Plot hole: Shortly after the robbery, Kevin Kline and Jamie Lee Curtis get together in a little flat and Kline calls the police from a landline to tell them who committed the robbery. In England this would immediately lead the police to the flat from which the call was made, and the person reporting the robbery would be the first person the police would want to find and speak to. Otto has handed it to them on a plate. (00:12:29)
A Fish Called Wanda (1988)
Directed by: John Cleese, Charles Crichton
Starring: John Cleese, Jamie Lee Curtis, Kevin Kline, Michael Palin
Continuity mistake: After Ken reverses the steamroller after running Otto over with it, you can see a red patch signifying his splattered body in front of the roller. However, a few scenes later, Otto is seen alive. (Otto was originally meant to die, until test audience feedback influenced a change of mind on the part of the filmmakers.)
Visible crew/equipment: When George enters Ken's apartment the first time and Wanda approaches him, if you look in the mirror you should be able to see a crouching crew member wearing a blue shirt. (00:03:15)
Trivia: John Cleese's character name, Archie Leach, was Cary Grant's real name (Archibald Leach). John named his character himself as a tribute because they were born in towns near to each other.
Trivia: The actress who played Archie's daughter Portia is also John Cleese's real-life daughter.
More trivia for A Fish Called Wanda
Otto: Don't call me stupid.
Wanda: Oh, right, to call you stupid would be an insult to stupid people! I've known sheep that could outwit you. I've worn dress with higher IQ's. But you think you're an intellectual, don't you, ape?
Otto: Apes don't read philosophy.
Wanda: Yes they do, Otto, they just don't understand it. Now let me correct you on a couple things, okay? Aristotle was not Belgian. The central message of Buddhism is not "every man for himself." And the London Underground is not a political movement. Those are all mistakes, Otto, I looked them up.
Otto: Asshole.
Otto: I'm, uh, Harvey. Manfred... Jen... Sen... Den.
Question: Is George's Oscar Wilde quotation, "We won't have to look for work, and it won't have to look for us," genuine? (Never trust a criminal, I know).
Question: So what was John Cleese saying in Russian?
Answer: John Cleese was reciting the poem "Molitva" by Mikhail Lermontov. He learned and memorized it phonetically and has admitted that he had no idea what the words actually meant.
Answer: Archie indeed recites the second and third strophes from Lermontov's poem, "The Prayer." "There is a might inspiring Each consecrated word, That speaks the inconceivable And holy will of God. The heavy load slips from my heart, Oppressing doubt takes flight, The soul believes, the tears break forth, And all is light, so light!"
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Answer: I did an Internet search for this quote, including checking best-quotations.com, and the only reference of it I can find is tied to the movie. I do not think this is an Oscar Wilde quote. If I find something, I'll update this, as it's possibly a line from one of his plays or novels that just doesn't happen to be online. Someone else might know.
raywest ★