The Grand Duke
The Grand Duke (OT: Le Grand Duc ) is a comic book from the Lucky Luke series. It was drawn by Morris and written by René Goscinny . The comic first appeared in sequels in the French magazine Pilote in 1973 . and in the same year as an album with Dargaud . The publication in German under the title Lucky Luke: ... and the Grand Duke as the third Lucky Luke volume by Koralle Verlag also took place in 1973. In 1985 it was published as Volume 46 by Ehapa Verlag (or at the beginning: Delta Verlag , a cooperation between Ehapa and Dargaud).
action
The Russian Grand Duke Leonid is on a state visit to the United States with his adjutant. As an avid reader of Cooper's and Sealsfield's novels, he wishes to personally experience what was read there; the wild west with the prairie, the Indians and the bandits. Lucky Luke is said to be his guide and bodyguard from Washington. He tries his best to keep the two Russians away from all dangers, but Leonid's dominant character keeps thwarting his plans. With his revolver or with cunning he can mostly defuse the situation until the dreaded bandit Texas Ripper finally succeeds in attacking the Grand Duke while Lucky Luke is on patrol; The Desperado is deeply moved, however, to meet men in the middle of the USA who come from his father's homeland, so that Russian songs can be heard around the campfire instead of revolver shots. When the Grand Duke wishes to witness an Indian war at the end of the trip, Lucky Luke organizes a fake Indian attack with the help of a cavalry unit. The Grand Duke returns to Washington happy and satisfied.
The greatest danger to the life and limb of the Grand Duke does not come from the Wild West or its inhabitants, but from a Russian assassin who carried out four bomb attacks. To his bad luck and the luck of the Grand Duke, his bombs explode too early or too late due to various circumstances and unnoticed by Lucky Luke and his Russian companions. He renounces one last assassination attempt when he hears that the Tsar is supposed to visit the USA in person.
Historical background
The Russian Grand Duke Alexei Alexandrovich Romanov visited the United States in 1871/72 . A buffalo hunting trip in the state of Nebraska was organized for him . This included Sioux folklore performances and a trip across the prairie in a stagecoach. The organizers of the hunt were Generals Philip Sheridan and George Armstrong Custer , as well as William F. Cody, known as Buffalo Bill , who appears in several Lucky Luke volumes such as The Pony Express , The Singing Wire and The Daily Star .
Alexei Alexandrovich's father, Tsar Alexander II , was killed by a bomb in 1881 after several attacks by Russian nihilists . His brother Sergei Alexandrovich Romanov also fell victim to a bomb attack in 1905.
Remarks
In keeping with the theme of the volume, the comic contains allusions to customs associated with Russia, such as Russian roulette , drinking champagne from a woman's shoe, throwing a glass over the shoulder, or the fictitious Indian attack as a variant of the Potemkin village .
The model for the appearance of the figure of the Grand Duke was the corpulent actor Sydney Greenstreet , ( Casablanca ).
After every unsuccessful bomb attack , the black- clad nihilist scolds Неудача , Russian for “bad luck”.
filming
The Grand Duke was filmed in 1984 as the 13th episode of the animated series Lucky Luke .
proof
- ↑ Publications in Pilote 1973
- ↑ The Grand Duke in the comic guide
- ↑ Le Grand Duc (French) ( Memento of the original from July 5, 2008 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ LEO Russian-German
- ↑ Le grand duc in the Internet Movie Database (English)
