MovieChat Forums > The Meaning of Life (1983) Discussion > Find the fish

Find the fish

posted 17 years ago by Picnic-3
7 replies | jump to latest

In the main it seemed that a lot of money was spent on the costumes in Meaning of life. Find the fish is not exception with Graham Chapman's exotic take on a Rocky Horror Picture Show Frank 'n' Furter outfit, complete with taps, which Terry Jones' character, a kind of 'Riff Raff' tweaks with his elongated arms. The conventionally decorated living room/lounge we see at the start is not even separated from the main corridor, another surrealist juxtaposition. A man, whose face we do not see, turns a wheel on a wall dressed like the member of a ship's crew. A second waiter with a green elephant-style head like some character from the Cantina in Star Wars (I have read that Gilliam had previously used that in Time Bandits) completes the bizarre proceeedings.

The corridor is bizarre- dials litter the left wall (I wonder if Kate Bush used the same house for her haunting Experiment IV video).

The whole thing makes me want to see a full length 'Find the fish' film- what is in the rest of the house? It would be the best surreal film ever.

A surreal masterpiece.

[–] imsosmrt123 17 years ago

I aboslutley love this scene, and it reminded me of Vulva in Spaced, even thouhg that show came on long after this.

Col.'s Secret Recipe:
Chicken
Grease
Salt

[–] stevenscottoddballz 12 years ago

"aboslutley"? You mean {absolutely}.

Eight divided by one-half equals four squared!

[–] Tropical_Smoothie 17 years ago

Find the Fish is probably one of the most bizarre thing that's ever been made, which is why I love it so much.
"And it went wherever I did go,"... you just sit there thinking, sort of: "WTF?!?" Hilarious!

~I Don't care if you don't want me, I'm your's, I'm your's... right now~

[–] alien005 16 years ago

Am I wrong for asking where the fish is? Or is the fish characters seen at the end of the scene?

I've seen this part a lot and the initial "WHAT IS GOING ON?" has worn off so now I look for a fish... or is that the whole joke?

[–] DirectorLeighHater 16 years ago

When I first saw the movie as a kid, I thought I saw the fish poking its head out of various places (An urn, the dresser, the elephant waiter's pants) but was too freaked out by the rest of it to look closer.

If you were offended in any way by the preceding post, go make one yourself.

[–] avortac4 (3769) 4 years ago

Sigh.

Just like when it comes to 'The Cube - NBC Experiment in Television' being actually the television itself, and the character being just that - a TV character that's not needed when some show isn't on - no one seems to realize or understand this.

His own blood is strawberry jam, this should be a clue that he indeed is a projected character, and everything has to do with television, but people JUST don't get it..

.. the same way, no one seems to get that the 'fish' in question is:

JUST A RED HERRING.

It's not a literal fish, it's a waste of time - it's like a multi-layered meta joke, it's a red herring, there is no fish, and that's the fish.

Get it now?

[–] TheArgentinian (7251) 2 years ago

Hated this segment. And I love the film.