A goldfish on a leash
| Movie | |
|---|---|
| German title | A goldfish on a leash |
| Original title | Man's Favorite Sport? |
| Country of production | United States |
| original language | English |
| Publishing year | 1964 |
| length | 120 minutes |
| Age rating | FSK 12 |
| Rod | |
| Director | Howard Hawks |
| script |
Pat Frank John Fenton Murray Steve McNeil |
| production | Howard Hawks |
| music | Henry Mancini |
| camera | Russell Harlan |
| cut | Stuart Gilmore |
| occupation | |
| |
A goldfish on a leash (Original title: Man's Favorite Sport?) Is an American comedy film directed by Howard Hawks from 1964 with Rock Hudson and Paula Prentiss in the lead roles.
action
Roger Willoughby, salesman in the fishing department of a sports shop and author of a successful specialist book for anglers , is due to take part in a fishing competition on the initiative of PR expert Abigail Page. Roger refuses, however; because he has to admit that he has never fished himself in his life. He only acquired the knowledge in his book from his customers.
However, Abigail insists that Roger take part in the fishing competition. His boss, who doesn't know anything about Roger's secret, is hoping for a great advertising success. And Roger also has chance on his side when it comes to fishing competition: although he is extremely amateurish, he always manages to catch the largest or second largest fish on the three days of the competition, so that he wins the trophy. After Abigail tearfully persuaded him to return the winner's trophy because he did not legally win it, Roger explained the situation to his anglers and customers and waived the trophy. His boss feels betrayed and dismisses him. The anglers urge the boss to withdraw the notice: The very fact that an absolute layman like Roger can win a competition with his fishing equipment is the best advertisement for the company.
Roger, who at first was anything but devoted to Abigail, has since fallen in love with the over-the-top, emancipated woman. Assuming that he has been given notice, he wants to reveal his love to her. Abigail, however, has withdrawn across the lake, so that Roger lets an Indian friend row him there at night. Roger and Abigail fight at first, but then have to sleep together on an air mattress because the Indian has already rowed back. Heavy rains wash the air mattress onto the lake, where the two find each other drifting along. The happy ending is provided by Roger's boss, who searches the lake to hire his fishing expert again.
reception
At the premiere on February 5, 1964 in the USA, A Goldfish on a Leash was acceptable, but not nearly as extraordinary as Hawk's previous film Hatari! (1962). Criticism response was also subdued compared to Hawk's previous successes.
Seven years later, film critic Molly Haskell wrote a triumphant review of the film in New York weekly The Village Voice . She admitted that she followed the film with rather disinterest in 1964, but now she is “pleased and deeply touched by the film. Delighted by the grace and authenticity of the humor with which the story is told, and moved by the after-effects of the whole basic idea of the film, by the sexual antagonism , desire and despair. "
"A comedy developed with routine and charm in an unpretentiously moody way, which is pleasantly entertaining with many pretty ideas and is particularly noticeable due to its relaxed narrative rhythm."
“The sport it's about is fishing, and the film doesn't skimp on straightforward comparisons. 'Whenever I hear a story, the first thing I think about is how can I turn it into a comedy?' Says director Howard Hawks. Here, too, he has succeeded in turning a banal and normal initial situation into a rapid situation comedy - about sport and sex, leisure and business, theory and practice. The captivating profanity of the film disarms any censor. "
"Ideally suited for cheerful relaxation from the age of 16."
Web links
- A goldfish on a leash in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- A goldfish on a leash at Rotten Tomatoes (English)
- A goldfish on a leash in the online film database
- A goldfish on a leash in the German dubbing index
Individual evidence
- ^ Todd McCarthy: Howard Hawks: The Gray Fox of Hollywood . Grove Press ,, ISBN 0-8021-1598-5 , pp. 596, 602.
- ↑ Joseph McBride, Haskell, Molly: Man's Favorite Sport? (Revisited) . In: Focus on Howard Hawks . Prentice-Hall Inc ,, ISBN 0-133-84289-4 , pp. 135-138.
- ↑ cf. Lexicon of International Films 2000/2001 (CD-ROM)
- ^ "A goldfish on a leash" in the WDR -Kinozeit, accessed on July 19, 2008
- ↑ criticism no. 176/1964