THE NAKED GUN: FROM THE FILES OF POLICE SQUAD

US, 1988, 85 minutes, Colour.
Leslie Nielsen, Priscilla Presley, Ricardo Montalban, George Kennedy, O.J.Simpson.
Directed by David Zucker.

The Naked Gun, from the files of Police Squad is an enjoyable spoof of television police series and movies. It is from the same team who wrote Flying High and Top Secret. Director Jim Abrahams went on to make Ruthless People and Big Business with Bette Midler. This film was directed by David Zucker.

Leslie Neilson (in Flying High) is excellent as the obtuse police inspector, full of himself and his own heroics, misunderstanding plain statements, deadpan humour. He is matched by George Kennedy in a more earnest role. Priscilla Presley is the heroine and Ricardo Montalban the villain. There is satire at the expense of Queen Elizabeth of England.

The film is designed especially for an American audience. While it has a lot of quick jokes, it does spend some time on various conventions of the genre, especially the assassination sequence in a long baseball match. The film tends to be funnier in the beginning, the first half after the excellent pre-credits spoof of Leslie Neilson bursting into a meeting in Beirut of the world's leading terrorists.

1. An enjoyable spoof: expectations, parody, jokes?

2. Audience acceptance of genres and conventions, the police television series, the short running time, the actions of the police, the criminals, the quick solutions? What goes on behind the scenes? Cliches, verbal and visual jokes, deadpan humour, pace? The film as American oriented?

3. The techniques of the genre, editing, pace? Selection of incidents?- The score and the range of songs?

4. The title and its parody of The Naked City etc., the police files? Familiar to audiences? Leslie Neilson embodying the style and its spoof?

5. The prologue and the terrorists in Beirut ' the international leaders and the parody? Frank bursting in, his skills, defeat of them all? His triumphant return and the television interview - for someone else? The enormous luggage, etc?

6. Frank and Ed and their working together, relationship, Frank and his wife going off? Frank and his perpetually misinterpreting, wrong meanings? His staff and assistants?

7. The build-up to the Queen's visit, the role of the Mayor and her concern, disdain for Frank, the elaborate press conference and Frank ruining it, his speech, the microphone, antics in the toilet? Frank at work, going to visit Ludwig? Ludwig's wealth and his eventually breaking everything?

8. Jane and her position, relationship to Ludwig, attraction towards Frank, the parody of falling in love, the affair, the cooking, safe sex, his thinking she betrayed him?

9. Ludwig as villain, wealth, terrorist, his secretary and the device for killing? Using the sportsmen? Jane, as the potential assassin? His comeuppance and the confrontation with Frank?

10. The parody of the Queen, tier arrival, American view of her stiff manner, the dinner, the upset and Frank on top of her, the photo in the paper? Her going to the baseball match?

11. The using of the baseball sequence, Frank and his taking the place of the singer, of the umpire - and with the players, with the applause of the crowd? His searching all the players during the. match? Saving the Queen? His proposal to Jane on the screen?

12. American sport, its rituals, the presence of the Queen, the ball-playing, the killer as a star baseballer?

13. Audience enjoying of the parody? The value of parody and send-up?