Top Secret! (film): Difference between revisions

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''Top Secret!'' (1984) is the second feature-length comedy by the Zucker Abrahams Zucker team (third, if one counts ''[[The Kentucky Fried Movie]]''), and stars [[Val Kilmer]] in his first theatrical role, as [[The Hero|Nick Rivers]], an Elvis-like rock idol sent into [[Crapsack World|East Germany]] for a goodwill tour. Once there, he is swept into a spy plot by [[Mad Scientist's Beautiful Daughter|Hillary Flammond]], whose [[Mad Scientist|father]] is held captive by [[Those Wacky Nazis|the Communists]]. Hillary takes Nick to the [[La Résistance|French Resistance]] (yes, in East Germany), the charismatic leader of which is her former lover, and who seizes on the opportunity to use Nick's knowledge of the prison to break Dr. Flammond out.

That's the plot, but the movie is perhaps better appreciated for its farcical, even savage zaniness. It [[Parody Satire Pastiche|parodies]] ''everything'', from rock idols to forced perspective shots to [[Professional Wrestling]] to goose-stepping Nazis to, well, cow disguises, with the ZAZ team's trademark [[Rapid-Fire Comedy]]. [[The Wizard of Oz (~~Film~~)|"And I'll miss you most of all, Scarecrow!"]]

That's the plot, but the movie is perhaps better appreciated for its farcical, even savage zaniness. It [[Parody Satire Pastiche|parodies]] ''everything'', from rock idols to forced perspective shots to [[Professional Wrestling]] to goose-stepping Nazis to, well, cow disguises, with the ZAZ team's trademark [[Rapid-Fire Comedy]]. [[The Wizard of Oz (film)|"And I'll miss you most of all, Scarecrow!"]]

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* [[Almost-Dead Guy]]: This is Latrine's ''entire job''.

* [[Aside Glance]]: Several times; at one point Nick even winks at the camera.

* [[As Long As It Sounds Foreign]]: Most of the German dialogue is unrelated phrases of Yiddish; the few times it ''is'' actually German... well, see [[Bilingual Bonus]]. Other scenes have English running backwards, and Latin ([[Igpay Atinlay|Pig]] or otherwise).

* [[As Long as It Sounds Foreign]]: Most of the German dialogue is unrelated phrases of Yiddish; the few times it ''is'' actually German... well, see [[Bilingual Bonus]]. Other scenes have English running backwards, and Latin ([[Igpay Atinlay|Pig]] or otherwise).

* [[Assumed Win]]: Nick turns a planned operatic performance into a rock concert through this type of mistake.

* [[Badass]]: Parodied in Chocolate Mousse. The first thing we see him doing is sitting around, being a [[Scary Black Man]], smoking a huge cigar. When his name is called, he grunts in acknowledgment and ''eats'' his cigar. Later he drinks gasoline from a bottle, singlehandedly wields a ''cannon'' as a firearm, exhibits [[Improbable Aiming Skills]], wrestles a German soldier WWE-style, and apparently has people waiting just off-camera to hand him machine guns.

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* [[The Big Board]]: The diorama Nigel uses to explain his plan to the other Resistance members.

* [[Big Electric Switch]]: The electric fence around the castle is turned on and off with one of these.

* [[Bilingual Bonus]]: See [[As Long As It Sounds Foreign]], above. One particular gem should crack up German-speakers, though:

* [[Bilingual Bonus]]: See [[As Long as It Sounds Foreign]], above. One particular gem should crack up German-speakers, though:

{{quote| '''Streck:''' Make sure they leave no marks. <br />

'''von Horst:''' (severely) Ich liebe dich, mein Schatz. {{spoiler|Translation: I love you, sweetie.}} }}

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* [[East Germany]]: Parodically portrayed as Nazi Germany.

* [[Every Car Is a Pinto]]: Parodied, as the Pinto is the only car in the entire film to explode -- with the tiniest, most gentle nudge. The military vehicle that crashes into it manages to leave the scene of the accident successfully, despite being ''on fire''. "You've got to hand it to the Germans -- they make great cars."

* [[Everything's Better ~~With~~ Cows]]: Two characters infiltrate a top secret facility by dressing as a cow and mingling with the local herd thereof. Cows, that is, not a bunch of idiots dressed like cows. And then [[Black Comedy Rape|a bull comes]]...

* [[Everything's Better with Cows]]: Two characters infiltrate a top secret facility by dressing as a cow and mingling with the local herd thereof. Cows, that is, not a bunch of idiots dressed like cows. And then [[Black Comedy Rape|a bull comes]]...

* [[Excited Show Title]]

* [[Fake-Out Make-Out]]: Nick and Hillary manage to combine this with [[Lost in A Crowd]], avoiding a patrol by ducking into a park crowded with couples making out and doing likewise.

* [[Fake-Out Make-Out]]: Nick and Hillary manage to combine this with [[Lost in a Crowd]], avoiding a patrol by ducking into a park crowded with couples making out and doing likewise.

* [[Funny Background Event]]:

** The pizza.

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* [[Improbable Aiming Skills]]: Chocolate Mousse fires a machine gun into a melee and only hits the bad guys. He then gets a high five from a [[Jive Turkey]].

* [[Incredibly Lame Pun]]: ''"He's just a little hoarse (horse)"''.

* [[Jumping On a Grenade]]: {{spoiler|Everyone else explodes.}}

* [[Jumping on a Grenade]]: {{spoiler|Everyone else explodes.}}

* [[Lampshade Hanging]]: See [[This Is Reality]], below.

* [[La Résistance]]: The French Resistance is in [[East Germany]]. [[Rule of Funny|We don't know why.]]

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* [[The Loins Sleep Tonight]]: Parodied. It seems that Hillary is consoling Nick for his failure to perform, but it turns out that she's reading a trashy romance novel out loud.

* [[Look Behind You!]]: The second variant.

* [[Lost in A Crowd]]: See [[Fake-Out Make-Out]], above.

* [[Lost in a Crowd]]: See [[Fake-Out Make-Out]], above.

* [[Made of Explodium]]: The Pinto scene.

* [[Made of Iron]]: The guard in the [[Traintop Battle]], as a parody of the classic "Low bridge" trick.

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* [[Meta Guy]]: Nick, mostly.

* [[Mobile Kiosk]]: Vendor.

* [[Model Planning]]: What begins as [[Planning ~~With~~ Props]] segues into this.

* [[Model Planning]]: What begins as [[Planning with Props]] segues into this.

* [[The Mole]]: {{spoiler|Nigel}}.

* [[National Anthem]]:

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* [[Off-the-Shelf FX]]: Inverted. The 'cow suit' is really an actual cow with boots on.

* [[Pig Latin]]: The priest: "Ooreyay oingay ootay etgay iedfray in the airchay."

* [[Planning ~~With~~ Props]]: Parodied.

* [[Planning with Props]]: Parodied.

* [[Black Comedy Rape]]:

** The [[Salvage Pirates]] and Nigel, with the bonus of [[Getting Crap Past the Radar]]. "They tormented me in ways I cannot describe." (Followed by a contented smile at the memory.)

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* [[Salvage Pirates]]: Leads to gang rape. And an aversion to capitalism.

* [[Sexy Discretion Shot]]: To a fireplace. When the couple rolls into view in front of the fireplace, the camera pans again--to ''another'' fireplace. In some cuts, the camera eventually pans to a window with a view of a burning building. Further parodied some minutes later when a kiss between the two parachuting protagonists cuts to a fireplace hanging from another parachute.

* [[Shout-Out]]: Too many to name, from ''[[The Wizard of Oz (~~Film~~)|The Wizard of Oz]]'' to the Beach Boys.

* [[Shout-Out]]: Too many to name, from ''[[The Wizard of Oz (film)|The Wizard of Oz]]'' to the Beach Boys.

* [[Sic Em]]: The rubber stamp of "[[Stand By Me|Chopper, sic balls!]]"

* [[Sic Em]]: The rubber stamp of "[[Stand by Me|Chopper, sic balls!]]"

* [[Smoking Hot Sex]]: After the calf blowjob scene no less.

* [[Surreal Theme Tune]]: "Skeet Surfin'"

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* [[Travel Montage]]: A dotted line makes its way along a streetmap... and is subsquently eaten by Pac-Man.

* [[Trojan Prisoner]]: Chocolate Mousse, Déjà Vu and Nick Rivers, while infiltrating Fleurgendorf prison.

* [[Underdressed for ~~The~~ Occasion]]: Nick at the restaurant. Sometimes you need a coat and tie...

* [[Underdressed for the Occasion]]: Nick at the restaurant. Sometimes you need a coat and tie...

* [[Who Would Want to Watch Us?]]: See [[This Is Reality]], above.

* [[X Meets Y]]: The French Underground meets Elvis.