E.P. Jacobs : Blake or Mortimer ?

"Big Ben has just struck one in the morning. London, the gigantic capital of the British Empire, sprawls vast as a province, under the rain that has been falling persistently since the day before. Against the dark sky, the Tower of London, heart of the 'City,' outlines its stark medieval silhouette..."

The Yellow "M," often hailed as Jacobs' masterpiece, opens with a sweeping aerial tracking shot. The reader is immersed in the sepulchral atmosphere evoked by a richly literary narration. They are drawn into a fast-paced thriller, a science-fiction mystery set in a fascinating backdrop. Jacobs' style combines elements borrowed from cinema—its angles and framing—from novels—their descriptions and characters—and from comics, the art of the clear line.

Type (Documentaire / Documentaire fiction / Série documentaire)DocumentaryGenre en anglaisArts & culture Directed by Francis GillerySupported by CNCDistributed by ADAV, Artline FilmsYear2004Duration52min

The universe of E. P. Jacobs has become very familiar to the general public, as evidenced by the triumphant reception of the new Blake and Mortimer volumes and the extensive marketing campaigns that accompanied their release. However, Jacobs remains a celebrated unknown, retreating into the shadows of his characters. Through him, a significant part of comic book history comes alive, showcasing a unique and original technique, as well as an incomparable storytelling talent, meticulous in his attention to detail and concern for plausibility.

The ambition of this documentary is not merely to provide a biography of an author, even if he is a comic book creator, but to delve into Jacobs’ imagination, encountering a strong personality and his sources of inspiration. Jacobs found wonder within reach, in his Walloon Brabant home of Bois des Pauvres, in his rich correspondence with great travelers, Egyptologists, and other scientists, and in the clutter of his country house.

From these ordinary settings springs the extraordinary, fueling a vibrant body of work that is open to the world and its technological marvels (The Secret of the Swordfish, SOS Meteors, The Three Formulas of Professor Sato…), but also inspired by his spectacular and intriguing past (The Diabolical Trap) and by his oldest myths (The Mystery of Atlantis).

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