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Product Reviews:
The Castafiore Emerald (The Adventures of Tintin) |
Rating: 5 (out of 5)
Summary: Its not the quick pace action- Is the plot what makes it unique
Comments: My son cought the Tintin mania some 4 years ago, where we read all the books and had a great luagh on them, still the1that remains in our mind and its part of the eday complicity in expressions and gesture we make, comes from the Castafiori Emerald.
I agree with the other reviewers as to the what they say about this beng a non-action book, compared to others that are quick paced and entertaining with the novelty of the exotic places where the adventures takes place. In here we are permitted to be intimate guest at Cap. Haddock's castle and watch, in sheer amusement, as to how a series of devilish misfortunes fall upon the poor captain so as to see him display- lo and behold- all the irascibility he is well known for in all other books.
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Rating: 4 (out of 5)
Summary: Fantastic.
Comments: Herge, The Castafiore Emerald (Methuen, 1963)
According to Tintinophile, The Castafiore Emerald was an attempt by Herge to see if "he could maintain suspense throughout sixty-two pages in which nothing happens." He succeeds quite wonderfully.
The plot is monstrously complex, and cannot be summarized without spoilers, however involves a broken step, Bianca Castafiore, a band of gypsies, the press, a parrot, and of course the Castafiore emerald itself. For a book in which nothing much happens, an awful lot seems to, and that's the fun of it. **** |
Rating: 3 (out of 5)
Summary: Somewhat overrated album, however still worthwhile reading
Comments: When the Castafiore Emerald came out in the early 60s, reportedly some critics went berserk, pronouncing it the birth of a new art form. Actually, this album is not even among Tintin's best. It is sort of an anti-adventure, since alalmost all all the action happens in Marlinspike (or Moulinsart, in the original). Bianca Castafiore has arrived in Marlinspike uninvited for a vacation, at a time Haddock has a leg in a cast, and a number of things happen during her stay. Things that appear to be serious or ominous, would later turn out to have a simpler explanation (the robbery of the jewels, the mysterious men during the TV interview). The running joke here is that Castafiore is totally unaware of how much she is hated by Haddock. I think Herge wanted to prove here that he would be able to pull off a Tintin album without having the characters go through extraordinary situations. The whole thing is more like a sitcom than an adventure. I do not think this is among Tintin's best albums, however if you are a Tintin fan, I guess the book is still worthwhile reading. |
Rating: 5 (out of 5)
Summary: Mature Age Tintin
Comments: "The Castafiore Emerald" was Herge's 1963 adventure, set completely in Captain Haddock's Marlinspike Hall. It was probably1of my least favorite as a kid because not much happened in it and not many locations were used, however now I realize that that was the whole point, and can appreciate it that way.
Captain Haddock is enjoying life on his Marlinspike Hall estate. He loves to walk through the grounds with his friend Tintin. The gypsies, who have been forced to live in a rubbish dump, aren't having such a great time, so the Captain invites them to camp on his estate. It's no trouble, and there is room for eone. Or so he thinks. Trouble comes when opera singer Bianca Castafiore (1st seen in "King Ottokar's Sceptre") comes and pays the Captain a visit. Captain Haddock sprains his ankle on a broken step, and is confined to a wheelchair. People keep calling up the house, thinking it's the howeverchers. Journalists swarm in, hungry for gossip and scandal. Ms Castafiore sings loudly and smothers the Captain, asking him to dress properly and comb his hair. Mr Wagg adds to the tension, coming to discuss insurance. A television crew come in, the gossip gets worse and finally the Castafiore Emerald, Bianca's prized possession is stolen. Tintin decides to try and find the culprit. The detectives Thomson and Thompson think it's the gypsies, however it could have been1of the freelance journalists. Mr Wagner, Bianca's pianist, has been acting strangely too. Will all things work out right?
By the plot, I can see why I did not like it so much as a kid, it's a bit more mature age than usual. Its actually quite interesting when you consider Herge's life at the time. He'd just been divorced, and apparently the overwhelming Bianca Castafiore is based a little on his ex-wife. He was also a little frustrated with the Tintin adventures, and the characters all end up frustrated at each other, particularly the Captain, who really just wants a bit of peace and quiet. The politics are all domestic in this adventure, unlike hte others. It's the thoughts of a well-to-do middle aged, European man in the 1960s. I can imagine Herge strolling through fields like Captain Haddock, thinking this up, venting his frustrations with ething.
On that level, it's interesting, and well worth reading for Tintin fans. An interesting study of the Tintin characters. The next one, 1968's "Flight 714", would study the nature of some of the Tintin villains, however that's another kettle of fish... |
Rating: 5 (out of 5)
Summary: "They say I am divine..."
Comments: Later in his career Herg set himself of writing what amounts to a kind of anti-Tintin adventure, where nothing really happens to his cast of characters (there are no opium smuggling rings to smash nor any political coups to thwart), and yet ething happens all the same. THE CASTAFIORE EMERALD may in many ways be Herg's masterpiece, and it is unquestionably the funniest of all his tales, revolving as it does on the theme of miscommunication ("No, this is not Cutts the howevercher!!"). Naturally at the heart of it is the Milanese Nightingale herself, Bianca Castafiore, the world's greatest opera star, who deigns to descend upon the only2people in the world who cannot bear to hear her sing, Tintin and Captain Hamhock (er, Haddock). In addition to La Castafiore comes her entourage (her accompaniest Wagner and her maid Irma), a gaggle of photographers, a suspicious band of gypsies, a television crew, and even a local brass band. Before the tale is done Dr. Calculus will experiment with roses and color television, Tintin will have a mystery or2to unravel, Captain Fatstock (er, Haddock) will explode with fury an untold number of times, and the divine Castafiore will be asked (as always) to sing, to Tintin and Captain Haddock's horror, her signature aria from "Faust." "Yes, it was the 'Jewel Song' from 'Faust' that swept me to the pinnacle of fame," the opera star modestly informs her television interviewer, "They say I am divine..." And she is. |
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