A Fish Called Wanda

This classic comedy is just as funny today as it was when it came out in 1988. If you want to watch an English film with really funny dialogues, crazy situations and a good mix of characters and accents, just try this British classic!

Wanda Gershwitz (Jamie Lee Curtis) is a sexy American woman who has joined a group of gangsters in London. Wanda speaks with a standard American accent, and she is usually easy to understand.

Ken Pile (Michael Palin) is a gangster who loves animals - especially his favourite fish, Wanda. Ken has a terrible problem: he stammers. That makes him a bit hard to understand. But otherwise, he speaks clearly with a working-class British accent.

Otto West (Kevin Kline) is Wanda's stupid American lover. He speaks with a standard American accent and is usually easy to understand, except when he speaks quickly.

Archibald Leach (John Cleese) is a barrister who loves Wanda (the woman, not the fish). He speaks clearly with an upper-class British accent. Sometimes he uses difficult words. And to make Wanda happy, he speaks Russian sometimes!

Wendy Leach (Maria Aitken), Archibald's wife, is like a caricature of an upper-class English woman. You will find it very easy to understand her clear voice, but you won't always like what she says!

The action and the dialogues in this film are very fast, so you will have to watch and listen closely. You may have to listen to some dialogues twice. But the British humour is so funny, you won't mind!

Spot on, November 2004, Seite 39