''The Twelve Tasks of Asterix'' (''Les Douze travaux d'Astérix'') is a 1976 Belgian/French

animated Animation is a method by which still figures are manipulated to appear as moving images. In traditional animation, images are drawn or painted by hand on transparent celluloid sheets to be photographed and exhibited on film. Today, most anim ...

feature film A feature film or feature-length film is a narrative film (motion picture or "movie") with a running time long enough to be considered the principal or sole presentation in a commercial entertainment program. The term ''feature film'' originall ...

based on the ''Asterix'' comic book series, and the third in the animated franchise.

René Goscinny René Goscinny (, ; 14 August 1926 – 5 November 1977) was a French comic editor and writer, who created the ''Astérix'' comic book series with illustrator Albert Uderzo. Raised largely in Buenos Aires, Argentina, where he attended French schoo ...

and

Albert Uderzo Alberto Aleandro Uderzo (; ; 25 April 1927 – 24 March 2020), better known as Albert Uderzo, was a French comic book artist and scriptwriter. He is best known as the co-creator and illustrator of the ''Astérix'' series in collaboration with Re ...

, the creators of the series, wrote the story and directed the film themselves; with co-direction by Pierre Watrin and the screenplay co-written by

Pierre Tchernia Pierre Tcherniakowski (29 January 1928 – 8 October 2016), better known as Pierre Tchernia, was a French cinema and television producer, screenwriter, presenter, animator and actor. In France he was known as ''"Magic" Tchernia'' and ''Monsieur Ci ...

, a friend of Goscinny and Uderzo. The film was directed, produced and animated at Goscinny and Uderzo's own animation studio, Studios Idéfix and is the only Asterix animated film that has used the

Xerography Xerography is a dry photocopying technique. Originally called electrophotography, it was renamed xerography—from the roots el, ξηρός, label=none ''xeros'', meaning "dry" and -γραφία ''-graphia'', meaning "writing"—to emphasize ...

Process. At the time of its release, the film received mixed reviews since its tone is more cartoony and frequently breaks the

fourth wall The fourth wall is a performance convention in which an invisible, imaginary wall separates actors from the audience. While the audience can see through this ''wall'', the convention assumes the actors act as if they cannot. From the 16th cen ...

. Nowadays its reception is more favorable, with it often being cited as one of the best ''Astérix'' films, even reaching the status of a

cult classic A cult following refers to a group of fans who are highly dedicated to some person, idea, object, movement, or work, often an artist, in particular a performing artist, or an artwork in some medium. The lattermost is often called a cult classic. ...

. It was the only Asterix film (animated or live-action) to be based on an original screenplay rather than on material from any of the

comic book A comic book, also called comicbook, comic magazine or (in the United Kingdom and Ireland) simply comic, is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are of ...

stories until the release of '' Asterix: The Secret of the Magic Potion'' in 2018. It was later adapted into a comic book as well by Albert Uderzo's brother,

Marcel Uderzo Marcel Uderzo (20 December 1933 – 24 January 2021) was a French comic book artist. He was the younger brother of fellow comic book artist Albert Uderzo. Biography Uderzo was born in Clichy-sous-Bois on 20 December 1933 to a family of Italian i ...

, as an illustrated text story book and a series of twelve books for young readers.

Plot

Following constant defeats by the rebel village of

Gaul Gaul ( la, Gallia) was a region of Western Europe first described by the Romans. It was inhabited by Celtic and Aquitani tribes, encompassing present-day France, Belgium, Luxembourg, most of Switzerland, parts of Northern Italy (only during ...

, the

Roman Senate The Roman Senate ( la, Senātus Rōmānus) was a governing and advisory assembly in ancient Rome. It was one of the most enduring institutions in Roman history, being established in the first days of the city of Rome (traditionally founded in ...

begins to suggest that the Gauls might be

gods A deity or god is a supernatural being who is considered divine or sacred. The ''Oxford Dictionary of English'' defines deity as a god or goddess, or anything revered as divine. C. Scott Littleton defines a deity as "a being with powers greater ...

, due to their apparent invincibility.

Julius Caesar Gaius Julius Caesar (; ; 12 July 100 BC – 15 March 44 BC), was a Roman general and statesman. A member of the First Triumvirate, Caesar led the Roman armies in the Gallic Wars before defeating his political rival Pompey in a civil war, and ...

, 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 The Labours of Hercules or Labours of Heracles ( grc-gre, οἱ Ἡρακλέους ἆθλοι, ) are a series of episodes concerning a penance carried out by Heracles, the greatest of the Greek heroes, whose name was later romanised a ...

Hercules Hercules (, ) is the Roman equivalent of the Greek divine hero Heracles, son of Jupiter and the mortal Alcmena. In classical mythology, Hercules is famous for his strength and for his numerous far-ranging adventures. The Romans adapted the Gr ...

: the village's best warriors shall perform a set of twelve new tasks, which only gods could carry out successfully. Completion of all the tasks will see Caesar hand over the

Roman Empire The Roman Empire ( la, Imperium Romanum ; grc-gre, Βασιλεία τῶν Ῥωμαίων, Basileía tôn Rhōmaíōn) was the post-Republican period of ancient Rome. As a polity, it included large territorial holdings around the Mediterr ...

to them, whereas failing just one task will result in the Gauls surrendering to Rome. Agreeing to the terms, the village assigns Asterix and

Obelix Obelix (; french: Obélix) is a cartoon character in the French comic book series ''Asterix''. He works as a menhir sculptor and deliveryman, and is Asterix's best friend. Obelix is noted for his obesity, the menhirs he carries around on his bac ...

to perform the tasks, with Caesar assigning Caius Tiddlus, a Roman man renowned for his honesty, to act as their guide to the tasks and serve as the challenges' referee. In their first set of challenges, Asterix defeats Asbestos, champion of the

Ancient Olympic Games The ancient Olympic Games (Ὀλυμπιακοὶ ἀγῶνες; la, Olympia, neuter plural: "the Olympics") were a series of athletic competitions among representatives of city-states and were one of the Panhellenic Games of Ancient Greece. ...

, by beating him in a race, and Cilindric the German in a judo match, by outsmarting his opponent. 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 that is home to beautiful

Siren Siren or sirens may refer to: Common meanings * Siren (alarm), a loud acoustic alarm used to alert people to emergencies * Siren (mythology), an enchanting but dangerous monster in Greek mythology Places * Siren (town), Wisconsin * Siren, Wisco ...

s, who reside in the centre on the "Isle of Pleasure". Although the Gauls nearly succumb to the women, Obelix comes to his senses when he learns that there are no

wild boar The wild boar (''Sus scrofa''), also known as the wild swine, common wild pig, Eurasian wild pig, or simply wild pig, is a suid native to much of Eurasia and North Africa, and has been introduced to the Americas and Oceania. The species is ...

s for him to hunt and eat, allowing the pair to accomplish the challenge. After surviving the

hypnotic Hypnotic (from Greek ''Hypnos'', sleep), or soporific drugs, commonly known as sleeping pills, are a class of (and umbrella term for) psychoactive drugs whose primary function is to induce sleep (or surgical anesthesiaWhen used in anesthesia ...

gaze of Iris the Egyptian in the fifth task, with Asterix causing him to hypnotise himself, Obelix attempts the sixth task of finishing meals prepared by the Belgian cook Mannekenpix, consuming all the food (which he believes to be his starters). Following their seventh task of enduring the "Cave of the Beast", the pair attempt the eighth task of getting a permit document from a multi-storey

bureaucratic The term bureaucracy () refers to a body of non-elected governing officials as well as to an administrative policy-making group. Historically, a bureaucracy was a government administration managed by departments staffed with non-elected offi ...

building. After finding it impossible because of the clinically unhelpful people who direct them elsewhere, Asterix beats them at their own game by asking for an imaginary permit. The staff fall victim to their own behaviour, and cause the Prefect to unwittingly hand over what the Gauls came for. The pair continue to complete further challenges. They cross a ravine filled with

crocodile Crocodiles (family (biology), family Crocodylidae) or true crocodiles are large semiaquatic reptiles that live throughout the tropics in Africa, Asia, the Americas and Australia. The term crocodile is sometimes used even more loosely to inclu ...

s by beating them up, rather than using an invisible tightrope. They answer a riddle by the Old Man of the Mountain, conducted in the form of a washing detergent advertisement. They then endure a night on a

plain In geography, a plain is a flat expanse of land that generally does not change much in elevation, and is primarily treeless. Plains occur as lowlands along valleys or at the base of mountains, as coastal plains, and as plateaus or uplands ...

haunted by

ghost A ghost is the soul or spirit of a dead person or animal that is believed to be able to appear to the living. In ghostlore, descriptions of ghosts vary widely from an invisible presence to translucent or barely visible wispy shapes, to rea ...

s. Asterix gets rid of them by complaining about the noise and convincing the ghosts to shut up. Asterix and Obelix eventually find themselves in

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

, alongside their fellow villagers, for their final task. Brought to the

Circus Maximus The Circus Maximus (Latin for "largest circus"; Italian: ''Circo Massimo'') is an ancient Roman chariot-racing stadium and mass entertainment venue in Rome, Italy. In the valley between the Aventine and Palatine hills, it was the first and lar ...

, the Gauls fight against

gladiator A gladiator ( la, gladiator, "swordsman", from , "sword") was an armed combatant who entertained audiences in the Roman Republic and Roman Empire in violent confrontations with other gladiators, wild animals, and condemned criminals. Some gla ...

s, whom they beat, and defeat various animals sent against them by turning the arena into a modern-day

circus A circus is a company of performers who put on diverse entertainment shows that may include clowns, acrobats, trained animals, trapeze acts, musicians, dancers, hoopers, tightrope walkers, jugglers, magicians, ventriloquists, and unicyclist ...

. Having succeeded in every task, Caesar agrees that they are gods, giving the Gauls control of the

, while retiring to live a quiet and peaceful life with

Cleopatra Cleopatra VII Philopator ( grc-gre, Κλεοπάτρα Φιλοπάτωρ}, "Cleopatra the father-beloved"; 69 BC10 August 30 BC) was Queen of the Ptolemaic Kingdom of Egypt from 51 to 30 BC, and its last active ruler.She was also a ...

. As a reward for his service, Caius Tiddlus 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 everything is possible. Obelix takes advantage of this and teleports himself and his wild boar meat to the Isle of Pleasure by the High Priestess, along with Caius Tiddlus, to enjoy himself.

Cast

Additional voices

* Original:

Roger Carel Roger Carel (born Roger Bancharel; 14 August 1927 – 11 September 2020) was a French actor, known for his recurring film roles as Asterix, the French voice of '' Star Wars C-3PO, and the French voice of Winnie-the-Pooh, Piglet, and Rabbit in ...

(Roman Senator #3, Dogmatix), Gisèle Grimm, Nicole Jonesco, Mary Mongourdin, Lawrence Riesner, Jean Stout,

Alice Sapritch Alice Sapritch (29 July 1916 – 24 March 1990) was a French film actress. She appeared in 66 films between 1950 and 1989. Partial filmography * ''Le tampon du capiston'' (1950) - La pharmacienne * ''Le crime du Bouif'' (1952) * ''If Pari ...

* English: Paul Bacon, George Baker, Sean Barrett (Gladiator Trainer, Jailer),

Ysanne Churchman Ysanne Churchman (born 14 May 1925) is an English actress. She worked as an actress and narrator on British radio, TV and film for over 50 years (1938–1993). She gained attention as Grace Archer in the long-running BBC radio drama series ''T ...

, Christina Greatrex (Mrs. Geriatrix, Window 12 Receptionist, Minerva), Alexander John,

Barbara Mitchell Barbara Mitchell (4 October 1929 – 9 December 1977, Kingston Upon Thames) was an English actress who became a familiar face on British television in the 1960s and 1970s, best known for her work in many classic sitcoms of the period. Care ...

Gennie Nevinson Gennie Nevinson is an Australian actress. She is notable for her appearances in ''Muriel's Wedding''. She also appeared as Eva, part of a kidnapping gang in the hard-hitting British police drama '' The Professionals''; episode ''The Acorn Syndrome ...

John Ringham John Henry Ringham (10 February 1928 – 20 October 2008) was a British actor who appeared on both television and stage. Among his roles was that of Norman Warrender in the 1980s sitcom ''Just Good Friends''. Early life Ringham was born in Che ...

, Geoffrey Russell (Cacofonix, Senator #4), Paddy Turner

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.

Notes

*In the opening scene at Caesar's senate

Brutus Marcus Junius Brutus (; ; 85 BC – 23 October 42 BC), often referred to simply as Brutus, was a Roman politician, orator, and the most famous of the assassins of Julius Caesar. After being adopted by a relative, he used the name Quintus Serv ...

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", 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 ''Oumpah-pah le Peau-Rouge'' (''Ompa-pa the Redskin'') is a comics series created by comics artist Albert Uderzo and comics author René Goscinny, best known as the creators of Asterix. The series first appeared in the weekly ''Tintin'' magaz ...

, a character created by Goscinny and Uderzo for a separate comic series. *Especially in France and Germany, "The Place that sends you mad" sequence has achieved a strong

cult status A cult following refers to a group of fans who are highly dedicated to some person, idea, object, movement, or work, often an artist, in particular a performing artist, or an artwork in some medium. The lattermost is often called a cult classic. ...

as a parody of absurd modern-day

bureaucracy The term bureaucracy () refers to a body of non-elected governing officials as well as to an administrative policy-making group. Historically, a bureaucracy was a government administration managed by departments staffed with non-elected offi ...

. In Germany, "Passierschein A38" ("Curfew pass A38") has become a popular

slang term Slang is vocabulary (words, phrases, and linguistic usages) of an informal register, common in spoken conversation but avoided in formal writing. It also sometimes refers to the language generally exclusive to the members of particular in-gro ...

for a fictional document to ironically describe absurd bureaucracy. It was also referenced in the second

expansion Expansion may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * ''L'Expansion'', a French monthly business magazine * ''Expansion'' (album), by American jazz pianist Dave Burrell, released in 2004 * ''Expansions'' (McCoy Tyner album), 1970 * ''Expansio ...

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.

Comic book and story book adaptations

In 1976,

'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 ''Asterix Conquers Rome'' (French: ''Les 12 Travaux d'Asterix'', literally "The 12 Tasks of Asterix"), first published in 1976, is the comic book adaptation of the animated Asterix film ''The Twelve Tasks of Asterix'' and "unofficially" the twent ...

, was based on the dialogue of the English version of the film and was titled ''

Asterix Conquers Rome ''Asterix Conquers Rome'' (French: ''Les 12 Travaux d'Asterix'', literally "The 12 Tasks of Asterix"), first published in 1976, is the comic book adaptation of the animated Asterix film ''The Twelve Tasks of Asterix'' and "unofficially" the twent ...

''. There is also an illustrated book of the film containing the story in text. The story book is more regularly published and more widely translated than the very rare comic book. In addition, there are also twelve rare illustrated text story books for young readers, one for each of the twelve tasks.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Twelve Tasks of Asterix, The 1976 films 1976 animated films 1970s ghost films 1970s speculative fiction films Animated films based on comics Asterix films Belgian animated films Bureaucracy in fiction Films about bureaucracy Circus films Asterix Twelve Tasks 1970s French-language films French alternate history films French children's films Cultural depictions of Marcus Junius Brutus Depictions of Cleopatra on film Depictions of Julius Caesar on film Films about gladiatorial combat Films about crocodilians Films about Heracles Films adapted into comics Films directed by René Goscinny Films directed by Albert Uderzo Films about hypnosis Films scored by Gérard Calvi Films set in ancient Rome Self-reflexive films Surreal comedy films Teleportation in films 1970s children's animated films Animated films based on classical mythology Halas and Batchelor films Films with screenplays by René Goscinny Films produced by René Goscinny Films with screenplays by Pierre Tchernia 1970s French films