A Fish Called Wanda

A Fish Called Wanda - 1988

This film centers around a robbery and how each of the members
involved try to take the jewels for themselves. The heist is seen by
an old woman walking her dogs however, which puts a temporary stopper
in the success of the burglary. The film is a comedy, and in my
opinion it does a wonderful job of creating humor woven into the
characters and the storyline. The cinematography is captivating and
there are some key moments in the film where the cinematography really
adds a great deal to the viewer's experience and of how involved they
are in the action of the movie.

I hadn't seen this film for a while, the last time I watched it was
years ago, so I was interested in re-watching the film going into it
with a different outlook. This time around I was really able to
appreciate the different tones and layers to the film. I loved the use
of sound and how it interacted with the characters. Each situation was
set up perfectly, and it really was entertaining to see each of the
characters double cross each other and jump through loops to steal
their loot.

One of the most entertaining characters of all would be Otto, an
"asshole" who doesn't appreciate being called an idiot. He is
aggressive, impulsive, and possessive, three of the most dangerous
elements to be combined... it's lucky this is a comedy so all of this
is a good thing.

Another great character would be Ken, who is an animal lover and who
also has a pretty bad stutter. One of the most hilarious things with
Ken would be that he was given the job to take out the old woman with
the dogs who witnessed their escape. The only problem is that Ken
accidentally keeps killing off the dogs instead of the woman, both
failing in his job and torturing his animal-lover heart.



Overall, I thought the film was very good. It set up the plot very
well, and I simply loved all of the characters and how the audience
was introduced to them. I think that this is one of the films that
will really last over time and that multiple types of audiences will
enjoy. As for the time period, it had aspects of an 80's film, but I
thought it was more far along than some of the other 80's films I've
seen. Many of them are exaggerated, and drama filled, but maybe that
is why I liked this movie more, because of it's comedic aspects. One
of the (many) great moments of the film is the mirroring scenes
between Wanda's and Archie's bedtime routine. Dramatic, instrumental
music plays in the background as the movie cuts between two scenes.
One scene between Wanda and Otto, and their pre- to present
love-making, and the other is of Archie and his wife. The latter is
quite different that the prior, showing Archie clip his toenails,
scratch his head, take off his socks, and other such boring things,
while his wife lays out clothes for the next day. Meanwhile, Otto is
blowing up one of Wanda's boots... I'm not exactly sure as to
why...maybe to demonstrate his large lung capacity? Regardless, the
Otto and Wanda interactions in the scene are much more unique and
extravagant when compared to Archie and his wife's pre-bedtime
routine. The result, is a scene containing little dialogue, but which
possesses a great success of humor through the mise-en-scene.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wuweUUA7s-w&feature=fvst