Daily Dialogue — October 17, 2016

“Oh great. Terrific. He decides to keep the zoo open, so you kill him. Brilliant! Well done. Thank you so much, especially for shooting him right between the eyes, so it doesn’t look like an accident. Because the people at Octopus will know he was coming here to close us down, so there’s our motive for murdering him. Stunning. Well, Mr Brain Of Britain, what are we going to tell the police, who are, of course, already on their way here, another example of the thoroughness of your plan. Go on, I’m all ears. What do you suggest we do with the dead body of the incredibly famous man who you have just assassinated? Sorry? I didn’t quite catch it. What was that? Pop him in the blender?”

— Fierce Creatures (1997), written by John Cleese & Iain Johnstone

The Daily Dialogue theme for the week: Cover Up, suggested by Will King. Today’s recommendation by Chris Neumann.

Trivia: Preview audiences disliked the original ending, and a decision was made to reshoot it. Unfortunately, Michael Palin had already embarked on an eight-month voyage around the Pacific Ocean for the BBC documentary Full Circle with Michael Palin (1997), and director Robert Young had begun his next film. Fred Schepisi, who was already talking to John Cleese about a film based on Don Quixote, was chosen to reshoot the ending when Palin returned from his trip.

Dialogue On Dialogue: Commentary by Chris: “This dialogue is shamelessly just giving the audience exposition on the stakes the characters are facing, but it works… partly because John Cleese dominates any scene when he erupts into a screaming rage, but also because the character of Bugsy, who had been speaking non-stop the entire movie, is finally at a loss for words. After continuing to talk even with a gun waved in his face (“you would rather talk than live, wouldn’t you?”), now another character can get a word in edgewise and Cleese makes it count.

The lesson in this wonderful, angry burst is a simple one: if you’re going to reiterate what we already know, make it entertaining (see also: the third act of Clue).