If the words uproarious, hilarious, or sidesplitting mean anything to you, this is your picture.
Finally, there´s Michael Palin as Ken, an animal-loving hit man with a stutter. After the film opened, he was attacked by stutterers from all sides who thought he was making fun of a serious problem, but later Cleese said he received a letter from the National Stuttering Project complimenting the film for helping stutterers worldwide and serving to make people further aware of the cruelty shown to stutterers. The role even prompted the opening of the Michael Palin Center for Stammering Children in London. All in a day´s work.
Video:
The picture quality in both standard and widescreen (1.85:1 ratio) is good, though not outstanding. The colors are mostly vivid, but in some scenes there is an over saturation of hues and in a few others there is a slight fading out of tones. There are also a couple of instances early on in the picture where graininess and minor line fluctuations are evident, but it is not distracting. The matted widescreen picture provides a bit more left and right information than the standard size, but in return it loses a good deal of image at the bottom of the screen. Nothing´s perfect.
Audio:
The sound is monaural, and there´s not much to be said about it: Single channel, ordinary dynamics, average frequency response, fairly quiet. It suffices, but a good Dolby Digital 5.1 track would have done wonders for the picture's ambiance.
Extras:
In addition to the two screen formats, MGM offer their usual booklet insert of production notes, English and French spoken language and subtitle choices, a scene index, and a trailer. It´s not a deluxe package, but the movie alone is undoubtedly worth the price.
Parting Thoughts:
"Wanda Fish" has been one of my favorite comedies since the day it opened. The same crew tried again as different characters in "Fierce Creatures," but it wasn´t the same. "A Fish Called Wanda" is one of a kind. And that kind is very, very funny.
Video:
The picture quality in both standard and widescreen (1.85:1 ratio) is good, though not outstanding. The colors are mostly vivid, but in some scenes there is an over saturation of hues and in a few others there is a slight fading out of tones. There are also a couple of instances early on in the picture where graininess and minor line fluctuations are evident, but it is not distracting. The matted widescreen picture provides a bit more left and right information than the standard size, but in return it loses a good deal of image at the bottom of the screen. Nothing´s perfect.
Audio:
The sound is monaural, and there´s not much to be said about it: Single channel, ordinary dynamics, average frequency response, fairly quiet. It suffices, but a good Dolby Digital 5.1 track would have done wonders for the picture's ambiance.
Extras:
In addition to the two screen formats, MGM offer their usual booklet insert of production notes, English and French spoken language and subtitle choices, a scene index, and a trailer. It´s not a deluxe package, but the movie alone is undoubtedly worth the price.
Parting Thoughts:
"Wanda Fish" has been one of my favorite comedies since the day it opened. The same crew tried again as different characters in "Fierce Creatures," but it wasn´t the same. "A Fish Called Wanda" is one of a kind. And that kind is very, very funny.
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[release]1541[/release]