My best friend showed me this film about 15 years ago, and gave me the DVD of it around the same time. I am very glad he did because this film is brilliant.
A Fish Called Wanda is the embodiment of everything that British comedy is celebrated for. It is to British comedy what Clint Eastwood is to Westerns, or The Bee Gees to disco music.
There are so many elements to it, it’s hard to know where to begin. The biggest element present, it only just occurred to me now, is actually farce, so many people pretending to be things they’re not, lots of scenes where people have unexpected visitors bursting in on them, and plenty of romantic interest. I love the contrast between the two bedroom scenes early on, where Wanda and Otto are in the throes of passion, while Archie and Wendy are the embodiment of the English as seen through the eyes of the rest of the world.
The other key element is the crime caper, which was the staple of many of the classic Ealing Comedies of the 1940s and 1950s, especially Kind Hearts And Coronets, The Lavender Hill Mob and The Ladykillers, all revolve around characters trying to commit the perfect crime. Indeed, the whole sequence of Ken trying to bump off the old lady who witnessed their getaway has more than a passing nod to The Ladykillers, where one by one the criminal gang each have to take a turn at bumping off an old lady who proves somewhat difficult to kill. Of course that had a very different end result to this! One thing I only just noticed for the first time here, was that both times when a funeral was held for one of the dogs Ken killed by mistake, he appeared at the scene in the background to express his own private regrets.
At the same time, let us not forget the crazy element to this comedy that can only be provided by an American involvement - Kevin Kline as Otto in an exquisitely OTT performance that won him an Oscar. Deservedly so. He’s possibly the craziest character you could ever create for a comedy without crossing the line. Jamie Lee Curtis is absolutely committed in her performance as Wanda.
As for the English leads, John Cleese and Michael Palin of course had known each other for about two decades at this point, they knew they could work together, Palin as Ken, a character who would have been right at home in Monty Python, and John Cleese as Archie Leach - a name chosen deliberately being as it was the birth name of Cary Grant. We’re so used to Cleese playing sneering characters like Basil Fawlty that it’s a little odd seeing him here playing essentially a romantic lead. Also, I only just found this out now - his daughter in this film is played by his daughter in real life!
There’s so much to love in this film. It was good to return to it again after too long!
