¡Three Amigos!
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| ¡Three Amigos! | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Directed by | John Landis |
| Produced by | Lorne Michaels George Folsey Jr. |
| Written by | Lorne Michaels Steve Martin Randy Newman |
| Starring | Steve Martin Chevy Chase Martin Short Joe Mantegna Jon Lovitz Phil Hartman Alfonso Arau Tony Plana |
| Music by | Elmer Bernstein Randy Newman |
| Cinematography | Ronald W. Browne |
| Editing by | Malcolm Campbell |
| Distributed by | Orion Pictures |
| Release date(s) | December 12, 1986 |
| Running time | 104 min. |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $25,000,000 |
| IMDb profile | |
| Ratings | |
|---|---|
| Australia: | PG |
| Finland: | K-14 |
| Germany: | 12 |
| Sweden: | 15 |
| United Kingdom: | PG |
| United States: | PG |
¡Three Amigos! is a 1986 comedy western film, produced by George Folsey, Jr., and Lorne Michaels. John Landis directed for HBO Films. Steve Martin, Chevy Chase and Martin Short star. The movie was written by Steve Martin, Lorne Michaels, and Randy Newman. Randy Newman contributed several original songs, including "The Ballad of the Three Amigos" and "My Little Buttercup", while the musical score was composed by Elmer Bernstein.
Contents |
[edit] Plot
In the year 1916, three prissy silent film actors are fired after they demand a higher salary for their popular "Three Amigos" western films. Later that day they receive a plea from the villagers of Santo Poco who have been under siege from the notorious villian El Guapo. Mistaking the plea for an acting job, the actors steal their costumes and travel to Santo Poco. The villagers give the actors a hero's welcome, believing them to be bona fide gunfighters. After a nearly fatal confrontation with El Guapo, the actors realize the danger to which they are now subject. They panic and plan a hasty retreat; but soon decide to truly become the heroes they had portrayed.
The Amigos make several disastrous attempts to thwart the bandits, including infiltration of El Guapo's birthday party and seeking of mystical aid via a singing bush and an invisible swordsman. They then ride an aeroplane, piloted by Ned, back to the village. Lucky Day (Steve Martin) delivers a speech about conquering an individual's personal "El Guapo", whether that be a lack of self-confidence or an actual killer by that name. They then discover that the villagers' greatest skill is sewing. The Amigos organize the villagers, using their sewing skills to create an army of "Amigos" by replicating their mariachi costumes. The villagers defeat the bandits by appearing clad in the costumes and shooting from all sides, creating the illusion that the Amigos are everywhere. Thereafter, the Amigos ride off into the sunset, intending to produce a new film.
[edit] Cast
- Steve Martin as Lucky Day, the de facto leader of the Amigos
- Chevy Chase as Dusty Bottoms, the dimmest of the three Amigos, and a pianist
- Martin Short as Ned Nederlander, a former child star and a genuine quick-draw artist
- Patrice Camhi (aka Patrice Martinez) as Carmen, a beautiful villager of Santo Poco who summons the Three Amigos
- Alfonso Arau as El Guapo, the evil leader of the Mexican bandits
- Tony Plana as Jefe, El Guapo's right-hand man
- Joe Mantegna as film producer Harry Flugleman
[edit] Trivia
 |
Trivia sections are discouraged under Wikipedia guidelines. The article could be improved by integrating relevant items and removing inappropriate ones. |
- The movie is loosely based on The Magnificent Seven. Elmer Bernstein wrote the music for that movie as well, along with the music for its several sequels. The plot also resembles that of the two later films Galaxy Quest, and Disney/Pixar's A Bug's Life wherein several actors are mistaken for their character roles and recruited to fight in a genuine conflict.
- The film has many connections to Saturday Night Live. The cast features four alumni of the show: Chevy Chase, Martin Short, Phil Hartman, and Jon Lovitz, while Steve Martin has hosted the show on numerous occasions. SNL creator Lorne Michaels co-produced and co-wrote the film.
- The film's poster was placed center stage on the Saturday Night Live theater set for a year. Penn & Teller promoted the film on the jumbotron above Times Square during a sketch.
- The Canadian animation company Nelvana did animatronic work for a talking tortoise in one scene of the film.
- *The film's two German characters (William Kempf and Alexander Quigley) shot most of their scenes separately from the rest of the cast due to a tuberculosis infection.
- Amigo is Spanish for "friend". El Guapo is Spanish for "the handsome one" or "the good-looking one". Jefe is Spanish for a chief or boss. Santo Poco is broken Spanish, with "Santo" meaning "saint" or "holy", and "Poco" being an adjective for "little" or "not much".
- The Amigos' trademark demonstration includes thrusting the pelvis forward, turning the head to the side, and coughing. This resembles the procedure for undergoing a hernia examination.
- This movie had been in development hell since the early 1980s. At that time, Steven Spielberg considered directing the film with Bill Murray playing Chevy Chase's role and Robin Williams playing Martin Short's role. Spielberg chose to do E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial instead and left the project altogether.
- The basic concept of three singing friends in Central America may have been influenced by Walt Disney's The Three Caballeros.
[edit] Derivative presence
- Mexican film directors Guillermo del Toro, Alejandro González Iñárritu, and Alfonso Cuarón were dubbed the "Three Amigos" by the press when their films received nominations in the 2006 Academy Awards. The filmmakers share a genuine friendship and made several media appearances together.[2] In fact, at a recent screening of the film at the Aero theater in Santa Monica, CA, director John Landis stated that he received a knock at his door one day to find all three directors singing the theme song of the film.
- National Football League's Denver Broncos had three wide receivers who were collectively nicknamed "The Three Amigos". The "Amigos" (Vance Johnson, Mark Jackson and Ricky Nattiel) all played together on the team from 1987 to 1992. Vance Johnson is the fifth all-time leading receiver for the Broncos with 415 receptions. Mark Jackson caught the game-tying touchdown capping "The Drive" in the 1986 AFC Championship game in Cleveland.
- National Football League's Dallas Cowboys are known for a commercial where 3 players walk through a western town as players from other teams poke their heads out of various hiding places. An announcer makes a speech about the 3 Dallas players who finish the commercial saying "We are the 3 Amigos!" And performing the 3 Amigos Demonstration.
- Three of the youngest pitchers on the 2006 Detroit Tigers' pitching staff, Justin Verlander, Jeremy Bonderman, and Joel Zumaya are often referred to as the "Three Amigos".
- World Wrestling Entertainment's Eddie Guerrero, the late Latino professional wrestler, performed three consecutive vertical suplexes, which he nicknamed "The Three Amigos". Today, it is used by his nephew Chavo.
- On 22 September 2006, World Wrestling Entertainment presented a special event in Tijuana, Mexico. After the main event, wrestlers Triple H, Shawn Michaels, and Rey Mysterio, Jr. donned sombreros and thrust their hips in homage to the film.
- Fergus McCann, the chairman of Celtic Football Club described players Pierre van Hooijdonk, Paolo Di Canio and Jorge Cadete as the "Three Amigos" when in dispute over an alleged salary agreement. [3]
- Grady Booch, Ivar Jacobson, and James Rumbaugh, the three leading proponents of object-oriented software methodology, all worked together at Rational Software, where they were referred to as the "Three Amigos".
- Gerald Forsythe, Paul Gentilozzi, and Kevin Kalkhoven, who together purchased the assets of CART and operate the Champ Car World Series are often called, albeit sometimes in a derogatory fashion, "The Three Amigos."
- In a 2008 ESPN "This is SportsCenter." commercial, Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen of the Boston Celtics brainstorm with Scott Van Pelt about their collective nickname. The last idea that the three come up with (before settling on Van Pelt's nickname) is "The Three Amigos." The three then follow with the Amigo's Demonstration.
- Three young pitchers the New York Yankees will rely upon for the 2008 season, Ian Kennedy, Joba Chamberlain, and Phil Hughes have recently been dubbed the "Three Amigos".[4]
[edit] References
[edit] External links
|
||||||||
|
|||||
