The Twelve Tasks of Asterix

{{Infobox film

| name = The Twelve Tasks of Asterix

| native_name = {{lang|fr|italics=default|Les Douze travaux d'Astérix}}

| image = Douze travaux d'Astérix.jpg

| caption = Original theatrical release poster

| director = René Goscinny
Albert Uderzo
Pierre Watrin
Henri Gruel

| screenplay = {{Plainlist|

Pierre Tchernia
René Goscinny
Albert Uderzo

}}

| based_on = {{Based on|Asterix|René Goscinny|Albert Uderzo}}

| starring = {{Plainlist|

}}

| narrator = Pierre Tchernia

| producer = {{Plainlist|

Georges Dargaud
René Goscinny
Albert Uderzo

}}

| music = Gérard Calvi

| editing = {{plainlist|

René Chaussy
Isabel García de Herreros
Minouche Gauzins
Michèle Neny

}}

| studio = {{Plainlist|

}}

| distributor = Gaumont Distribution

| released = {{Film date|1976|03|12|Austria|1976|10|20|France|1976|12|19|United Kingdom}}

| runtime = 82 minutes

| language = {{Plainlist|French

}}

| country = France

| gross = 9.4 million tickets{{cite web |title=Douze travaux d'Astérix (1976) |url=http://www.jpbox-office.com/fichfilm.php?id=8100 |website=JP's Box-Office |access-date=11 June 2020}}

}}

The Twelve Tasks of Asterix ({{langx|fr|Les Douze travaux d'Astérix}}) is a French animated feature film, written and directed by René Goscinny and Albert Uderzo, produced by Dargaud Films and Studios Idéfix, and distributed by Gaumont. It is the third animated film based on the Asterix comic book series, while the first to feature an original story by Goscinny and Uderzo, the series' creators, and is the only Asterix film to be produced using xerography animation techniques.

The film's plot revolves around Asterix and Obelix attempting to complete a series of tough challenges set by Julius Caesar, who seeks to prove they and their fellow villagers are not god. The film starred Roger Carel, and Jacques Morel; while the English cast included Sean Barrett, and Geoffrey Russell.

The Twelve Tasks of Asterix received mixed review regarding the tone of the story and frequent breaks in the fourth wall, but gained popularity over the years to later be considered one of the best Asterix films, achieving the status of a cult classic.{{cite web|url=https://www.lambiek.net/artists/g/goscinny.htm|title=René Goscinny|website=lambiek.net}}{{cite web|url=https://www.lambiek.net/artists/u/uderzo.htm|title=Albert Uderzo|website=lambiek.net}} The story was later adapted into a comic book by Marcel Uderzo, Albert Uderzo's brother,{{cite web|url=https://www.lambiek.net/artists/u/uderzo_marcel.htm|title=Marcel Uderzo|website=lambiek.net}} though was not widely distributed and was not incoporated into the Asterix series; an illustrated book of the film was more widely published in multiple languages than the comic adaptation.

Plot

Following constant defeats by the rebel Gauls in Armorica, the Roman Senate slowly begin to believe they may be gods, due to their apparent invincibility. Julius Caesar, openly disdainful of the suggestion, decides to test the village and meets with their chieftain, Vitalstatistix. Caesar declares that the Gauls must undertake a challenge, inspired by the Twelve Labours of Hercules - in which their best warrior must complete a set of twelve new tasks that only gods could succeed in. Caesar states that is all the tasks are completed, he will hand over the Roman Empire to them; if they fail just one task, the Gauls must surrender to Rome. Agreeing to the terms, the village assigns Asterix and Obelix to perform the tasks, with Caesar assigning Caius Tiddlus, a Roman man renowned for his honesty, to act as both their guide to the tasks and the challenges' referee.

In their first set of challenges, Asterix defeats the Greek Asbestos, champion of the ancient Olympic Games, in a race, and Cilindric the German in a judo match, by outsmarting his opponent, while Obelix defeats Verses the Persian, by managing to throw a javelin further than him. In their next challenge, the pair find themselves crossing a lake to an island known as the "Isle of Pleasure", home to beautiful Sirens, who they must resist. Although the Gauls nearly succumb to the women, Obelix comes to his senses when he learns that there are no wild boars for him to hunt and eat, allowing the pair to accomplish the challenge. The pair continue to have further success, with Asterix defeating Iris the Egyptian, by surviving turning his powerful hypnotic power against him, while Obelix defeats Belgian cook Mannekenpix by consuming all of the meals he prepares - under the assumption they were hors d'oeuvres.

Following their success in enduring the "Cave of the Beast" in the next challenge, the pair find themselves told by Caius to acquire a permit document from "The Place that Sends you Mad", a multi-storey bureaucratic building. After finding it impossible because of the clinically unhelpful people who direct them elsewhere, Asterix beats them at their own game by requesting an imaginary permit and turning their behaviour against them, resulting in the building's Prefect to unwittingly hand over what the Gauls came for. The pair continue to complete further challenges: crossing a ravine filled with crocodiles by beating them up rather than using an invisible tightrope; answering a riddle by the Old Man of the Mountain, conducted in the form of a washing detergent advertisemen; and enduring a night on a plain haunted by ghostly legionnaires, who Asterix scares away through furious complaints.

Asterix and Obelix eventually find themselves in Rome, alongside their fellow villagers, for their final task. Brought to the Circus Maximus, the Gauls fight against gladiators, whom they beat, and defeat various animals sent against them by turning the arena into a modern-day circus. Having succeeded in every task, Caesar agrees that they are gods, giving the Gauls control of the Roman Empire. Caesar retires to live a quiet and peaceful life with Cleopatra, while Caius is rewarded for his service and retires to the Isle of Pleasure. As the village celebrates their success, Asterix answers Obelix's question of them really conquering Rome by pointing out that everything that happened to them was a mere cartoon, in which anything is possible. Obelix takes advantage of this and teleports himself and his wild boar meat to the Isle of Pleasure to enjoy himself.

Cast

class="wikitable"
Character !Original Dub !English Dub{{Cite web\|url=http://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b6bd08c94\|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220509094201/http://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b6bd08c94\|archive-date=9 May 2022\|access-date=21 November 2024\|title=Les DOUZE TRAVAUX D'ASTÉRIX (1975)}}{{Cite web\|url=https://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/movies/The-Twelve-Tasks-of-Asterix/\|title=The Twelve Tasks of Asterix\|website=Behind The Voice Actors\|language=en-US\|access-date=2021-03-26}}
Asterix \|rowspan="3"\|Roger Carel \|rowspan="2"\|Sean Barrett
Caius Tiddlius
Cacofonix \|Geoffrey Russell
Obelix \|Jacques Morel \|Michael Kilgarriff
Chief Priestess of the Isle of Pleasure \|Micheline Dax \|Christina Greatrex
Old Man of the Mountains \|Gérard Hernandez \|Paul Bacon
Julius Caesar \|Jean Martinelli \|Alexander John
Vitalstatistix \|Pierre Tornade \|Paul Bacon
Getafix \|rowspan="2"\|Henri Virlojeux \|Geoffrey Russell
Iris the Hypnotizer \|Paul Bacon

class="wikitable"

Character

!Original Dub

!English Dub{{Cite web|url=http://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b6bd08c94|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220509094201/http://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b6bd08c94|archive-date=9 May 2022|access-date=21 November 2024|title=Les DOUZE TRAVAUX D'ASTÉRIX (1975)}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/movies/The-Twelve-Tasks-of-Asterix/|title=The Twelve Tasks of Asterix|website=Behind The Voice Actors|language=en-US|access-date=2021-03-26}}

Asterix

|rowspan="3"|Roger Carel

|rowspan="2"|Sean Barrett

Caius Tiddlius

Cacofonix

|Geoffrey Russell

Obelix

|Jacques Morel

|Michael Kilgarriff

Chief Priestess of the Isle of Pleasure

|Micheline Dax

|Christina Greatrex

Old Man of the Mountains

|Gérard Hernandez

|Paul Bacon

Julius Caesar

|Jean Martinelli

|Alexander John

Vitalstatistix

|Pierre Tornade

|Paul Bacon

Getafix

|rowspan="2"|Henri Virlojeux

|Geoffrey Russell

Iris the Hypnotizer

|Paul Bacon

=Additional Voices=

Original Dub: Roger Carel (Dogmatix, Roman Senator #2, Roman Senator #3), Georges Atlas (Fulliautomatix, Hermes, Roman Ghost), Claude Bertrand (Roman Senator, The Centurion #2), Caroline Cler (Bureaucrat #5), Claude Dasset (Bureaucrat #2), Micheline Dax (Cleopatra), Gisèle Grimm, Jacques Hilling (Soldier), Nicole Jonesco, Henri Labussière (Bureaucrat #1), Odette Laure (Bureaucrat #4), Bernard Lavalette (The prefect), Roger Lumont (Cylindrique le Germain, German karate teacher), Jean Martinelli (Jupiter), Mary Mongourdin, Pascal Mazzotti (Roman Senator #1), Henri Poirier (The Centurion #1), Lawrence Riesner, Stéphane Steeman (The Belgian), Jean Stout, Monique Thubert (Venus), Nicole Vervil (Impedimenta)
English Dub: Paul Bacon, George Baker, Ysanne Churchman, Christina Greatrex (Mrs. Geriatrix), Alexander John, Barbara Mitchell, Gennie Nevinson, John Ringham, Geoffrey Russell, Paddy Turner

=Uncredited=

Alice Sapritch
Pierre Tchernia (Narrator)

Home media

In the United Kingdom, it was watched by 400,000 viewers on television during the first half of 2005, making it the fifth most-watched foreign-language film on UK television during that period.{{Cite journal |date=September 2005 |title=4. Film on UK Television in the First Half of 2005 |url=https://www.yumpu.com/en/document/read/18620776/research-and-statistics-bulletin-september-2005-bfi |journal=Research and Statistics Bulletin |publisher=British Film Institute, UK Film Council |volume=3 |issue=1 |pages=20-34 (26-7) |access-date=21 April 2022 |via=Yumpu}}

Notes

In the opening scene at Caesar's senate Brutus is seen around the table playing with a knife of which Caesar says "Brutus, stop playing about with that knife you'll end up hurting somebody",{{cite web |title=Animated Asterix Films: 'The Twelve Tasks of Asterix' |url=https://h2g2.com/edited_entry/A72220664 |website=h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition |date=21 February 2011 |access-date=10 June 2021}}{{cite web |last1=Kuykendall |first1=Jeff |title=The Twelve Tasks of Asterix (1976) |url=https://www.midnightonly.com/2012/04/27/the-twelve-tasks-of-asterix-1976/ |website=Midnight Only |access-date=10 June 2021}} while Brutus is off screen you hear an "ouch" in the background with the next shot of Brutus with a bandage around his finger. This is a reference to Brutus being one of the men who stabbed and killed Caesar.
The scene with the fight in the Native American village during the second task features a cameo appearance by Oumpah-pah, a character created by Goscinny and Uderzo for a separate comic series.
Especially in France, Italy and Germany, "The Place that sends you mad" sequence has achieved a strong cult status as a parody of absurd modern-day bureaucracy. In Germany, "{{lang|de|Passierschein A38}}" ("Curfew pass A38") has become a popular slang term for a fictional document to ironically describe absurd bureaucracy.{{Cite web|title=Warum das Coronavirus den "Passierschein A38" wiederauferstehen lässt|url=https://www.t-online.de/-/87577308|access-date=2021-10-20|website=www.t-online.de|date=23 March 2020 |language=de}}{{Cite web|title=ZEIT ONLINE {{!}} Lesen Sie zeit.de mit Werbung oder im PUR-Abo. Sie haben die Wahl.|url=https://www.zeit.de/zustimmung?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.zeit.de%2Fzuender%2F2006%2F30%2FMusterungsbericht|access-date=2021-10-20|website=www.zeit.de}}{{Cite web|title=Apps statt Ablage - Der lange Weg zur digitalen Verwaltung|url=https://www.deutschlandfunkkultur.de/apps-statt-ablage-der-lange-weg-zur-digitalen-verwaltung.976.de.html?dram:article_id=500884|access-date=2021-10-20|website=Deutschlandfunk Kultur| date=27 July 2021 |language=de-DE}} It was also referenced in the second expansion of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Blood and Wine; there, Geralt has to retrieve Permit A38 from a Touissant office, and face unhelpful clerks and confusing architecture.{{Cite web |date=2022-06-30 |title=The best bit of The Witcher 3: Blood and Wine is a hilarious, throwaway side quest |url=https://www.vg247.com/witcher-3-blood-wine-paperchase |access-date=2023-01-26 |website=VG247 |language=en}}

Comic book and story book adaptations

In 1976, Uderzo's brother Marcel created a comic book adaptation of the film. This rare album has been translated in various languages, but is unavailable in the regular series. The English translation, only published as part of the once off comic book annual Asterix Annual 1980,{{cite web|url=https://asterixonline.info/asterix-conquers-rome/|title=Asterix Conquers Rome (1976) - Read Asterix Comics Online|website=asterixonline.info}} was based on the dialogue of the English version of the film and was titled Asterix Conquers Rome.
There is also an illustrated book of the film (of the same name) containing the story in text. The story book is more regularly published and more widely translated than the very rare comic book.{{cite web|url=http://asterix.openscroll.org/books/the_twelve_tasks_of_asterix.html|title=Chapter 1. The Twelve Tasks of Asterix|website=asterix.openscroll.org}}
In addition, there are also twelve rare illustrated text story books for young readers, one for each of the twelve tasks.