Adapted from Franquin's cult comic strip and barely released in theaters, the film Gaston Lagaffe is already controversial. And for good reason: the daughter of the creator of the clumsy hero has strung the film directed by Pef. The latter's response was not long in coming. Focus!
It hurts, very badly even, because I watch helplessly as the disaster stands, hoping wholeheartedly that the public will be able to distinguish the wheat from the chaff, so to speak.
Remarks of rare violence concerning a cinematographic work from Isabelle Franquin, who also said:
His first version was unspeakable, full of aberrations.
statements supported by the descendant of Franquin, who details part of this famous first version of the film:
Gaston abandoned his cat and seagull, or heated the start-up where he works by inserting a garden hose into the back of a cow. There, I said 'niet'.
These particularly vehement statements were supported by a fact that will surprise many, namely the fact that Isabelle Franquin has only a moral right over her father's work. Thus, it could not oppose this adaptation. She said:
So I didn't have the power to prevent this film, even if the actors are badly directed, the script stupid and the pace of gags catastrophic.
Faced with such ruthless statements, director Pierre François Martin-Laval (known as Pef) defended himself:
That is just his opinion.
Even before seeing it, people were saying that it would necessarily suck… We call them 'haters'. I understand the apprehensions of the fans, even the most violent.
The director also wanted to be reassuring about the quality of his new feature film, assuring that the test screenings in Belgium had gone very well. He said he was surprised by this reaction, assuring that his film appealed "to young and old" (implied: former fans as well as neophytes). Pef explained why he modernized the era in which the story of his film takes place:
It was out of the question to make a period film. Franquin spoke of his time, his comic was contemporary. If he still draws, there would be technology, tablets, etc.
This echoes other words of Isabelle Franquin, who did not appreciate this transposition in the current world, preferring that the adaptation be faithful to the period of the comic strip. But in the end, Pef remains happy with the work he has done and affirms it by stating this:
I made the film I would like to go see with my children and my parents. One person's opinion can't change the work and fun I've had and the film gives.
It remains to be seen whether the film will convince viewers in theaters, failing to convince the daughter of the late Franquin. Many critics have already given their opinion (often negative) on this adaptation, but this is probably not what will condition the success of Gaston Lagaffe in the cinema.
Trailer Gaston Lagaffe :
