Frau Farbissina

Frau Farbissina
Austin Powers character

Mindy Sterling as Frau Farbissina
First appearance International Man of Mystery
Last appearance Austin Powers in Goldmember
Created by Mike Myers
Portrayed by Mindy Sterling
Information
Gender Female
Occupation Attack and defense specialist,
Founder of the militant wing of the Salvation Army,
Henchwoman
Significant other(s) Dr. Evil
Una Brau
Children Scott Evil
Nationality German

Frau Farbissina, (Frau Kaput in Spain), is a fictional character played by Mindy Sterling in the Austin Powers film series.[1][2] Farbissina is an attack and defence specialist and the founder of "the militant wing of the Salvation Army", she is also Dr. Evil's Henchwoman and tries to help in his schemes to terrorize and take over the world. She has a heavy German accent, and has several catchphrases that are always shouted by her, and emphasis is often put on the last syllable. For her performances Mindy Sterling was nominated for Favorite Supporting Actress in a Comedy at the BMI Film & TV Awards.[3]

Biography

Characterization

Frau's look and demeanour are Parodies of several female villains from early James Bond films, namely From Russia with Love's Rosa Klebb, On Her Majesty's Secret Service's Irma Bunt, and particularly the character of Frau Hoffner (played by Anna Quayle) in the 1967 Bond spoof Casino Royale.[4] Farbissina asserts that she would eventually like to get out of the criminal mastermind business and open a boarding school for girls. This is another reference to Anna Quayle's "Frau Hoffner" role in the 1967 film Casino Royale, in which Hoffner heads an international spy school in East Berlin known as the "Mata Hari School of Dancing", where she boards and trains young women to be agents for both sides of the Cold War. Her surname is a pun on the Yiddish word פאַרביסן "farbissen" ("verbissen" in German), or "embittered"; a "farbissiner" is an angry, bitter, vocal person. "Frau", German for "Mrs." or "woman", is apparently her given name.

Background

She has a heavy German accent; in the German dubbed versions of the films, she speaks with an Upper Saxon dialect, suggesting coming from East Germany. In Comedy Central's Canned Ham: The Doctor Evil Story, a half-hour-long preview special of The Spy Who Shagged Me, Dr. Evil states that he met Farbissina "at gymnasia in Baden-Baden at a street corner next to the McDonald's."[5]

Out of all his henchmen and assistants Farbissina is perhaps closest to Dr. Evil. In praising Dr. Evil, Farbissina commented, "Dr. Evil is a man of great intelligence - able to step on a bug and say 'too bad![6]

International Man of Mystery

Frau participates in helping Dr. Evil hijack a nuclear warhead and hold the world hostage. It is revealed Frau used a sample of Evil's semen just a couple of years after Dr. Evil's cryostasis to artificially create his son, Scott Evil, now a Generation X young adult. Scott is resentful of his father, but close with Frau, the only one who cares about his well being. In the first film, Dr. Evil is about to press a button that would kill Scott for his insolence by burning him alive, but Frau swats his hand away, then winks at Scott.[7]

Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me

The second film jumps from the 1990s to the 1960s due to time travel. Frau Farbissina looks the same in the 1960s as she did in the 1990s, which was used for comedic effect in the film. In the present she states that she is homosexual, and is in a relationship with Una Brau, a female she met on a LPGA tour. However, when Dr. Evil goes back in time and imbibing some of Austin Powers' mojo he has sex with Frau. This leads to an uncomfortable morning-after encounter and Farbissina swearing she will never love another man. In the closing credits, Farbissina and Scott Evil go on The Jerry Springer Show, in which she reveals herself to be Scott's mother. She also reveals she never told him because she didn't want him to be hurt, he forgives her and they embrace.[8]

Austin Powers in Goldmember

Frau is still helping Dr. Evil in his evil schemes. Frau and Dr. Evil also kiss while he is in prison; although the two enjoy it (despite having been established as a lesbian in the previous movie), the purpose was to transfer a key to Evil so that he could escape. Once her son Scott begins to become evil she shows that she is very proud.

References

External links

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