# Mano a Mano with "Manos"! **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 24, 2006, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mano-a-mano-with-manos/349734 "2006-03-24T16:15:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![UntouchedTakeaway](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/d78d45/32.png) [@UntouchedTakeaway](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UntouchedTakeaway)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2006, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mano-a-mano-with-manos/349734/1 "2006-03-24T16:15:19Z")
Yes, the gods that are NetFlix delivered the MSTK “Manos, the Hands of Fate” to me yesterday. While I am a big MSTK fan, I’ve never seen “Manos” - I know I’m in for a treat. Any advice? Comments? Things to look for? VCNJ~ ---
**Author:** ![cmkeller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmkeller/32/118_2.png) [@cmkeller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmkeller)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2006, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mano-a-mano-with-manos/349734/2 "2006-03-24T16:18:45Z")
Don’t concentrate on Mano so much that you let the Persuader or Emerald Empress get the drop on you. ---
**Author:** ![Hello\_Again](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/85e7bf/32.png) [@Hello\_Again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hello_Again)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2006, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mano-a-mano-with-manos/349734/3 "2006-03-24T16:24:55Z")
It is one WTF moment after another, that’s all I can say. I actually didn’t think it was Joel & the gang at their cleverest, but the film kind of speaks for itself. ---
**Author:** ![want2know](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/50afbb/32.png) [@want2know](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/want2know)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2006, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mano-a-mano-with-manos/349734/4 "2006-03-24T16:43:55Z")
> [@Hello Again](#): > > It is one WTF moment after another, that’s all I can say. > > I actually didn’t think it was Joel & the gang at their cleverest, but the film kind of speaks for itself. One of their finest efforts, IMHO. MST’s trademark sarcasm mixed with utter incredulity over what they (and you) are seeing. A true MST classic! ---
**Author:** ![August\_West](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/august_west/32/18069_2.png) [@August\_West](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/August_West)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2006, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mano-a-mano-with-manos/349734/5 "2006-03-24T17:02:40Z")
The best part is the Desert Nightie Catfight! And you are NOT in for a treat, Joel and the gang are hilarious but they can’t help the forty ton anchor that is _Manos_. ---
**Author:** ![Silentgoldfish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@Silentgoldfish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silentgoldfish)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2006, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mano-a-mano-with-manos/349734/6 "2006-03-24T17:36:33Z")
I like MST3K but even they could help this movie be entertaining. I wound up having to switch off, cult status be damned. ---
**Author:** ![Labtrash](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/labtrash/32/528_2.png) [@Labtrash](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labtrash)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2006, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mano-a-mano-with-manos/349734/7 "2006-03-24T17:42:13Z")
Just put your brain in neutral & coast through it - you’ll be fine. Any attempt to even _remotely_ try to figure this movie out could be harmful. ---
**Author:** ![CandidGamera](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/candidgamera/32/2878_2.png) [@CandidGamera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CandidGamera)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2006, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mano-a-mano-with-manos/349734/8 "2006-03-24T18:24:14Z")
It’s all worth it for Mike as Torgo at the end. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2006, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mano-a-mano-with-manos/349734/9 "2006-03-24T18:33:57Z")
LOVE this one. It’s hysterical. “Charrrred-FINGERS!!!” Oh, and you ARE talking about the MST3K version, right? Because _Manos_ by itself would be just too evil to contemplate. ---
**Author:** ![Hypno-Toad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b2d939/32.png) [@Hypno-Toad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hypno-Toad)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2006, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mano-a-mano-with-manos/349734/10 "2006-03-24T18:37:46Z")
You must watch all of it. Otherwise the master will not be pleased… ---
**Author:** ![iamthewalrus\_3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/258eb7/32.png) [@iamthewalrus\_3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamthewalrus_3)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2006, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mano-a-mano-with-manos/349734/11 "2006-03-24T18:45:15Z")
If only there were some sort of liquor by mail subscription, you’d be all set. ---
**Author:** ![cbawlmer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/71e660/32.png) [@cbawlmer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cbawlmer)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2006, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mano-a-mano-with-manos/349734/12 "2006-03-24T19:03:36Z")
> [@Veuve\_ClicquotNJ](#): > > Any advice? Comments? Things to look for? Just let us know what you think of it when you’re done! ---
**Author:** ![Nonsuch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nonsuch/32/2922_2.png) [@Nonsuch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nonsuch)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2006, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mano-a-mano-with-manos/349734/13 "2006-03-24T21:06:11Z")
Definitely not one of the better experiments, in my view; the movie just sucks the life out of Joel and the bots. But the appearance of Torgo at the end makes everything worth it. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2006, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mano-a-mano-with-manos/349734/14 "2006-03-24T21:06:56Z")
> [@Veuve\_ClicquotNJ](#): > > Any advice? Try not to look directly at the screen. I’d suggest staring at a wall the entire time the movie is playing. That’s roughly as exciting as _Manos_, and less painfully confusing. > [@](#): > > Comments? Things to look for? I think the funniest moment in the film is the cops’ extraordinarily brief “search” in the night. Also quite funny are the insanely long nightgown catfight and the way the ‘makeout girl’ in the car completely blows her cue early in the film. She’s suposed to deliver some line like “Where are they going” when the family’s car drives by. But she misses it and somebody offscreen obviously yells to get her attention. You don’t hear it, but check out her startled reaction. If you listen, you might notice that three or four actors dubbed all the voices. ---
**Author:** ![UntouchedTakeaway](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/d78d45/32.png) [@UntouchedTakeaway](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UntouchedTakeaway)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2006, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mano-a-mano-with-manos/349734/15 "2006-03-24T21:17:02Z")
Wow - thank you all for the advice/comments! Sounds like it’s going to be an interesting evening at Chez Clicquot tonight 😃 VCNJ~ ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2006, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mano-a-mano-with-manos/349734/16 "2006-03-24T21:20:22Z")
It’s an experience. It’s not their funniest episode, but it might be the one where you can best understand how painfully it really must’ve been for the MST3K crew to find these terrible movies and watch them half a dozen times as they prepared the week’s episode. I won’t spoil them, but my two favorite Joel lines come from _Manos_. One is sort of random, and uttered around the time the family car pulls up to the cursed inn over a blurry, distant shot. The other is Joel’s description of Torgo. ---
**Author:** ![cbawlmer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/71e660/32.png) [@cbawlmer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cbawlmer)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2006, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mano-a-mano-with-manos/349734/17 "2006-03-24T21:26:37Z")
**Marley23** : Is the random line you’re thinking of… “Every shot in this movie looks like someone’s last known photograph”? If so, that line kills me. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2006, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mano-a-mano-with-manos/349734/18 "2006-03-24T21:56:22Z")
Yeah, that’s the first one. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Merijeek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f05b48/32.png) [@Merijeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merijeek)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2006, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mano-a-mano-with-manos/349734/19 "2006-03-24T22:21:05Z")
Certainly no line can top… “Watch out for snakes!” I think the funniest part is simply the music. It has so little to do with, well, anything. Like big scary music for… Torgo walking to the car to get the bags Ooh! Spooky! Someone hold me! -Joe ---
**Author:** ![Terrifel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c68b51/32.png) [@Terrifel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terrifel)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2006, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mano-a-mano-with-manos/349734/20 "2006-03-24T22:21:16Z")
For heaven’s sake, be careful when you watch the thing! If I recall aright, the MST3K DVDs feature two versions of the film-- the MiSTed version… \*and the original. \* I can’t even begin to imagine what it would be like to view the movie without the protective barrier of Joel and the 'bots between you and the screen. By the time you realized your mistake, the opening driving scene would have started already, and your body would be completely drained of energy before you could even start to react. [Entertainment Weekly](http://www.ew.com/ew/allabout/0,9930,108958_11_0_,00.html) ran a fascinating little article about **“Manos”** (_never_ forget the quote marks!) which provides a wealth of trivia about the production and actors, including the unhappy story of John Reynolds (Torgo). One curious (though hardly surprising) fact is that the movie was shot entirely without sound, which is why everyone sounds like they were dubbed by the same person-- basically, they _were._ Interestingly, in one of the daylight scenes where the cop is harassing the smooching couple, there’s a quick moment where a clapper board is clearly visible before being jerked out of scene. It happens so fast that Joel and the 'bots don’t even remark on it, but it does add another layer of mystery to the enigma-wrapped riddle that is **"Manos."** [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mano-a-mano-with-manos/349734.md?page=2)