A Fish Called Wanda (1988)

In London, four very different people team up to commit armed robbery, then try to doublecross each other for the loot.

Director:

Charles Crichton

Writers:

John Cleese (story), Charles Crichton (story),

Stars:

John Cleese, Jamie Lee Curtis, Kevin Kline

Won 1 Oscar. Another 8 wins & 15 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
John Cleese	...	Archie Leach
Jamie Lee Curtis	...	Wanda Gershwitz
Kevin Kline	...	Otto
Michael Palin	...	Ken Pile
Maria Aitken	...	Wendy
Tom Georgeson	...	Georges Thomason
Patricia Hayes	...	Mrs. Coady
Geoffrey Palmer	...	Judge
Cynthia Cleese	...	Portia (as Cynthia Caylor)
Mark Elwes	...	Customer in Jeweler's Shop
Neville Phillips	...	Manager of Jeweler's Shop
Peter Jonfield	...	Inspector Marvin
Ken Campbell	...	Bartlett
Al Ashton	...	Warder
Roger Hume	...	Locksmith

Storyline

Sexy American diamonds lover Wanda and her boyfriend Otto are in England to plot alongside George and Ken the robbery of a diamond collection. Wanda and Otto want the stolen diamonds for themselves, and inform the police about George not knowing that he has already moved the diamonds to another secret place. Wanda thinks the best way to find out is by getting close to George's lawyer - Archie Leach.

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Plot Keywords:

barrister | lawyer | stuttering | mask | cult film | 

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Taglines:

A tale of murder, lust, greed, revenge, and seafood.

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Genres:

Comedy | Crime

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

USA UK

Language:

English Italian Russian

Release Date:

15 July 1988 (USA)

Also Known As:

Los enredos de Wanda

Filming Locations:

Roehampton Church School, Wandsworth, London, England, UK

Box Office

Budget:

$7,500,000 (estimated)

Gross:

$63,493,712 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM), Prominent Features, Star Partners Limited Partnership

Technical Specs

Runtime:

108 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Jamie Lee Curtis was listed as "Jamie Lee Schwartz" on all the call sheets, because John Cleese found it amusing that her father Tony Curtis's real name was Bernard Schwartz.

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Goofs

When Wendy and Portia see the flat tyre it is broad daylight. In the scene after John Cleese is seen in his house at night. Then the whole Wanda scene is played out before Wendy and Portia return to the house. Where did they park their car?

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Quotes

Otto West: Look, you obviously don't know anything about intelligence work, lady. It's an X-K-Red-27 technique.
Wendy: My father was in the Secret Service, Mr. Manfredjinsinjin, and I know perfectly well that you don't keep the general public informed when you are "debriefing KGB defectors in a safe house."

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Crazy Credits

At the very end of the closing credits is the word FIN -- which is how French films say THE END, but in English a "fin" is a part of a fish.

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Connections

Referenced in The 50 Greatest Comedy Films (2006)

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Soundtracks

"Deutschlandlied"
Written by Joseph Haydn and August Heinrich Hoffman von Fallersleben

User Reviews

One of the funniest movies I've seen.

When four people team up for armed robbery then all try to keep the whole lot for themselves, hilarity follows. The humor in this film is clever and constant, never letting up for a minute. Watch especially for Kevin Kline's performance of Otto, it's one you'll remember for years to come. His attitude and his character suit him so well. His contrast with John Cleese's Archie Leach is phenomenal. A must see for all. Brilliant film.