Krippendorf's Tribe

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Krippendorf's Tribe is a 1998 film adaptation of Frank Parkin's novel directed by Todd Holland.

Krippendorf's Tribe
Starring Richard Dreyfuss
Jenna Elfman
Natasha Lyonne
Distributed by Touchstone Pictures
Release date(s) 2 November 1998
Running time 113 minutes
Language English

Contents

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

Respected anthropologist James Krippendorf (Richard Dreyfuss) and his wife, Jennifer (Barbara Williams), bring their three children along during their failed search in New Guinea for a lost tribe. After Jennifer's death, James reaches a zero point back in the U.S., having spent all his foundation grant money raising the kids as a single parent. Scheduled to lecture at a college and fearful he could be charged with misuse of grant funds, James concocts an imaginary tribe, the Shelmikedmu, and fakes a 16 mm "documentary" film, casting his children as tribe members and editing in footage of a legit New Guinea tribe. Anthropologist Veronica Micelli (Jenna Elfman) contacts cable-TV producer Henry Spivey (David Ogden Stiers), forcing James to continue creating fraudulent footage as the rival Ruth Allen (Lily Tomlin) gets suspicious.

Spoilers end here.

  • The last undiscovered tribe is about to expose themselves.
  • Discover the Tribe

The film is rated PG-13 for sexual humor.

  • There's a scene where James films his and Veronica's amorous activities for use as Shelmikedmu mating ritual videos. While she is dancing, we see him slip behind a curtain to turn on the camera. Later on, we see the footage being played on a store's display TV's. Much of the footage shown is of her dancing before he turned on the hidden camera. And because of the angle of the shot, you can see that it wasn't taken by a different camera.

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President Porter: What are they called?
James Krippendorf: What are they are called? They are called...
(He fumbles through his papers and finds a drawing by Edmund of "Shelley Mickey Edmund)
James Krippendorf: They are called the "Shel...mick...edmu."


(to his teenaged daughter)
James Krippendorf: Excuse me! Who is the adult in this room?...Don't answer that!


(Edmund opens the door to find Professor Micelli and a strange man)
Veronica Micelli: Oh, Pumpkin, do you remember me from yesterday? I'm Veronica Micelli, I'm friends with your daddy, and I've brought this nice reporter to ask a few...
(Edmund slams the door in their faces)


(Professor Krippendorf, with a movie camera, walks in on Mickey and Edmund, who are shirtless and painting their bodies)
Mickey Krippendorf: Hey! The Shelmickedmu do not allow their pictures taken without the ritual body paint.
James Krippendorf: Nicely put...
Mickey Krippendorf: It is our way.


(James Krippendorf is trying to get his teenaged daughter to appear in the video shoot)
James Krippendorf: It's so nice, you know.
Shelley Krippendorf: (doing laundry) What?
James Krippendorg: The way you're always helping around the house, cleaning, cooking, doing all the things that Mom would normally do....
Shelley Krippendorf: The answer is no!
James Krippendorf: (pretending to be innocent) What?
Shelley Krippendorf: I'm not playing Boo-Boo the native girl!
James Krippendorf: It's just for one film!
Shelley Krippendorf: (walks away) You're a fraud.
James Krippendorf: I need you.
Shelley Krippendorf: (turns around, smiles) NO-WAY!
(Cut to Shelley dressed as a member of the Shelmickedmu in front of a hut)
James Krippendorf: Shelley! Catch the chicken!
Shelley Krippendorf: If it doesn't come in a bucket, I don't touch it!
James Krippendorf: Shelley, please catch the chicken! Don't break my heart, they're gonna repossess my hut if you don't catch the little sonofabitch!
Shelley Krippendorf: (catches the chicken) Now what?
James Krippendorf: Now, cook the chicken!
Shelley Krippendorf: (tosses chicken away) I just chased poultry through my backyard looking like Tammy Faye Bakker! You owe me!
James Krippendorf: Thank you, Boo-Boo.

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