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A Fish Called Wanda -- an alternate take
Posted on 2/22/12 at 5:49 pm
Posted on 2/22/12 at 5:49 pm
A FISH CALLED WANDA
“Do you have any idea what it’s like to be English?”
It’s shocking that a film so incredibly British was such a success in the States, so successful that its enduring fame gets it on our list of the greatest 80s movies. It had the slow build of popularity common to cult movies – released in July, it didn’t become the #1 movie until September. It is perhaps the greatest word of mouth success story in movie history.
OK, it didn’t hurt to have two members of Monty Python, Kevin Kline, and Jamie Lee Curtis. Also, the movie is funny as hell. In fact, it’s a movie so funny it actually killed someone. True story, a Scandanavian died from laughing too hard at the movie. Take that, Will Ferrell. Michael Palin literally kills in this movie.
The British had a pretty rough half a century after WWII. The nation went from “the Sun never sets on the British Empire” to watching their former colony rise up and dominate the world in every way. Most infuriatingly, culturally as well. This is like watching Britain comes to terms with their neuroses, with the added benefit of making fun of the stupid American. Sure, Wanda is the smartest character in the movie, but Kevin Kline steals the show as the dim witted Otto.
What perfectly sums up Britain’s frustration with Americans than this wonderful exchange:
“I should inform you, I boxed for Oxford.”
“I killed for the CIA.”
Otto may be stupid, but he is also a ruthless killer and a tornado of violence. He’s a man who thinks by shooting the safe or speaks French by naming cheeses. He’s also literally incapable of saying “I’m sorry”. Ken may get his revenge over the American who oppresses him, but Archie is only able to attain a happy ending by shedding his Britishness. Even when the English make fun of us, they do realize it’s still better to be an American.
“Do you have any idea what it’s like to be English?”
It’s shocking that a film so incredibly British was such a success in the States, so successful that its enduring fame gets it on our list of the greatest 80s movies. It had the slow build of popularity common to cult movies – released in July, it didn’t become the #1 movie until September. It is perhaps the greatest word of mouth success story in movie history.
OK, it didn’t hurt to have two members of Monty Python, Kevin Kline, and Jamie Lee Curtis. Also, the movie is funny as hell. In fact, it’s a movie so funny it actually killed someone. True story, a Scandanavian died from laughing too hard at the movie. Take that, Will Ferrell. Michael Palin literally kills in this movie.
The British had a pretty rough half a century after WWII. The nation went from “the Sun never sets on the British Empire” to watching their former colony rise up and dominate the world in every way. Most infuriatingly, culturally as well. This is like watching Britain comes to terms with their neuroses, with the added benefit of making fun of the stupid American. Sure, Wanda is the smartest character in the movie, but Kevin Kline steals the show as the dim witted Otto.
What perfectly sums up Britain’s frustration with Americans than this wonderful exchange:
“I should inform you, I boxed for Oxford.”
“I killed for the CIA.”
Otto may be stupid, but he is also a ruthless killer and a tornado of violence. He’s a man who thinks by shooting the safe or speaks French by naming cheeses. He’s also literally incapable of saying “I’m sorry”. Ken may get his revenge over the American who oppresses him, but Archie is only able to attain a happy ending by shedding his Britishness. Even when the English make fun of us, they do realize it’s still better to be an American.
This post was edited on 2/22/12 at 5:56 pm
8
Posted on 2/22/12 at 5:55 pm to Baloo
Love this movie. One of my favorite DVDs-commentary is first rate.
ETA: Favorite quotes
Wanda: But you think you're an intellectual, don't you, ape?
Otto: [superior smile] Apes don't read philosophy.
Wanda: Yes they do, Otto, they just don't understand it! Let me correct you on a few things; Aristotle was not Belgian! The central message of Buddhism is not "Every man for himself!" And the London Underground is not a political movement! Those are all mistakes. I looked them up.
[Otto dangling Archie out of a window]
Archie: All right, all right, I apologize.
Otto: You're really sorry?
Archie: I'm really really sorry. I apologize unreservedly.
Otto: You take it back?
Archie: I do. I offer a complete and utter retraction. The imputation was totally without basis in fact, and was in no way fair comment, and was motivated purely by malice, and I deeply regret any distress that my comments may have caused you or your family, and I hereby undertake not to repeat any such slander at any time in the future.
Otto: [thinks a moment] Okay.
Otto: You know your problem? You don't like winners.
Archie: Winners?
Otto: Yeah. Winners.
Archie: Winners, like North Vietnam?
Otto: Shut up. We didn't lose Vietnam. It was a tie!
Archie: [going into a cowboy-like drawl] I'm tellin' ya baby, they kicked your little arse there. Boy, they whooped yer hide REAL GOOD.
Otto: You pompous, stuck-up, snot-nosed, English, giant, twerp, scumbag, frick-face, dickhead, a-hole.
Archie: How very interesting. You're a true vulgarian, aren't you?
Otto: You are the vulgarian, you frick.
And to summarize what the OP was saying about being British and their view of the US,
Archie: Wanda, do you have any idea what it's like being English? Being so correct all the time, being so stifled by this dread of, of doing the wrong thing, of saying to someone "Are you married?" and hearing "My wife left me this morning," or saying, uh, "Do you have children?" and being told they all burned to death on Wednesday. You see, Wanda, we'll all terrified of embarrassment. That's why we're so... dead. Most of my friends are dead, you know, we have these piles of corpses to dinner. But you're alive, God bless you, and I want to be, I'm so fed up with all this.
ETA: Favorite quotes
Wanda: But you think you're an intellectual, don't you, ape?
Otto: [superior smile] Apes don't read philosophy.
Wanda: Yes they do, Otto, they just don't understand it! Let me correct you on a few things; Aristotle was not Belgian! The central message of Buddhism is not "Every man for himself!" And the London Underground is not a political movement! Those are all mistakes. I looked them up.
[Otto dangling Archie out of a window]
Archie: All right, all right, I apologize.
Otto: You're really sorry?
Archie: I'm really really sorry. I apologize unreservedly.
Otto: You take it back?
Archie: I do. I offer a complete and utter retraction. The imputation was totally without basis in fact, and was in no way fair comment, and was motivated purely by malice, and I deeply regret any distress that my comments may have caused you or your family, and I hereby undertake not to repeat any such slander at any time in the future.
Otto: [thinks a moment] Okay.
Otto: You know your problem? You don't like winners.
Archie: Winners?
Otto: Yeah. Winners.
Archie: Winners, like North Vietnam?
Otto: Shut up. We didn't lose Vietnam. It was a tie!
Archie: [going into a cowboy-like drawl] I'm tellin' ya baby, they kicked your little arse there. Boy, they whooped yer hide REAL GOOD.
Otto: You pompous, stuck-up, snot-nosed, English, giant, twerp, scumbag, frick-face, dickhead, a-hole.
Archie: How very interesting. You're a true vulgarian, aren't you?
Otto: You are the vulgarian, you frick.
And to summarize what the OP was saying about being British and their view of the US,
Archie: Wanda, do you have any idea what it's like being English? Being so correct all the time, being so stifled by this dread of, of doing the wrong thing, of saying to someone "Are you married?" and hearing "My wife left me this morning," or saying, uh, "Do you have children?" and being told they all burned to death on Wednesday. You see, Wanda, we'll all terrified of embarrassment. That's why we're so... dead. Most of my friends are dead, you know, we have these piles of corpses to dinner. But you're alive, God bless you, and I want to be, I'm so fed up with all this.
This post was edited on 2/22/12 at 6:04 pm
Posted on 2/22/12 at 5:58 pm to magildachunks
Kevin Kline is just great in this movie.
Posted on 2/22/12 at 6:56 pm to Baloo
Great comedy.
Anyone who hasn't seen it should definitely pick it up.
Anyone who hasn't seen it should definitely pick it up.
Posted on 2/22/12 at 7:12 pm to Baloo
Who else went out and learned a few words of Russian?
Fish & chips anyone?
Fish & chips anyone?
Posted on 2/22/12 at 7:28 pm to chinese58
quote:
Fish & chips anyone?
Don't eat the green ones. They're not ripe yet.
Posted on 2/22/12 at 8:39 pm to Baloo
I like the take you took here. I almost went in a similar vein, Archie = Britain, Otto = USA, but didn't want to go overboard looking for meaning and wanted to talk about British Comedy.
Posted on 2/22/12 at 8:40 pm to Baloo
A truly great comedy. Not a weak performance in the movie (Palin is sort of an unsung actor, but I've always loved the guy) and the writing by Cleese is fricking hilarious, as you would expect.
Posted on 2/22/12 at 9:03 pm to Baloo
Don't call me stupid!
My fah-thur was in the Secret Service Mr Manfrenjensenden.
O my what a great movie.
My fah-thur was in the Secret Service Mr Manfrenjensenden.
O my what a great movie.
Posted on 2/22/12 at 10:49 pm to Baloo
I absolutely LOVE this movie. I could say lines from it until we are all ill. 
Otto cracks me up in this movie. He's supposed to a "hardcore assassin/killer type" but at the same time he's a "pissed off, I don't understand why they do that here in the UK" and insecure person. Kevin Kline was great in this movie.
And every time he takes off driving, he drives on the wrong side of the road, (car honks) "a-hole!!!!!!!"
"It's an XK-Red 27 technique."
John Cleese is great.
Jamie Lee Curtis. Don't need to say much there.
And John Palin as K K K K Ken is awesome.
Great movie!
Otto cracks me up in this movie. He's supposed to a "hardcore assassin/killer type" but at the same time he's a "pissed off, I don't understand why they do that here in the UK" and insecure person. Kevin Kline was great in this movie.
And every time he takes off driving, he drives on the wrong side of the road, (car honks) "a-hole!!!!!!!"
"It's an XK-Red 27 technique."
John Cleese is great.
Jamie Lee Curtis. Don't need to say much there.
And John Palin as K K K K Ken is awesome.
Great movie!
This post was edited on 2/22/12 at 10:53 pm
Posted on 2/23/12 at 9:13 am to Baloo
I apologize unreservedly.
Posted on 2/23/12 at 9:31 am to hawkster
LOVE THIS MOVIE.
I am married to a speech therapist, and you may remember this movie got some protests from that group along with the "Stuttering Foundation" or "Project" here in America. I had several "discussions" with my wife on why they should get over it and of the hypocrisy of groups protesting only those issues that affected them personally.
Interestingly enough, the film led to more awareness and help for stuttering issues. Here's a great article by Michael Palin (the stuttering Ken Pile in "Wanda') that he wrote after seeing "The King's Speech"--he discusses how his Dad stuttered and all the good that came out of it (including stuttering groups asking for HIS help).
Michael Palin: The King's Speech
I am married to a speech therapist, and you may remember this movie got some protests from that group along with the "Stuttering Foundation" or "Project" here in America. I had several "discussions" with my wife on why they should get over it and of the hypocrisy of groups protesting only those issues that affected them personally.
Interestingly enough, the film led to more awareness and help for stuttering issues. Here's a great article by Michael Palin (the stuttering Ken Pile in "Wanda') that he wrote after seeing "The King's Speech"--he discusses how his Dad stuttered and all the good that came out of it (including stuttering groups asking for HIS help).
quote:
five years after "Ken Pile" first stuttered in A Fish Called Wanda, the Michael Palin Centre for Stammering Children opened in the Finsbury Health Centre in Central London.
Michael Palin: The King's Speech
This post was edited on 2/23/12 at 9:32 am
Posted on 2/23/12 at 9:44 am to constant cough
quote:
Kevin Kline is just great in this movie
without a doubt one of my favorite characters of all time
Posted on 2/23/12 at 10:53 am to Geauxld Finger
I was so proud of myself when I got the DVD out of the $5 bargain bin at Wally World a few years back.
Absolutely LOVE this movie!
Absolutely LOVE this movie!
Posted on 2/23/12 at 11:09 am to magildachunks
quote:
Otto: You pompous, stuck-up, snot-nosed, English, giant, twerp, scumbag, frick-face, dickhead, a-hole.
Archie: How very interesting. You're a true vulgarian, aren't you?
Otto: You are the vulgarian, you frick.
Love this line.
Posted on 2/23/12 at 11:11 am to udtiger
I knew Michael Palin’s dad stuttered and he based his performance off of his dad. Little tics were supposedly incredibly accurate – like his stutter is more pronounced around people who make him uncomfortable. But that was a great article. I didn’t know he had done so much for stutterers.
Posted on 2/23/12 at 11:13 am to la_birdman
quote:
I could say lines from it until we are all ill.
Uh, we'll take your word for it.
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