The comedy genre has great exponents, and although many people do not understand it, one of the best titles is the 1984 film, Top-Secret!.
This film from the trio of writers and directors ZAZ – David Zucker, Jim Abrahams and Jerry Zucker– is responsible for parodying spy stories, war stories and not forgetting musicals. Those responsible for The Naked Gunhad upset another comedy, 1980’s Airplane. This prompted Paramount Pictures to ask the trio for an Airplane sequel, but they declined as they were looking for other content for their next comedy.
Top-Secret! tells the story of a talented and charismatic singer named Nick Rivers (Val Kilmer), who is summoned to a cultural festival in East Germany. What he does not know is that his invitation serves as an alibi for the Nazis to carry out an attack against NATO using a revolutionary weapon. Nick is arrested after helping the beautiful Hillary (Lucy Gutteridge) and placed in confinement in a prison. There he meets Doctor Paul Flammond, the person responsible for creating the weapon for the Nazis.
Nick is released to continue his presentation and continue with the Nazi plan. Before finishing his recital, he is saved by Hillary. Once together, they begin the search for The Resistance to warn the Nazis’ plan and the place where the Doctor is being held captive, thus rescuing him.
The film was a box office flop, as with a budget of $8.5 million, it managed to gross just over $20 million. The critics and the public highlighted that the story was confusing and that its characters did not show growth. In any case, this film, ahead of its time, received the attention it deserved over time, to the point that today it is one of the best comedies and a cult film.
Top-Secret! offers great scenes, one of the most remembered is when Nick and Hillary visit the Swiss bookstore of old Sven Jorgensen (Peter Cushing). There the protagonists go in search of the location of La Resistencia. Introducing themselves, Hillary and Seven speak a language that is not widely understood. After revealing that Hillary is Flammond’s daughter, Sven offers shelter and reveals that the following morning they will be brought before The Resistance.
To bring this scene to life, it was shot from the end to the beginning, that is, the beginning of the shot is at the end. The actors say their lines as they move to the end point, which is where the scene begins. About 20 attempts were made until it came out perfect as the directors want. The detail is that if the scene is played in reverse, the actors can be heard saying their lines normally.
Something not to miss is that to make the prosthesis that he wears peter cushing On his face, the special effects and makeup team made a mold, something classic when it comes to makeup in the cinema. This cast of the legendary actor was kept for years and was essential for Cushing to return to life in 2016 as Grand Moff Tarkin in Gareth Edwards’ acclaimed Rogue One.
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This is how the hilarious scene in the bookstore was made in the comedy Top Secret!