PBS Looks at Tintin, Creator

As comic-book fans get set to descend upon San Diego next week for Comic-Con, PBS will offer a rare look at a classic European comic and its creator when its P.O.V. series presents filmmaker Anders ‘stergaard’s Tintin and I. Airing on Tuesday, July 11, at 10 p.m., the documentary will feature previously unaired interviews with late Belgian Cartoonist Herg’ (a.k.a Georges Remi), who discusses the political and psychological forces behind the creation of his legendary boy hero.

Appearing from 1929 to 1982, The Adventures of Tintin followed the globetrotting and sometimes otherworldly adventures of a determined and resilient Boy Scout who confronts all sorts of danger, treachery and political machinations. Though lesser known in the U.S., Tintin was as recognizable to Europeans as Superman or Mickey Mouse. But rather than providing fantasy escapism, the series reflected the very real 20th century dangers associated with war, colonialism, oppression, criminal conspiracies and the darker side of technology. Herg’ himself was arrested and blacklisted for continuing to work under German occupation during WWII. Tintin was on the verge of a major revival a few years ago when Steven Spielberg expressed interest in developing a live-action feature based on the comic.

‘stergaard’s film is built around 14 hours of audio interviews that French journalist Numa Sadoul recorded with the reclusive Herg’ in 1971. The prodution also features images of the cartoonist and some of his most famous Tintin panels, which have been made into 3D animations which provide new insight into Herg’s art. Andy Warhol and other prominent artists also express their appreciation for Herg’s work in archival footage.

Tintin and I is a production of Angel Production (Denmark) and Moulinsart Production (Belgium) in co-production with Periscope Prods. (Belgium), Dune (France), Leapfrog (Switzerland), RTBF (Belgium), Avro (Netherlands) and in association with France 2, VRT, DR TV, France 5, Suisse Romande, SVT, NRK, YLE-FST and RUV. PBS’s P.O.V. is American television’s longest-running independent documentary series.