I loved the fact that Max did this movie, but did anyone else think with his regal stature, he seemed a bit out of place in a burping and farting kind of comedy?
shareAnyone know if the "Elsinore" brewery is an homage to The Seventh Seal or just coincidence?
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I always laugh when his character is introduced. Think of it, a protege of Ingmar Bergman, one of the most respected actors in all of film, making his entramnce while being "in the thing." Classic.
The brewery is "Elsinore" because the plot is loosely based on Shakespeare's Hamlet.
Maybe that's how they talked von Sydow into it, too--"But it's a version of Hamlet!"
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Did his teeth in this movie look very strange to you? Like a prosthetic?
They did indeed look quite horselike.
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Watching it now and he is absolutely wearing a prosthetic -his front teeth are very obvious. Reminds me of the same kind of thing Alec Guiness wore in the old movieThe Ladykillers.
shareThey added big teeth because they were thinking bugs bunny according to trivia on the film.
shareWell, considering he's been in movies like Flash Gordon, Judge Dredd and Rush Hour 3, I think he's ok with doing bad movies once in awhile.
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He really is miscast in this film. It just makes it even greater, to me. If you were watching Strange Brew and had no idea who he was, you'd think he was some obscure guy who got a role that was too big for him. You'd never believe that he'd go on to give one of the all-time greatest film performances just a few years later (Pelle the Conqueror)
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Loved seeing Max playing the evil Brewmeister Smith in this film; I thought his casting was a real stroke of genius.
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I always get the impression that so called "serious" actors enjoy doing occasional lighter fair, because it's something different from what they usually do. I somehow would like to think that Sydow knew what kind of movie he was getting himself into, at least in terms of being a low rent comedic version of Hamlet, and took the job because it was "something different". Likewise for his work in films like Flash Gordon and Dreamscape.
On the other hand, sometimes actors take certain jobs for the money, even well known actors. Betsy Palmer reportedly thought the script to Friday The 13th was terrible, but she needed a new car, so she agreed to do the film because apparently there were few other options available at the time.
max von sydow no doubt needed the money in order to finance his extravagant champagne-and-caviar lifestyle. and at that time mgm's checks were not bouncing.
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