet
Sound and music Alain Pierre
Production director Tom Coene
Producer Jacqueline Pierreux
THE 1980s: THE FIRST CONTACT WITH HOLLYWOOD;
QUICK AND FLUPKE BECOME CARTOON HEROS
In 1982 a surprise came from Hollywood. Steven Spielberg was ex-
pressing an interesting in adapting The Adventures of Tintin! Despite
being very ill by this time [he would pass away only a few months
later], Hergé expressed great admiration for the director of Duel,
even going so far as to say that Spielberg was the only director
capable of adapting Tintin. But then Spielberg decided to put this
project on hold due to the arrival of a new super-successful hero,
Indiana Jones.
In 1985, Quick and Flupke made their television debut. A total of
198 short episodes [each a minute in length] were adapted from
the books by Johan de Moor. The publisher of Tintin, Casterman,
oversaw production.

Quick & Flupke

Year 1985
Genre Animation
Country Belgique
Duration 4 hours 5 minutes
Production and creation
Casterman, RTBF, Ministère
de la Communauté française
 cinema Hergé, Tintin, Quick et Flupke à l’écran
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THE 1990’S
In 1991, European and North American pro-
ducers came together to complete a series
of animated cartoons consisting of eighteen
45-minute and three 24-minute episodes, based
on The Adventures of Tintin. Tintin in the Land of
the Soviets [considered too political] and Tintin in
the Congo [considered too colonialist] were put
to one side, while Tintin in America underwent
a host of ‘politically correct’ modifications. The
series was a success and provided a whole new
generation with a new way [besides comics] to
discover the heroic young reporter.
THE TURN OF THE MILLENIUM:
HERGÉ AND THE big FILM!
On 1 July 2002, filming began for the documen-
tary Tintin and I. As the creator of a world-famous
comic strip character, Hergé warranted his own
documentary. Using as a foundation the audio
recordings made by Numa Sadoul in 1971, in
which Hergé candidly discusses his life, film di-
rector Anders Ostergaard lets his subject do the
talking and in so doing succeeds in creating a
wonderfully intimate portrait of the artist.
2010: FICTION AND REALITY
In 2010, Gédéon created five documentary films
for French television station Arte, entitled Sur les
Traces de Tintin. Stills from this series are shown on
the following pages.
Les Aventures de Tintin
Years 1991-1992
Genre Animation
Countries France - Canada
Duration 18 x 45 min / 3 x 24 min
Production and creation
Stéphane Bernasconi,
Ellipse Animation, France 3,
M6, Nelvana
Tintin and I
Year 2003
Genre Documentaire
Countries Belgique, Danemark
Duration 74 min
Production and creation
Angel Productions, Moulinsart
Multimédia, Anders Ostergaard
cinema Hergé, Tintin, Quick and Flupke
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2011: SPIELBERG RETURNS
It is common knowledge that Steven Spielberg is
a big Tintin fan; Hergé’s influence can be seen in
some of his films. Some 27 years after the first at-
tempt to bring Tintin to the big screen, Spielberg
returned with Peter Jackson – another big Tintin
fan – and signed a contract to create several films,
the first inspired by the double-adventure of The
Secret of the Unicorn and Red Rackham’s Treasure.
The idea was to create the film using a new tech-
nique – motion capture – allowing the actors’
movements to control a computer-generated
three-dimensional universe. The budget of the
Tintin movie is on a par with the biggest Holly-
wood blockbusters and the first film, destined for
global diffusion, is scheduled for European release
at the end of October 2011.
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The last word is reserved for Spielberg, who has

been quoted as saying that: ‘Every movie I made
up until Tintin, I always kept one eye closed when
I’ve been framing a shot. On Tintin, I have both of
my eyes open.’

Yves Février
Peter Jackson et Steven Spielberg…
dressed up as the Thom[p]sons!

Peter Jackson and Steven Spielberg

with Jamie Bell [Tintin] and Andy Serkis
[Haddock]. The two actors are wearing
special outfits that capture their movements.
On the walls in the background you can
make out model sheets of the characters.

Some preliminary results!

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FOLLOWING IN TINTIN’S FOOTSTEPS
Sur les traces de TIntin, a series of five documentaries co-produced by Gédéon,
Moulinsart and Arte in 2010, offer a fresh perspective on The Adventures of Tintin
and invite the viewer on journeys to: Peru, Shanghai, Cairo, India, Morocco and
Tibet – all places Tintin has visited.
Each documentary follows the narrative and plot of one of the books. Viewers are
taken on a journey of discovery through the places and faces that Hergé drew into
his stories, even witnessing the real-life injustices and crimes denounced by Hergé
in his comic strip series. The creators of the series have drawn inspiration from the
diverse situations that Tintin encounters during his adventures, to create a unique
form of educational entertainment.
 discovery following in Tintin’s footsteps
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The goal of the series is to push the documentary format into new
territory, by breaking free of the usual approach and creating a new
aesthetic and Tintinesque way of seeing the world! Thanks to the
superposition of images [taken from the Tintin books] onto live
film, Hergé’s characters are brought to life in real settings. But the
series goes far beyond a simple montage of animation and video.
Extra material comes in the form of archive images, interviews
with Hergé himself and expert information. Sur les traces de Tintin
shows how the artist was inspired by events from his era and how
he nourished his drawings with all kinds of references and anec-
dotes. Viewers also learn how Hergé expressed his personal life in
the Tintin books.

EGYPT AND INDIA: CIGARS OF THE PHARAOH

Created by Marc Temmerman.
The viewer follows Tintin across Egypt and India via Port Said, Cairo,
the Ancient Egyptian tombs, the Pyramids and the Red Sea, hot
on the trail of opium smugglers. As the adventure progresses the
brave reporter narrowly escapes being poisoned and going mad,
meets an eccentric archaeologist and comes to the rescue of a
Maharaja whose life is in grave danger. Cigars of the Pharaoh is an
action-packed adventure which was also one of Hergé’s first books.
The author was 27 years old when the first edition of the book was
published in 1934. The story marked a turning point in the young
illustrator’s career, after which Tintin’s adventures became suffused
with fantasy, mystery and suspense.

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China: THE BLUE LOTUS
Created by Marc Temmerman.
The Blue Lotus is the sequel to Cigars of the Pharaoh. While Tintin
is in India taking a well-earned rest, he is drawn into a danger-
ous mystery when he narrowly avoids being poisoned. The little
reporter travels to the source of the poison, Shanghai. Against the
backdrop of the Sino-Japanese conflict, Tintin sets to work unrav-
elling a nefarious web of opium traffickers. A key relationship is
forged as Hergé reflects his real-life meeting with the sculptor
and artist Chang Chong-chen, who taught the author of Tintin
about Eastern philosophy and who would become a life-long
friend. Hergé and Chang worked together on The Blue Lotus, a tale
in which China is portrayed accurately and poetically.
discovery following in Tintin’s footsteps
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Moroco: THE CRAB WITH THE GOLDEN CLAWS
Created by Laurent Joffrion.
Tintin and Snowy stumble across a police investigation underway
in Brussels, revolving around the mystery of a drowned man. Tintin
sets off on new adventures that see him travel to the exotic coun-
try of Morocco, hot on the trail of a gang of drug traffickers. This
adventure provides the backdrop for the first meeting between
Tintin and Captain Haddock, who turns up in the little reporter’s
life and never looks back!

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PERU: PRISONERS OF THE SUN
Created by Henri de Gerlache.
Following the kidnapping of Professor Calculus in The Seven
Crystal Balls, Tintin finds himself near Lima in Peru. With his trusty
companions the little reporter passes through Andean villages
and over snow-capped mountains, dodging the dangers of the
Amazonian rainforest before discovering the Temple of the Sun.
Hergé was at the peak of his artistic capabilities and was passion-
ate about travel stories, deriving immense pleasure from helping
his readers to discover great civilisations and lost worlds.
discovery following in Tintin’s footsteps
39
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Nepal: Tintin au Tibet
Created by Florence Tran.
Florence Tran takes on the task of addressing Hergé’s most per-
sonal book. Tintin decides to search for his friend Chang, who has
disappeared following an aeroplane crash in Nepal. With faithful
friends Captain Haddock and Snowy, Tintin sets off on merciless
trek through the Himalayas. Twenty-five years after meeting Chang
Chong-chen, Hergé often thought of his friend. During the troubled
war years he had lost all trace of Chang and was desperate to make
contact with him again. In this Tintin story there are no baddies,
nor are there any car chases or madcap events: the narrative is kept
bare and essential. The whole adventure is based on friendship: in
the end readers discover that even the yeti has a soft heart!
Yves Février

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SPECIAL EVENTS AT THE HERGÉ MUSEUM
STEPPING ON BOARD A BUS… AND BACK IN TIME!
To celebrate his new book, Hergé côté jardin, Dominique Maricq has
initiated a new tradition: a tour of the Walloon Brabant country-
side, following in Hergé’s footsteps and taking in the places that
the author knew, loved and evoked in the background of certain
Tintin adventures. While it has been established beyond reason-
able doubt that Marlinspike Hall is based on the Château de
Cheverny [minus its wings], the countryside around Captain Had-
dock and Professor Calculus’ mansion is inspired by the fields and
woods of Wallonia, Belgium. The proof? Leaf through the pages
of The Calculus Affair, The Castafiore Emerald or the beginning of
Tintin and the Picaros.
news Hergé Museum
41
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Dominique Maricq, author
of Hergé côté jardin, guiding On Saturday 15 January 2011, winners of a competition organised
a ‘Hergé’ tour. Those joining by the All Access program on Bel-RTL [Belgian radio] inaugurated the
the tour are transported ‘Hergé tour’, which has become a must for any Tintin fans visiting the
back in time on a bus
straight out of one town of Louvain-la-Neuve. So many people showed an interest in
of Tintin’s adventures. the tour that on the day a second bus-ride had to be arranged. And
what a bus! The venerable 1952 vehicle was borrowed from the TEC
[Transports en Commun] Museum. On 26 September 1946, readers
of the first issue of Tintin magazine saw Tintin and Snowy arriving at
Marlinspike on board a similar vehicle, in the story of Prisoners of
the Sun. The bus was replaced by a train in the book version of the
story. Visitors to the Hergé Museum are now able to hop on board
[during scheduled excursions] the historic bus for a tour of the
places Hergé knew well, including the village of Céroux-Mousty,
where the author lived. [info: museeherge.com]
 news Hergé Museum
42 43
54 54

ONE HUNDRED AND THIRTY SCOUTS

DESCEND ON THE HERGÉ MUSEUM!

On Sunday 23 January 2011, 130 scouts – mem-

bers of the Saint-Boniface troupe, the same scouts
that Hergé was a member of when he was young
– gathered at the Hergé Museum.

For the occasion, the leaders of the troupe creat-

ed an exciting folder crammed with information
about Hergé’s time at the Saint-Boniface Institute
[the school is situated in Ixelles, near the centre of
Brussels]. The folder included pictures of a fresco
[still visible today] that the young Hergé – known
as ‘Curious Fox’ to his fellow-scouts – created at the
school in 1922. It was in the Saint-Boniface scout
troupe’s publication, Jamais Assez, that the young
Georges Remi published his first drawings.

The visit, part of a wider activity, concluded with

hot chocolate, waffles and souvenirs for all!
 news Hergé Museum
44 45
54 54

THE HERGÉ MUSEUM IS TAKING MORE

PASSENGERS!

Thanks to its runaway success, the Tintin, Hergé

and trains exhibition is extended until Sunday 12
June. Here you can see photographs of some of
the visitors that the Museum has been welcom-
ing!

Fanny Rodwell, President of the Hergé Museum,

with Jean-Claude Fontinoy, President of SNCB Holding,
and Luc Joris, member of the administrative board of SNCB Holding.
 news Hergé Museum
46 47
54 54

U.S. Ambassador S.E. Howard W. Gutman

AND MORE…

Last year the annual Tintin flea market took place

in the shade of the Hergé Museum in Louvain-la-
Neuve. The event was an extraordinary success.
’UNIVERS D’HERGÉ
Nick Rodwell and Christos Doulkeridis, L’ U N I Q U E B
ROCANTE DÉDIÉE À L

Minister-President of the Commission The second market to be held in this location

Communautaire Française
will get underway on Saturday 21 and Sunday
22 May, and on 22 May a Hergé auction will take
SAMEDI 21 MAI place at Rops Auctioneers in Namur. This event
es TINTIN
Marché aux Puc
de 11h à 17h
Projecti on de docu mentaires will be transmitted to a giant screen in Louvain-la-
Tintin
Sur les traces de
Exposit ion des pièc es Neuve. The weekend will also be the occasion to
de la vente ROPS
Dédicace
d’une œuvre
Hergé, chronologie Goddin
celebrate the publication of the seventh and final
ippe
tome 7 par Phil
volume of the Hergé, Chronologie d’une œuvre
DIMANCHE 22 MAI
Projection de docu in
mentaires
Tint
series, bringing to a close 12 years of hard work
Sur les traces de
Dédicace
d’une œuvre
Hergé, chronologie Goddin
by author Philippe Goddin.
ippe
tome 7 par Phil
Rencontre
ART 2011

Portzamparc
avec Christian de
© HERGÉ / MOULINS

E HERGÉ
RDS DU MUSÉ
AUX ABO NEUVE
L O U VA I N  L A
MM E COMPLET
SUR WWW
.TINT IN.COM

LE PROGRA

48
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CHRONOLOGIE D’UNE ŒUVRE, THE FINAL VOLUME
Although the Hergé Museum [Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium] opened in 2009, a
paper Hergé museum – a series entitled Chronologie d’une œuvre – had already
been under construction from as early as the year 2000. In collaboration with
Philippe Goddin, the author of this exceptional collection of books, Éditions
Moulinsart has undertaken a mission to render homage to the multi-faceted
genius of one of the greatest authors of the twentieth century. The seventh and
final volume [1958-1983] of the series is being published in May 2011. Philippe
Goddin – ‘Hergéologist’ – replies to questions posed by the Head of Publishing
at Moulinsart, Didier Platteau.
news Chronologie d’une œuvre, the final volume
49
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How do you feel after completing 3,000 pages – that have taken
12 years to complete – devoted to Hergé?
I feel all kinds of things. Satisfaction at having completed the under-
taking despite the fact that, at the beginning, the final format of the
project was not clear and we weren’t even certain how many volumes
would be included in the series. Happiness at having completed what
I set out to do in respect of Hergé and his work. A certain pride when
I consider that this collection – without parallel in the field of comic
strips – has become a study reference. I would add that there is a cer-
tain relief at having finally finished the series, a relief at being able finally
to move on to different projects about Hergé, as I still derive immense
pleasure from my research.
What are the main features of this final volume?
As is the case with the preceding volumes the content is rich and
varied, passionate and even surprising at times. The final volume
covers a period for which there exist abundant sources of illustra-
tions and original work, as well as unpublished archive material in-
cluding sketches relating to the last four episodes of Tintin – Tintin
in Tibet, The Castafiore Emerald, Flight 714 and Tintin and the Picaros.
There is also material relating to lesser known projects such as Tintin
et le Thermozéro, Tintin et les Bigotudos and Tintin and Alph-Art, as well
as extra material for The Black Island and Land of Black Gold. That is to
say nothing of the author’s work for the cartoon series derived from
his stories.

50
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How about the author’s foray into the world of modern art during
the 1960s? Is this something that you are interested in?
And how! I am among those who admire the 35-odd canvases –
abstract for the majority – that Fanny found carefully wrapped up in
her attic, following the death of her husband. I say ‘admire’ because
I believe that they are worth more than a passing anecdotal refer-
ence. Hergé was a fan of modern art and was very up to date with
the art scene of his time, before he even attempted to paint himself.
It was a sincere attempt to express himself using a new medium,
even though many styles were attempted and the experiment only
lasted for a short while. The selection of paintings listed in the last
volume of the Chronologie series allows people to judge his work for
themselves.
So is there anything left to say about Hergé?
Of course! Not everything has been said and not everything has been
shown: far from it! This series was never meant to be an exhaustive
catalogue. Nevertheless, the scope of the undertaking and the chron-
ological presentation of the work, along with the determined efforts
by the team involved, have resulted in the construction of a veritable
‘paper museum’. But there remains research to carry out. Discoveries
are still being made. All has not been published and it is the role of
books and magazines like this one [and the Amis de Hergé magazine
which I help to create] to bring these discoveries to light as a way of
promoting the work and its author.
news Chronologie d’une œuvre, the final volume
51
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Why have you chosen this particular cover illustration?
Tintin in Tibet was a story that was close to Hergé’s heart, and it sym-
bolises the final stage of his career. While looking through frames of this
adventure, trying to find one that might be suitable cover material, we
isolated a few that focussed on Tintin. This one stood out as it evokes
heightened emotions unusual to the character. We so often see Tintin
as some kind of superman that we forget that he is a human being
like everyone else, with his doubts and weaknesses. Hergé used this
passing image to remind us of that. It is also a picture of hope because
everyone knows that following this moment of discouragement, Tintin
comes out even stronger, and ends up finding his friend Chang!
THE AUTHOR
Born in Brussels in 1944, Philippe Goddin describes
himself as a ‘Hergéologist’. He is considered to be
one of the leading specialists on the life and work of
Hergé. Mr Goddin has also published several other
works about the creator of Tintin and his universe,
a universe that he has spent 35 years studying with
passion.
As secretary of the Hergé Foundation for ten years,
Philippe Goddin also benefited from first-hand
access to Hergé's archives, which proved very useful
while undertaking the immense task of working on
the Chronologie series.
HERGÉ
A publication by Editions Moulinsart

N° 9 May 2011

Editorial team
Coordination
Alain De Kuyssche
Articles
Katia Baran, Yves Février, Denis Vanlangenaker

Artistic direction
Michel & Kate

Design
Jérôme Feller

Archives
Jérôme Allard

Photographs © HERGÉ - MOULINSART 2011

© Hergé - Moulinsart 2011
Unless indicated otherwise,
all illustrations in this edition
Proofreading of Hergé magazine are
the exclusive property
Patrick Vandersleyen of Studios Hergé.

Editor The publisher has done

everything possible to find the
Yves Février copyright holders for all other
illustrations reproduced
in this work. If any have
not been contacted they are
requested to make themselves
MOULINSART sa known to Editions Moulinsart,
162 Avenue Louise, B-1050,
STUDIOS HERGÉ asbl Bruxelles, Belgium.

Avenue Louise 162

B -1050 BRUXELLES
T. + 32 2 62 62 421
info@moulinsart.be

tintin.com