Easter wishes

As we get ready for Palm Sunday tomorrow, and Holy Week, Tintin and I take the opportunity to wish all the dear readers a Happy Easter!

The origin of April Fool's Day

Number Six just told me this yesterday--she learned it at French class--and here's Tintin telling the origin of April Fool's day to the world.

April 1 - 1er avril
Jokes, tall stories and all kinds of tomfoolery... April 1st is here!
April Fool's Day is an ancient tradition, named “le poisson d'avril” in French. But poisson means fish in French doesn't it? What are the origins of this name?
Passion = poisson: the word “poisson” is in fact a play on the word “passion”. It is a parody of the passion of Jesus Christ, who at the beginning of April was sent back and forth between Pontious Pilate, King Herod and others before the crucifixion. Over the centuries the word passion became poisson; the joke consisted of sending someone from one place to another.
Fishing: fish spawning season begins at the end of March and fishing was not allowed at this time: there were some practical jokers who sent victims to the fish market, only for them to come back empty-handed! It was also considered funny to give someone a fish at the end of Lent.
The start of the year: until the 16th century, the start of the year was actually on 1 April, corresponding with the “awakening of nature” during spring. King Charles IX of France decided that the year would begin on 1 January. Many people didn't realise or pay attention, and they continued to celebrate the New Year on 1 April! To make fun of these people, others gave them empty boxes and other fake gifts on 1 April

Tintin: Superb!

We took over 90% of the movie theater, our family plus twelve other families from the homeschool group, and were all delighted by a wonderful show! Number One and I discussed the movie over breakfast this morning, and our combined overall review--and being Tintin lovers we are very picky reviewers--was very, very favorable:

• the film kept the atmosphere, feel of the Tintin stories
• no politically-correct distortions
• incredible attention to detail in every scene, we felt as if inside one of the books
• the 3-D effect awesome!
• the initial scene of Tintin being drawn by Herge' at the art fair won all of our hearts
• the Catholic reference of St. John the Evangelist in the final scene was left intact (see original page of book here)
• and many more...  

Facebook post from my friend Tintin

He is a wonderful "Facebook friend", posting all sort of interesting stuff about his own fictional character! If you grew up with Tintin, like me, and you are on Facebook, you should most definitely friend him! Today he posted how the recent film has already been nominated for best animated feature. Of course the film has yet to open in the USA, but has been a huge box office hit in Europe and Canada. I have promised my young Lit class that I will take them to the movie!

Also on Facebook I found a post by Tintin on these 1940s Christmas cards made by the Catholic author Herge. Don't you love them? If you want to know more about my love for Tintin, here is what I have blogged in the past abut him including an article I wrote.

Tintin in L'Osservatore Romano

Long before news of Steven Spielberg making a film about him, I wrote an article about this beloved boy-reporter, and the Catholic elements found in his stories. Well, wouldn't you know, the L'Osservatore Romano has just published an article also highlighting Tintin's virtues and Catholicity. Yeah! 

Tintin film opens in Brussels and Paris

We simply can't wait until the Tintin film gets here! If you have Facebook you can add Tintin as your friend and see the great photos of the Premiere in Brussels! The whole city was celebrating the event. There is also this news clip on YouTube.

Plus: a brand new English language site!

TINTIN comes to the big screen!

Less than a year ago, Heart & Mind published an article I wrote about the value of the Tintin books for wholesome family reading. I am delighted now to report on the news that Peter Jackson and Steven Spielberg are teaming up to make three films about the most beloved Belgium reporter and world adventurer. It has always been a source of disappointment to me that American families are not familiar with these stories... this will no longer be the case!

Spielberg, Peter Jackson plan 'Tintin' tales

Associated Press

LOS ANGELES -- Steven Spielberg and Peter Jackson each plan to direct at least one film in a series of three movies based on the "Tintin" adventures, a collection of illustrated books about a globe-trotting Belgian reporter.

The Academy Award-winning filmmakers each will direct one of the first two "Tintin" films and will determine later who will make the third, Spielberg spokesman Marvin Levy said Tuesday.

A timetable for production and release of the films had not been set, Levy said.

Spielberg and Jackson have chosen three stories from the two-dozen Tintin books created by Georges Remi, who published the books under the pen name Herge.

The films will be created through motion-capture technology, in which digital renderings are made of performances by live actors, with computer imagery added to create a combination of live action layered with digital animation.

Jackson used similar technology to create his giant ape in "King Kong" and the Gollum character in "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy.

"We want Tintin's adventures to have the reality of a live-action film, and yet Peter and I felt that shooting them in a traditional live-action format would simply not honor the distinctive look of the characters and world that Herge created," Spielberg said in a news release.

For more than a year, Jackson's Weta Digital effects outfit has been testing the technology to re-create the look of the Tintin characters, he said.

The reproductions are lifelike, "faithfully replicating Herge's original designs, but not rendering them as cartoons, or the familiar looking computer-animated characters," Jackson said. "Instead, we're making them look photo realistic, the fibers of their clothing, the pores of their skin and each individual hair. They look exactly like real people, but real Herge people."

Spielberg producing partner Kathleen Kennedy will produce the films along with Spielberg and Jackson.

The announcement came just a week before the 100th anniversary of the birth of Herge, who died in 1983.

Read even more here.




Update: Here is a page from one of the Tintin stories showing a very Catholic reference... enjoy!

Addendum to Summer Literary Listening post

The Wild Swans by Hans Christian Andersen
narrated by Sigourney Weaver
New York, N.Y. : Lightyear 1999.
ISBN: 1879496275, 1568960549

Publisher's Summary:
A jealous and evil queen casts a dreadful spell over her 12 stepchildren - she exiles her beautiful stepdaughter, Elise, and turns her 11 stepsons into wild swans. Princess Elise sets out to find her brothers and release them from the spell, but finds that she must perform a nearly impossible task to carry out the rescue - create coats of mail out of sharp nettles for each of her brothers, and not speak a word the entire time. Even the love of a king - and the treachery of his adviser - must not deter her from her task. Sigourney Weaver narrates this beautiful version of one of Hans Christian Andersen's most compelling tales.

My mother, a superb storyteller, used to tell us this intricate fairy tale by Hans Christian Anderson. We loved the story of Elisa who, with love and determination, risked her own life and suffered greatly in order to save all of her eleven brothers. I was happy to find it in audio recording and to share it with the children. Sigourney Weaver does a fine dramatic job as narrator. (This same production seems to come also in video recording although we have not watched it.)

Six Adventures of Tintin (Unabridged)
by Herge', Full BBC Cast (Narrator)
Audio Cassette / Listening Library / March 1999
ISBN: 0807280879
From the publisher:
Great snakes! It's young reporter-sleuth Tintin and a hilarious cast of characters, including his dog Snowy and look-alike detectives Thompson and Thomson. They romp from the Sahara to the high seas, in The Black Island, The Secret of the Unicorn, Red Rackham's Treasure, Destination Moon, Explorers on the Moon, and Tintin in Tibet. "Fast-changing scenes... wonderful."—AudioFile

If you are familiar with the delightful Tintin stories, you will be entertained by these BBC radio productions to no end. These are noisy, active, extremely fast paced renditions of six of Tintin's great adventures. A great way to pass those long interstate hours. Our whole family laughed heartily out loud while listening. (Note: these are not easy to find to purchase in the USA, look for them in used bookstores).

Watching Tintin

We bought the superb quality animated Canadian-produced DVD collections and have been enjoying watching them nightly: great family fun!