The Hudsucker Proxy (1994)

Director:

Joel Coen

Writers:

Ethan Coen (written by) &
Joel Coen (written by) ...

Release Date:

11 March 1994 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Fantasy | Romance

Tagline:

A Comedy of Invention.

Plot:

A naive business graduate is installed as president of a manufacturing company as part of a stock scam.

Plot Keywords:

Stock | Suicide | Business | Reporter | Hanging From Clock

Awards:

2 wins & 3 nominations

Cast

Tim Robbins	...	Norville Barnes
Jennifer Jason Leigh	...	Amy Archer
Paul Newman	...	Sidney J. Mussburger
Charles Durning	...	Waring Hudsucker
John Mahoney	...	Chief
Jim True-Frost	...	Buzz (as Jim True)
Bill Cobbs	...	Moses
Bruce Campbell	...	Smitty
Harry Bugin	...	Aloysius
John Seitz	...	Benny
Joe Grifasi	...	Lou
Roy Brocksmith	...	Board Member
John Wylie	...	Board Member
I.M. Hobson	...	Board Member
Gary Allen	...	Board Member

Also Known As:

Hudsucker - Der große Sprung (Germany)
El gran salto (Argentina) (Spain) [es]
A nagy ugrás (Hungary) [hu]
Coenin veljesten Valtapeli (Finland) [fi]
Hadsakerov covek (Serbia) [sr]
Hudsucker - Der große Sprung (Austria) [de]
Hudsucker Proxy (Poland) [pl]
Hulahop (Slovenia) [sl]
Le grand saut (France) [fr]
Mister Hula Hoop (Italy) [it]
Na Roda da Fortuna (Brazil) [pt]
O Grande Salto (Portugal) [pt]
O kyrios Hula Hoop (Greece) [el]
Opération Hudsucker (Canada: French title) (TV title) [fr]
Strebern (Sweden) [sv]
Valtapeli (Finland) (short title) [fi]

MPAA:

Rated PG for mild language and thematic elements.

Runtime:

111 min

Country:

UK | Germany | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White | Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Iceland:L | Portugal:M/12 | France:U | South Korea:15 | Brazil:12 | USA:PG (No. 32848) | Argentina:Atp | Australia:PG | Chile:TE | Finland:K-10 | Germany:6 | Italy:T | Spain:13 | Sweden:11 | UK:PG | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

Chicago, Illinois, USA

Company:

PolyGram Filmed Entertainment

Trivia:

The line "That gag's so old it's got whiskers" is also spoken by a fast talking Barbara Stanwyck in the Preston Sturges scripted Remember the Night (1940).

Goofs:

Continuity: When the camera angle switches to follow Waring Hudsucker down during his fall, we suddenly have no glass falling with him. The glass is visible when he breaks through the window.

Quotes:

[Norville is putting mail into boxes]
Norville: What do you do if the envelope is too big for the slot?
Ancient Sorter: Well, if you fold 'em, they fire you. I usually throw 'em out.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Hot Fuzz (2007)

Soundtrack:

Memories Are Made Of This

In my opinion, this is a very underrated movie.

I cannot understand why this movie has not earned the respect it deserves. Norville Barnes represents high hopes and bright ideas, and when he starts out his intentions are pure. But when money makes him lose his focus, only love can put him back on the right track. Tim Robbins and Jennifer Jason Leigh are masterful in this movie, which is one of my personal favorites.