Adapted from the album Asterix the gladiator and Asterix legionary
Screenplay: after the albums of Goscinny and Uderzo, with the participation of Pierre Tchernia.
Original title: Astérix et la Surprise de César
Produced by: GAUMONT – PRODUCTIONS DARGAUD FILMS – PRODUCTIONS RENE GOSCINNY
Running time: 75min
Video distribution: GAUMONT COLUMBIA TRISTAR HOME VIDEO
Panacea and her fiancé Tragicomix have been kidnapped by the Romans! Taken to Condate (Rennes) by the zealous decurion Superbus, they are forced to enlist in the foreign legion. With this being the case, Asterix and Obelix in turn join Caesar’s army.
Following their friends’ trail, they cross through Massilia (Marseille) and Africa, before joining the Circus Maximus in Rome where they face lions and gladiators before the eyes of a dumbfounded Julius Caesar!
What the druids have to say about the film
Available in DVD and VHS.
Almost ten years had gone by since the last Asterix and “Asterix versus Caesar”. René’s death in 1977 after the liquidation of Studios Idéfix had put Albert Uderzo off the film world. This film – the result of negotiations with Georges Dargaud -together with the following one was to seal Asterix’s return to cinemas. The film met with success, although not as resounding as for films in the sixties.
Graphically and technically superior to previous films, “Asterix versus Caesar” is a good vintage and is based on two excellent albums in the series. It was directed by the Brizzi brothers, who soon went on to join the Disney team.