'A Fish Called Wanda'

ORIGINAL
Can we just pretend it never happened? The skimpy 1999 DVD, with only an eight-page booklet featuring trivia and production notes, doesn't even include an Italian audio track, which would at least seduce the Wandas of the world. Disappointed!

REISSUE
Cleese stars in a commentary, deleted scenes, and several featurettes that explore his love/hate relationship with America and England. A giddy look back includes the rest of the cast, but the must-see for Python lovers is an extended scene between Cleese and Michael Palin frantically trying to communicate.

VERDICT
Order up the DVD special with extra Cleese. Its features explore the darker film that almost was: a cynical — even morbid — ending and relentless animal cruelty, highlighted by a discarded subplot in which Kevin Kline's Nietzsche-loving psychopath uses stray cats for target practice. (Which apparently is wrong.)

You Might Also Like

• Movie News The Must List 2006: Movies (1988)
• Movie Commentary ''A Fish Called Wanda'': Why it's a great heist movie (1988)
• The Biz TONGUE IN CHECK
• Encore MONTY PYTHON'S FIRST FLIGHT
• Binge Thinking Diablo Cody on ''heroine chic'' (1986) | Diablo Cody
• Movie Review Trade (Sep 28, 2007) | Owen Gleiberman