Hello, what's that? You say there's a mystery afoot? Well, I daresay I know a fellow who might be able to help.
Both beloved for its gorgeous sequential art and Boy Scouts-inspired lessons in ethics, and criticized for its often racist undertones, artist/creator Herge's 24-volume Tintin series provided a wondrous fantasy life for teens and others from 1929-1982. Herge (Belgian Georges Remi) was actively involved in the Scouting movement, and his early work appeared almost exclusively in Boy Scout publications. As Tintin and his ever-growing cast of supporting characters evolved, however, the young ginger-haired reporter and his faithful canine companion Snowy made their way to the ends of the earth and even beyond, becoming a sleuthing contemporary of The Hardy Boys and a prototype adventurer for characters like Indiana Jones.
Indeed, perhaps it's the last comparison that's led blockbuster directors Stephen Spielberg and Peter Jackson to team up in making the motion-capture 3-D film The Adventures of Tintin: Secret of the Unicorn, due in theaters in 2011. Until then, those interested in the character and creator can check out the documentary Tintin and I, by filmmaker Anders Ostergaard, whose source material has been gathered from 14 hours of 1971 audio interviews with Remi. The event is a collaboration with the PBS independent film program P.O.V., and refreshments will be served.
May 27, 6:30 p.m., Forbes Library, 20 West St., Northampton, (413) 587-1013.
