Taxandria (1994)

A young prince is taken for tuition at a seaside hotel but there quickly bores and wanders off to visit a nearby lighthouse. Befriended by the keeper, he learns of a secret world he can see... See full summary »

Director:

Raoul Servais

Writers:

Frank Daniel (script), Raoul Servais (script)

Stars:

Armin Mueller-Stahl, Elliott Spiers, Katja Studt

4 wins & 3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview:
Armin Mueller-Stahl	...	Karol / Virgilus
Elliott Spiers	...	Aimé Perel
Katja Studt	...	Princess Ailée
Richard Kattan	...	Jan
Julien Schoenaerts	...	Mr. Bonze
Andrew Sachs	...	André / Superintendent
Daniel Emilfork	...	First Minister
Cris Campion	...	Klooster
Robert Lemaire	...	Lamp
Joris Van Ransbeeck	...	Versalus
Ferenc Dávid Kiss	...	Taxandrian (as David Kiss Ferehl)
Zsuzsa Holl	...	Leading Lady (as Holl Zsuzsa)
John Truscott	...	Driver

Storyline

A young prince is taken for tuition at a seaside hotel but there quickly bores and wanders off to visit a nearby lighthouse. Befriended by the keeper, he learns of a secret world he can see inside the light of the lamp - the world of Taxandria ruled by the dictatorship of the 'eternal present' where all machines, progress and time have been banned. However, a naive but creative printing clerk unwittingly causes a revolution when he upsets a printing press and tries to replace the spilled letters only to have his new words taken for a subversive code. On the run he falls in love with a palace princess, discovers the forbidden art of photography and sets out to fulfill his dream of building a flying machine.

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Plot Keywords:

made in servaisgraphy | dictatorship | frozen time | alternate reality | lighthouse | 

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Genres:

Adventure | Fantasy

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Did You Know?

Trivia

Elliott Spiers was already gravely ill when the film entered in post-production so it required another actor to read his lines and dub his voice. When the movie was finally presented in 1994 shortly after his death, it was dedicated to his memory.

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Quotes

Aimé Perel: Progress, the source of evil; has been abolished.

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Soundtracks

Island Dreamer
Written by Jan Hammer
Performed by Jan Hammer
Produced by Jan Hammer

User Reviews

Raoul Servais' best known, but worst project

Raoul Servais, the infamous Belgian animator has proved in many cases he's a master in his job. Nevertheless i must say, Taxandria, one of the bigger Belgian projects from that time does not have the "magic" that's so frequently talked (or whispered) about in the story itself. As an experiment it would've been a great try, since this movie consists of admittedly good technical efforts by trying to melt real cinéma with the drawn and painted world of Raoul Servais. Yet, the film is too long to enjoy and the whole cannot be seen as an experiment. it was too expensive in the first place to be "just an experiment". I don't understand they directed themselves to a younger public, so you get the feeling the story suffers from space to breath. The story is about a young rich boy who's at sea with his private teacher when he discovers the world of Taxandria where it is forbidden to make drawings and images. the journey of the boy to make wrong things back right is meant to be a "magic" voyage into the world of Taxandria with its strange personalities. Like i said, the magic is never there. The story is a good attempt to pull the attention of the younger kids to get involved with art and animation since there are many hints to famous (Belgian) artists such as the wonderful Delvaux. Unfortunately this failed and above all the movie feels already dated. If you want to feel magic and see weird personalities in a world where kids rule the set, go watch "LA CITE DES ENFANTS PERDUS".

Details

Country:

Belgium Germany France Hungary Netherlands UK USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

21 February 1996 (France)

Also Known As:

Таксандрия

Filming Locations:

Antwerp, Flanders, Belgium

Company Credits

Production Co:

Iblis Films, Bibo Films, Les Productions Dussart

Technical Specs

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color