What remains of the American West conveyed by the albums of Lucky Luke ? To find out, the designer Jul who, since 2016, has taken charge of the destiny of the solitary cowboy, has embarked on a road movie, across the plains and deserts, in the footsteps of the comic book hero created in 1946 by the Belgian cartoonist Morris. “ Lucky Luke has shaped several generations’ vision of a fantasy America. As soon as we point out that he is a Belgian cowboy, whose national colors he wears (black, yellow and red), people are amazed.explains the designer. Who adds: “Lucky Luke is as popular in Scandinavian countries as it is on the African continent or the Middle East. The Turks call it Red Kit, and in Iran, Luke Khosh Shans. Only Americans know him little, except for a few people, like those encountered in the documentary, such as this Chinese dentist, based in Tucson, Arizona, or this one-legged cowboy, living in Wyoming, or even this Sioux Indian, who had been military in Europe. »
FAR FROM THE BEATEN TRAILS
In his quest for picturesque characters, Jul did not want speakers experienced in communication: “ We wanted to avoid fixers, who are used to working with television channels. We spent two years prospecting to find people who had similarities with the characters seen in the comics. We visited eleven states, among the most conservative in the United States… Curiously, the people we met, although attached to traditional values, were friendly, welcoming, sometimes profound. Except former sheriff Joe Arpaio, who hit the headlines for his excessive severity. It was more difficult to enter into contact with the Indian community, which was very suspicious. But comics made contact easier. » In search of an America that remains in its own right, Jul knew how to deviate from the beaten path: “ We’ve been to towns like Deadwood, South Dakota, which is a sort of museum for East Coast Americans. We haven’t kept any plan, because everything is too new, repolished. On the other hand, we found real ghost towns, like Vulture Mine, a city which had its hour of glory, before being abandoned… »
ROAD MOVIE FASCINANT
To embody this documentary, Jul did not hesitate to pay personally: “ I was between Stéphane Bern, for the written commentary, and Borat, for the burlesque side. I, who had never fired a gun, had never ridden a horse, was ready for any ridicule. There is a sequence where I go down a stream fully clothed. I came home covered in bruises. » At the end of this grueling and exciting road movie, our improvised cowboy is satisfied: “ When I started this doc, I was convinced that nothing remained of this fantasized American West: no more cowboys, no more rodeos, no Indians. In the end, everything I saw was consistent with what was described in the albums. » As for the legend of Lucky Lukeit is not about to die out. A new album, titled A cowboy under pressure, will be released on November 15.
In the boots of Lucky Luke, Saturday November 2 at 8:50 p.m. on Arte
