Top Secret! (1984)

User Rating:

7.0/10   

Directors:

Jim Abrahams
David Zucker

Writers:

Jim Abrahams (writer) &
David Zucker (writer) ...

Release Date:

8 June 1984 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Comedy | Romance

Tagline:

Movie? What movie?

Plot:

Parody of WWII spy movies in which an American rock and roll singer becomes involved in a Resistance plot to rescue a scientist imprisoned in East Germany.

Plot Keywords:

Spy | East Germany | Elvis | Bar Fight | Plane

Cast

Val Kilmer	...	Nick Rivers
Lucy Gutteridge	...	Hillary Flammond
Peter Cushing	...	Bookstore Proprietor
Jeremy Kemp	...	General Streck
Christopher Villiers	...	Nigel 'The Torch', Resistance Leader
Warren Clarke	...	Colonel von Horst
Harry Ditson	...	Du Quois, Resistance Member
Jim Carter	...	Déjà Vu, Resistance Member
Eddie Tagoe	...	Chocolate Mousse, Resistance Member
Omar Sharif	...	Agent Cedric
Tristram Jellinek	...	Major Crumpler
Billy J. Mitchell	...	Martin, Nick's Manager
Major Wiley	...	Train Porter
Gertan Klauber	...	Mayor of Berlin
Richard Mayes	...	Comrade Biletnikov, Russian Tenor

Runtime:

90 min

Country:

USA | UK

Language:

English | German | Yiddish

Colour:

Colour (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Argentina:Atp | Iceland:L | Portugal:M/6 | Australia:M | Canada:14A | Finland:K-12 | Ireland:15 | Netherlands:MG6 | Norway:15 | Spain:T | Sweden:11 | UK:15 | USA:PG | West Germany:12 | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

Godrevy, St Ives, Cornwall, England, UK

Company:

Kingsmere Properties

Trivia:

In the restaurant scene, when Hillary places an order with the waiter in apparent German, she's actually speaking in Yiddish. A rough translation of her line is, "Go bash your head in."

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: In the "Pizza Haus" dance, when Nick (Val) runs up the wall and back flips, the cable of his trapeze rig is visible.

Quotes:

Martin: Nick, I've tried everything: the embassy, the German government, the consulate. I even talked to the U.N. ambassador. It's no use, I just can't bring my wife to orgasm.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in GoldenEye: Rogue Agent (2004) (VG)

Soundtrack:

A HARD DAYS NIGHT

ZAZ Blitzkrieg-humor

In between their most successful films – Airplane, Naked Gun and Hot Shots – the ZAZ team modestly spoofed the espionage and conspiracy theory thrillers in Top Secret! The film involves American teen idol Nick Rivers (Val Kilmer in his first big screen role) attending a culture festival in Nazified East Germany. The festival merely is a cover-up for the sinister and evil practices of the Nazis who kidnapped an eminent scientist. Nick quickly interferes in all this and ends up as member of a resistance-party, existing of French dudes with funny-sounding names and weird comical habits (like drinking gasoline…) . Remaining loyal to the ZAZ trademarks, 'Top Secret!' is one giant running gag and a spitfire of chuckles in which absolutely NOTHING has to be taken seriously. The European-minded character of this film provided the writers with the occasion to make fun of the typical French, German and Swedish stereotypes and that forms a perfect contrast with the American surf-generation. As usual in this type of films, the widely elaborated jokes miss their target (sometimes they even are painfully unfunny) but the smaller background slapstick is hilarious and almost causes you a stomach pain from laughing. The open assaults to immensely successful cinema classics like 'the Great Escape', 'Wizard of Oz' or 'The Blue Lagoon' is something you either love or hate, but it perfectly reflects the type of over-the-top humor these writers want to bring. Val Kilmer does well in his first major role and his youthful charm helps increasing his teen-popstar credibility. Furthermore, there are a few delightful small roles for authentic cinema veterans such as Omar Shariff, Michael Gough and my personal favorite Peter Cushing. Top Secret isn't Abraham's and the Zucker brother's best work, but it's still great entertainment and the quality balances somewhere between 'The Kentucky Fried Movie' and 'Airplane'.