vercingetorix = druids?
Quick question that I'm sure many of you will know. I know it as Druids. Why is it also known as vercingetorix?
shareThe French name is "Vercingétorix", named after the Gallic chief, and it is logical. The film has been made in 2 versions (French & English), for French-speaking countries = "Vercingétorix" and "Druids" for English-speaking ones.
In France, Vercingétorix is a kind of national hero (like Joan of Arc or Charles de Gaulle more recently...), the Gallic War is teached in schools, and Alesia and Gergovia are even known by children.
But they were maybe afraid that his name was not so well known outside France... Can you tell me... Are Caesar, Vercingétorix and Gallic Wars teached in history lessons in foreign countries ? If no, this is maybe the reason for this alternative title.
Don't know why they chose "Druids". Even if it "sounds well", they are few in the movie, and even if Vercingétorix took his education from druids (as it was the case with the tribal chiefs at that time), he wasn't a real druid. It doesn't make sense.
So, a strange choice, but it wasn't the only problem with this movie, that was very disappointing in many points...
Hope it could have help...
If we could make a comparison, we could say that Vercingetorix can be more of less the equivalent of William Wallace in Scotich history. A great leader that tried to unify all the tribes to resist to the invader.
Both of them are pretty much unknown outside of their countries. I have never heard of William Wallace before and I guess nobody outside of France has never heard of Vercingetorix.
But, from the story of William Wallace, a great movie has been made called "Braveheart".
I saw a show on TV a few months ago in which Christophe Lambert was invited. The host asked him if he was not ashamed of some of his movies (actually, I think he should be ashamed of most of them, especially those that he made outside of France), and he took the example of Vercingetorix. Lambert answered said that the idea when they made the movie was to do something like a french "Braveheart". He was really enthousiastic about the project (maybe he was drunk when he signed for this movie, he was having some alcohol problems at this time) but the problem was that, while they were shooting the movie, they discovered that they would not have enough money and that was why the movie was not so good.
Actually, I think that money doesn't explain everything. First, a good director and writer would have been a good idea. I don't know Jacques Dorfmann, and actually, about nobody knows. He had some experience in producing movies but not really in directing or writing. I think it's a pity that it wasn't Luc Besson that decided to make this movie. It needed a french director (somebody for which this hero really means something) and he would have been perfect for that.
Instead of that, the result is something that can be classified among the worst movies you can imagine, along with Highlander 2, 3, 4, Beowulf, Fortress, Fortress 2, ... And what is strange is that there is a common point between all these movies : Christophe Lambert. It's hard to believe when you see some of his french movies. He has some talent but I think it's totally wasted by a lot of bad choices... What a pity...
You are wrong! In Italy, Vercingetorix's story is known by anybody has ever gone to school (it is part of the Roman history) and by readers of Asterix's comics by Goscinny and Uderzo. Vercingetorix is widely respected and admired, though not loved like he is in France.
shareOh ! I didn't know Vercingétorix was also known in Italy... Nice to learn :) And of course, "Asterix" by masters Goscinny and Uderzo... But, as living in France where Asterix is a very familiar & popular figure, I don't know of "Asterix" comics' popularity in the rest of the world...
"These Romans are crazy" ;)
They called it Druids in an attmept to draw in audience from fans of the Morgan Llewyllen book "Druids", which dealt with the Gallic wars and featured Vercingetorix as a primary character.
shareWhat an totally revisioned-inaccurate piece of crap movie this was.In real life the Romans dominated and utterly destroyed the Gauls .This movie made the Romans look like fairies,lol sad joke of a film.
I think some of the modern day french have an Indentity complex.The French owe their culture to the Italians not the celts.
The Romans utterly destroyed the Gauls ? The legions gathered 30 to 50,000 men ; the Gauls were more than 7,000,000. Amazing ! Did the Romans have some kind of nuclear weapon or something ? You should write a thesis about your theory !
My family name is of celtic origin. In the region I come frome (the region where the Aedui used to live) 95 % of the towns, villages, mountains, hills, rivers'names are of celtic origin ; We still celebrate Beltane's fires (Feux de la St-Jean); we still celebrate Samain ; about the winter solstice, we still decorate our homes with mistletoe and holly. Having read your bright comment, I wonder : Are these traditions typically Italian ? why do I speak French and not Italian ?
The French owe their culture not only to the Celts and the Romans, but also to the Germans (Franks, Burgundians, Alamans, Wisigoths, Ostrogoths....), the Arabs, the Vikings, and some others, just like many other nations in Europe.
That is probably why their culture is so rich.
You should read more before writing...
Maybe you are right about the english title of the movie and the book of Morgan Llewellyn. However there are many books called "druids".
But maybe you are wrong, as there is no reference to a book in the credits and obviously, J. Dorfmann didn't read any book and don't know anything about druids, gauls or roman empire.
After watching this poor movie, I even suspect he didn't learn history at school but in asterix et Obelix comic book.
It's a shame.
KMB has a brief line, early in the script, something like;
"I...was...a sort of druid, I suppose..."
...but it's a very tenuous connexion, indeed.
Nonetheless, any military commander worth his salarium will tell you the single solitary thing that can disrupt the esprit de corps of a fighting force is 'Religion'. Military leaders tread very carefully indeed around both their own men's beliefs, and, since The Legion replenished personnel in the field and on the fly, those of the local yokels, as well. Any charismatic shaman/soothsayer/sage is worth cultivating; see 'Billy Graham'.
I learned about Vercingetorix first, as a schoolboy, fifty years ago, in an English (style) Boarding School in Asia. He is also featured regularly in Military History classes to this day. As was the case with Napoleon, The Legion were good students, particularly of their rare setbacks. Novel tactics were always the best counterstrikes to the Legion's 'set-piece' tactics.
I'm a little surprised my fellow Canadians who live in Quebec have not conjured forth the ghost of Vercingetorix to try to transplant some spine into their incurable, but chronically seditious 'nationalism' windmill-tiltage.
pardon...j'digresse
The Legion delighted in stealing tactics and turning them back upon their originators. After being very neatly smoked out of a valley by Visigoths burning the local, naturally-occurring sulphur (H2S, SO2, SO3, H2SO4(in fog/rain), they subsequently perfected effective Chemical Warfare far beyond the vastly overrated 'Greek Fire' a millennium and-a-half before Ypres.
Vanity plates; too expensive...I'll just change my name to: "Juliet Whiskey Tango 649"
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I felt quite ashamed when I rented this movie, 'cause I had recently finished reading Llewyllen's "Druids" - I saw this title, skimmed over the back, saw Vercingetorix's name and freaked out, thinking it was based on (or at least connected to) the book. So misleading...
On a side note, I hope they *do* make a movie out of "Druids" one day - it was an awesome read, and if it's picked up by the right studio, they could actually make a really great movie, unlike the crap that was *this* movie.