A Fish Called Wanda
| A Fish Called Wanda | |
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US theatrical release poster
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| Directed by |
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| Produced by | Michael Shamberg |
| Screenplay by | John Cleese |
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| Starring |
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| Music by | John Du Prez |
| Cinematography | Alan Hume |
| Edited by | John Jympson |
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Production
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Running time
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108 minutes |
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| Language | English |
| Box office | $62.5 million |
A Fish Called Wanda is a 1988 British-American heist comedy film directed by Charles Crichton (his final film) and co-written with John Cleese. It stars Jamie Lee Curtis, Kevin Kline, and Michael Palin as a gang of diamond thieves who double-cross one another to find stolen diamonds hidden by the gang leader. His barrister, played by Cleese, becomes a central figure as femme fatale Wanda (Curtis) uses him to locate the loot.
The film was released to very positive reviews from critics and audiences, was nominated for three Academy Awards including Best Director and Best Original Screenplay, winning Best Supporting Actor for Kline. Cleese and Palin won BAFTA Awards for Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor for their performances. A spiritual sequel, Fierce Creatures, was released in 1997.
London gangster George Thomason and his right-hand man, Ken Pile, an animal lover with a stutter, plan a jewel heist. They bring in two Americans: con artist Wanda Gershwitz and weapons expert Otto West, a mean-spirited anglophobe. Wanda and Otto are lovers, but they hide this from George and Ken, pretending to be siblings, so Wanda can work her charms on them. The heist is successful, and the gang escapes with a large sum in diamonds. They hide them in a safe in an old workshop. Soon after, Wanda and Otto betray George to the police and he is arrested. They return to collect the diamonds, with Wanda planning to double-cross Otto, as well, but find that George has moved them. In Ken's fish tank, Wanda discovers the key to the safe deposit box containing the diamonds and hides it in her pendant.
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Wikipedia