British Comedy Guide
A Fish Called Wanda. Image shows from L to R: Otto West (Kevin Kline), Wanda Gershwitz (Jamie Lee Curtis), Archie Leach (John Cleese), Ken Pile (Michael Palin)
A Fish Called Wanda

A Fish Called Wanda

  • 1988 film

A black comedy starring John Cleese and Michael Palin. A con artist uses her female charms to steal a stash of jewels. Also features Jamie Lee Curtis, Kevin Kline, Maria Aitken, Tom Georgeson, Patricia Hayes and more.

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A Fish Called Wanda

A Fish Called Wanda

In 1988, John Cleese, former Python and the mastermind behind Fawlty Towers, teamed up with the veteran Ealing comedy director Charles Crichton (The Lavender Hill Mob) to produce another classic of British comedy.

Cleese plays Archie Leach, a weak-willed barrister who finds himself embroiled with a quartet of ill-matched jewel thieves - two American con artists played by Jamie Lee Curtis and Kevin Kline, Michael Palin's animal-loving hitman and London gangster Tom Georgeson - when Georgeson is arrested. Only he and Palin know the whereabouts of the diamonds, prompting plenty of farce and in-fighting as well as some embarrassing nudity and the unfortunate demise of some innocent pooches...

Nominated for three Academy Awards and winning one for Kline;s outstanding supporting turn as the psychopathic Otto, A Fish Called Wanda has stood the test of time, earning its rightful place among its creators remarkable comedy pedigree.

This release features a brand-new 4K restoration from the original negative, as well as original English mono audio (uncompressed LPCM) soundtrack.

First released: Monday 18th September 2017

Extra features

  • Commentary by writer and star John Cleese
  • Brand-new appreciation by Vic Pratt of the BFI National Archive
  • Brand-new interviews with composer John Du Prez, production designer Roger Murray-Leach, executive producer Steve Abbott and make-up supervisor Paul Engelen
  • John Cleese's Final Farewell Performance, a 1988 documentary on the making of A Fish Called Wanda featuring interviews with actors Cleese, Jamie Lee Curtis, Michael Palin, Kevin Kline and director Charles Crichton
  • Something Fishy, a 15th anniversary retrospective documentary featuring interviews with Cleese, Curtis, Kline and Palin, executive producer Steve Abbott and director of photography Alan Hume
  • Fish You Were Here, a documentary on the film's locations hosted by Robert Powell
  • 24 deleted/alternative scenes with introductions by Cleese
  • A Message from John Cleese, a tongue-in-cheek introduction recorded for the film's original release
  • Gallery
  • Trivia track
  • Theatrical trailer
  • FIRST PRESSING ONLY: Booklet featuring writing on the film by Sophie Monks Kaufman
  • Distributor: Arrow Video
  • Region: B
  • Discs: 1
  • Minutes: 104
  • Subtitles: English
  • Catalogue: FCD1574

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