Asterix and Obelix vs. Caesar (1999)

Inhabitants of the last unconquered village in Gaul (ancient France) use a magical potion to hold their independence from Roman invaders.

Director:

Claude Zidi

Writers:

René Goscinny (comic book), Albert Uderzo (comic book)

Stars:

Christian Clavier, Gérard Depardieu, Roberto Benigni

4 wins & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Christian Clavier	...	Astérix
Gérard Depardieu	...	Obélix
Roberto Benigni	...	Lucius Detritus
Michel Galabru	...	Abraracourcix
Claude Piéplu	...	Panoramix
Daniel Prévost	...	Prolix
Pierre Palmade	...	Assurancetourix
Laetitia Casta	...	Falbala
Arielle Dombasle	...	Mme Agecanonix
Sim	...	Agecanonix
Marianne Sägebrecht	...	Bonnemine
Gottfried John	...	Jules César
Jean-Pierre Castaldi	...	Caius Bonus
Jean-Roger Milo	...	Cetautomatix
Jean-Jacques Devaux	...	Ordralfabetix

Storyline

The well-known little village from the Asterix and Obelix-comic books is in trouble: It is the last place not controlled by Rome. When Tax collector Claudius Incorruptus does not get his money from the villagers, Julius Caesar himself comes to the place to see what's so special about their resistance. A special magic potion, prepared by the village's druid, gives incredible power to those who drink it. And Obelix, who fell into the pot as a child has been invincible ever since. With the help of Tullius Destructivus, an intrigeur, the Romans try to get Obelix and the druid into their hands in order to wipe the little village off the map, when the last potion of it's stock has been used up. But each individual also has some plans of his own...

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Plot Keywords:

based on comic book | magical potion | roman emperor | character name in title | village | 

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Taglines:

The Gauls are revolting!

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Genres:

Adventure | Comedy | Family | Fantasy

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Official Sites:

Astérix, le site officiel Odeon Film AG

Country:

France Italy Germany

Language:

French German

Release Date:

3 February 1999 (France)

Also Known As:

Asterix and Obelix vs. Caesar

Filming Locations:

Brittany, France

Box Office

Budget:

FRF 274,620,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$304,245, 4 June 1999

Gross USA:

$1,644,060

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$101,644,060

Company Credits

Production Co:

AMLF, Bavaria Entertainment, Canal+

Technical Specs

Runtime:

109 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Gérard Depardieu is the only actor who appeared in every single Astérix movie.

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Goofs

Most Roman legionaries are wearing iron helmets and plate armor (lorica segmentata or lorica laminata), which in the time of Julius Caesar were not used by the Roman army yet. Roman soldiers in the Gallic War mainly wore simple bronze helmets and chain-mail armor.

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Quotes

Astérix: Look - the Man in the Iron Mask!
Obélix: Have they written that yet?

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Crazy Credits

This movie is dedicated to René Goscinny

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Connections

Referenced in 7 pádu Honzy Dedka: Klára Issová (2015)

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Soundtracks

Les Blues du Business Man
Written by Luc Plamondon, Michel Berger

User Reviews

Almost as good as the comics

I, not being a fan of live-action movies based on cartoons or comics, didn't expect much of this film. "At least it's made by the French, as were the comics", I thought. The film, however, turned out to be pretty good. The actors did their jobs well and actually managed to look like the original Gauls and Romans I've grown to love. The special effects were impressive, especially the effect of the magic potion. The plot didn't follow any particular album, instead it was a mix-match of several album stories, with a little of its own thrown in. In my opinion, they didn't focus on certain albums enough. The main story, however, was very good. My only real complaint is the portrayal of the Roman legions. The Italian accent they spoke in was needless, because the Italian language wasn't around in 50 BC. And they should dress in green, not red! I recommend this movie to all fans of the Asterix comics. This is what live-action movies about cartoons should be like, which is more than I can say for many Disney movies.