Corto Maltese: The Celts (2003)

• 69%
• 2003
• Adventure
• Animation
• Drama
• Romance
• TV Movie
• Richard Danto
• Liam Saury
• Richard Berry
• Luca Ward
• Alessandra Korompay

Anthology of four Corto Maltese shorts set in WWI Europe. In 1915, World War I has spread throughout Europe and other parts of the world. Maltese-born laconic adventurer Corto Maltese is not bothered by it, however, since he's preoccupied with his latest endeavor. He's in Venice looking for information on the mythical Seven Cities of Gold, or more specifically - the seventh city itself, since next to nothing is known about it. He contacts Serafino, one of the leaders of the local Franciscan religious order there. It turns out that a mysterious local woman in wheelchair nicknamed the Angel at the East Window may know something about it. However, Austrian spies and adventuress Venexiana Stevenson sidetrack Corto. In 1917, Corto is hired by Montenegro republicans to find and return their dethroned king's gold that he hid while escaping from the invading Austrian forces. The gold is hidden in an abandoned bombed-out church near the town of Caporetto. The problem is that the town is part of the Austro-Italian front of World War I and Allied as well as the enemy Central Powers have their battalions there. Instead of going on a suicide mission, Corto simply offers a part of the loot to several local commanders if they can extract the gold for him. Things get comical and a bit complicated, however. Some time later, Corto is in England visiting Stonehenge. Strange mist surrounds the place and he falls asleep. Oberon, a mythical king of the fairies, suddenly appears. He summons Morgan le Fay, a powerful sorceress from Arthurian legends, to consult with her. Oberon is worried because a secret German plan that will cripple the British command is about to unfold and no one knows about it except for him, the protector of Albion (England). They summon the spirit of Merlin, the legendary wizard from Arthurian legends to help. He proposes that they find a champion of Albion. Oberon agrees and tells Puck, a mischievous nature sprite also known as Robin Goodfellow, to change into a raven, wake Corto up, since he's the closest mortal around, and point him towards the historical ancient coastal castle of Tintagel. In 1918, Corto is visiting his friends in the Australian battalion located in the northern France near the village of Vaux-sur-Somme, when the legendary German WWI fighter pilot Baron Manfred Von Richthofen, better known as the Red Baron, attacks.