Great Character: Madison (“Splash”)
This month’s theme: Fish Out Of Water. And to kick it off, a literal FOOW: Madison from the 1984 movie Splash, screenplay by Lowell Ganz & Babaloo Mandel and Bruce Jay Friedman, screen story by Bruce Jay Friedman, story by Brian Grazer. Here is another guest post from Jason Cuthbert.
In 1984, director Ron Howard made an Olympic-level dive into the pool of A-List status with his powerful production partner Brian Grazer with their romantic comedy fantasy Splash. Grazer came up with the most literal version of a fish-out-of-water story possible — an actual mermaid chasing after her human love interest Allen in New York City. Bruce Jay Friedman, the novelist and screenwriter (The Heartbreak Kid, Stir Crazy) devised the screen story and co-wrote this crisp aquatic modern fairy tale with Ron Howard’s go-to tag team of scribes Babaloo Mandel and Lowell Ganz (Gung Ho, Parenthood). Beloved actor Tom Hanks’ successful transition from television work on Bosom Buddies and Family Ties into 1984’s 10th highest grossing movie event with Splash truly began Hank’s 1980s box office takeover. Coming off of Ridley Scott’s sci-fi noir Blade Runner, actress Daryl Hannah brought her blonde sex appeal and easy charm into a broader beam of spotlight while wearing fully functional fish fins as the lovable mermaid Madison.
Splash plot summary from IMDB:
A man is reunited with a mermaid who saves him from drowning as a boy and falls in love not knowing who/what she is.
Being that sea nymphs are not known for their bathing suits and beach towels, Madison bared a bit of nudity on screen. With Disney’s family friendly reputation at stake, they wisely emerged with a brand new Disney studio brand for older audience demographics called Touchstone Films, with Splash as their very first feature film release. Madison’s ability to walk with a pair of humanoid feet whenever her fins are dry, and revert back to flippers once wet, was a key story device in her ability to blend in with life on land and also created more opportunities to accidently risk the reveal of her secret aqua origin.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DpizIvhf03U
Compound Madison’s wet/dry balancing act with the “ticking clock” element that Madison could only be out of water for less than a week made her love affair with Allen bittersweet and absolutely urgent.
ALLEN: So uh, how long are you going to be in town?
MADISON: [spoken like a game show host] Six fun-filled days.
ALLEN: Oh, six days. Is that all?
MADISON: [sadly] Six days, and the moon is full.
As with any fish-out-of-water story, or FOOW film as Scott Myers affectionately calls them, magnifying the differences between the character and their new environment helps lead to a gold mine of unique obstacles that are authentic to this attractor character’s goal of swimming happily ever after with her favorite Cape Cod seaman from NYC. Madison may look like a Playboy Playmate of the Month, but she is still a species of the sea. Learning English is still a requirement because body language was only going to take her so far. Applying to Columbia University was obviously not an option, so for Madison, thank GOD for television appliance stores.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4z848FFClBM
ALLEN: I’m confused. Why is it that haven’t you said anything to me until now?
MADISON: I didn’t know English.
ALLEN: Oh, I see. And now you do?
MADISON: Yes, I learned this afternoon from television. It’s wonderful. Now I can ask you questions and if you answer them correctly you can win one of these valuable prizes: an attractive wall clock, a matching washer and dryer set, or…a brand new car.
When pronouncing her name in her native underwater language causes potential loss of hearing and massive property damage, finding an English equivalent is a logical story beat to incorporate in Splash. The characters stumble upon this label organically while on Madison Avenue in Manhattan. But her necessities in New York build even further because neither Madison nor Allen are aware that Madison’s fishy identity is being sought out to be revealed publically by scientist Dr. Walter Kornbluth (Eugene Levy).
MADISON: You said whatever my secret was, you’d understand.
ALLEN: I know, but…
MADISON: You thought at least I was… a human being.
The established fact that Madison and Allen actually met when he was a child ups the emotional “soul mate” ante, especially considering her true identity is a lot to swallow and it leads to Allen needing to jumpstart his rescue instincts just as he did when diving off a boat for her as a kid in Cape Cod.
For her rapid adaption skills to the “City That Never Sleeps” and to human nature in general, for her mythic-meets-modern character qualities and to her dedication to a life-long love connection — Madison is definitely not a watered-down GREAT CHARACTER.
Splash is ultimate 80s high concept movie as well as paradigmatic FOOW story. Speaking of which, Jason and I thought we would do something a little different this month and solicit suggestions for other great Fish Out Of Water characters.
Who would you like to see Jason take on this month as a Great Character? Theme: Fish Out Of Water. Obviously doesn’t have to be a mermaid. Any character who finds him/herself in a completely untypical environment.
Share your thoughts about Madison in Splash and your FOOW suggestions in comments.
Thanks again, Jason, for another Great Character post!
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