"Corto Maltese: La cour secrète des Arcanes" was one of the most beautiful and captivating animated films that I have ever saw. I must confess that I never read the original comics made by Hugo Pratt, but I have heard a lot of good things about them.This movie, unlike many other animated films, is a epic, historical drama, that has all the feeling of any production of David Lean. The character designs are stylish and well made, the animation is fluid and detailed, filled with beautiful colors and pretty sceneries. I loved everything about this film: The animation, the story, the characters, the music...This must be one of the most underrated animated films ever made, I can't believe that it doesn't get the recognition that I deserves. I highly recommend this film to anyone.10/10

I think the director and animators did a tremendous job. I am a big fan of Pratt's art, and to be honest didn't expect much from the movie. The comic has a recognizable atmosphere, that I sincerely doubted can be successfully moved to the screen.But luckily - I was wrong. I was delighted with the final result. The atmosphere was there, just the way it should be - I actually felt like reading the comic.But beware - if you are not familiar with Pratt's work, or if you don't really love it - I doubt you can appreciate this piece. Also, this is a European movie, not American. It is very, very non-typical, and I fear that most of American public may find it confusing, probably even boring.The scenes are long and slow, the director doesn't rush anywhere, takes the time to show each facial expression, to give a weight to every said word. Just as the comic does.Also, in order to enjoy Pratt's art, you have to know a lot - you have to be interested in history, geography, legends, culture of various nations, mysticism, different religions and beliefs... And the same is true for this film. So - no, this is definitely not a movie for a typical American consumer.In short - if you know and like Pratt's work, you will probably enjoy the movie. Otherwise - you probably won't like it at all.

The story and the characters in this movie are guaranteed Pratt, and art is nicely adapted to animation. Sceneries are stunning and the atmosphere is definitely right. The animation is french standard quality, which means it's quite good, but not very fluid. You don't forget that you're watching animated pictures.This could have been an excellent movie, had the director demanded a little more of the voice actors and sound engineers. Now there is very little drama in this movie. You see dramatic events taking place in exotic surroundings and hear people reading out script in a dry-sounding studio setup.So: 3 points for the original comic, 1 for the idea of adapting it to silver screen, and points for animation, art direction and a beautiful musical soundtrack as well.

Being a big fan of Hugo Pratt's comic, I was pleased with this animated adaptation of Corto Maltese. The plot was most faithful to the original graphic novel, the dialogue being used almost verbatim. This must've been somewhat risky, since the story isn't exactly easy to follow. Animated features cost more than comics, so they also need bigger audiences, and the film-makers must've been tempted to tighten the pace and cut some of the historical references. Luckily, they haven't done so.The drawing style is also truthful to Pratt, and the animation is as good as it can be without a Disney budget. Regarding this, one could even say that the faithfulness of the adaptation is a limiting factor. Pratt's contemplative and somewhat static form of storytelling is perhaps unfitting for an animated film, since animation has a different set of dynamics than comics.The biggest flaw with the film is something that couldn't have been helped: the original comic is a long series of stories, of which the film can offer only a slice. Pratt's world isn't the easiest to enter, and seeing one film (or reading one comic, to that matter) probably isn't enough to make one see what's so special about Corto Maltese. The friendship between Corto and Rasputin, one of the most interesting aspects of the comic, is well conveyed in this particular story. But to wholly understand this relationship one needs to know their past - which the film can only refer to. The film-makers' choice of not starting from the beginning is understandable, since the first Corto Maltese story isn't the best or the most filmable of the bunch.To sum it up: while I liked the film very much, someone not familiar with the comic probably doesn't get as much out of it. The best thing this film can do is to acquaint such people with Pratt's masterful work.