Asterix in Britain (1986)

The diminutive Asterix and his rather larger companion Obelix, warriors of the last village in Gaul still free after the Roman invasion, set out on a mission to deliver a barrel of their ... See full summary »

Director:

Pino Van Lamsweerde

Writers:

René Goscinny (comic), Albert Uderzo (comic)

Stars:

Roger Carel, Pierre Tornade, Graham Bushnell

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Roger Carel	...	Astérix / Idéfix (voice)
Pierre Tornade	...	Obélix (voice)
Graham Bushnell	...	Jolitorax (voice)
Pierre Mondy	...	Cetinlapsus (voice)
Maurice Risch	...	Châteaupétrus (voice)
Roger Lumont	...	Stratocumulus (voice)
Nicolas Silberg	...	Motus (voice)
Albert Augier	...	Epidemaïs, le marchand phénicien (voice)
Paul Bisciglia	...	(voice)
Bertie Cortez	...	(voice)
Gérard Croce	...	Le voleur de vin (voice) (as Gerard Croce)
Alain Doutey	...	Vendeur de vins (voice)
Michel Elias	...	Olive Escartefix alias Gaulix (voice)
Michel Gatineau	...	Cétautomatix / le chef des pirates (voice)
Henri Labussière	...	Panoramix (voice)

Storyline

The diminutive Asterix and his rather larger companion Obelix, warriors of the last village in Gaul still free after the Roman invasion, set out on a mission to deliver a barrel of their druid's famous magic potion to help Asterix's cousin in Britain fight off the invading Roman army.

---

Plot Keywords:

gaul | warrior | village | julius caesar | roman empire | 

---

Taglines:

I say! The Romans have invaded!

---

Genres:

Animation | Adventure | Comedy | Family | Fantasy

---

Certificate:

Not Rated

Did You Know?

Trivia

Preceded by Asterix and the Big Fight.

---

Goofs

Although Julius Caesar managed to beat Casivellaunus's coalition and demanding tribute and hostages from them, he never conquered Brittannia as a whole. Even his victory against the southern tribes was short-lived, since he went back to Gaul to stop an uprising and secure Roman rule there. Permanent Roman occupation in Brittannia started about a century later, under emperor Claudius.

---

Quotes

[Caesar's armies beat each other up]
Caesar: I came, I saw, and I don't believe my eyes...

---

Alternate Versions

Some versions, particularly those shown on television, have every last glimpse of the African pirate removed, presumably due to his dark skin and overly large lips making him appear to be a racist stereotype.

---

Connections

Spoofs The Longest Day (1962)

---

Soundtracks

Title Song
Performed by Cook da Books
Music by Vladimir Cosma
Lyrics by Jeff Jordan

User Reviews

Standard version of the book – only the Euro-pop spoils it!

When the Romans invade Britain they do such ghastly things as fight outside working hours and at weekends, hence the island quickly falls. One Briton sneaks across the channel to seek help from his cousin Asterix. Asterix, Obelix and the Briton take a barrel of magic potion back across the channel in an attempt to help the British villages to fight back.

Another in the staggered animated Asterix series. This story follows the book quite closely and manages to have some of it's wit – `send us a victorious wind o gods' implores Caesar just before his map blows over his face! However much of this is the usual hitting Romans fare. The story may not be great but it's still very enjoyable for children.

The colours are a bit washed out looking at times and the animation isn't state of the art (even then!) but it's easy to overlook this. Some of the characters are very good – the British, although cliched, are very funny, however the main characters are a bit off. All the Gauls have `Allo, Allo' French accents that annoy. Worse is Obelix being played again like a buffoon crossed with a child – not very good at all.

Overall this is an acceptable addition to the Asterix stable, it doesn't totally manage to carry off the wit of the books but it's a reasonable funny and faithful version. The worst thing is the terrible Euro-pop played over the end credits.

Details

Country:

France Denmark

Language:

French

Release Date:

10 July 1987 (USA)

Also Known As:

Asterix in Britain

Company Credits

Production Co:

Gaumont International, Dargaud Films, Gutenberghus

Technical Specs

Runtime:

79 min

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1