★ 7 / 10
Peter Sellars plays just about everyone in this
CinemaSerf
Peter Sellars plays just about everyone in this light-hearted comedy about a tiny European Grand Duchy that comes up with a cunning plan to address it's…
Peter Sellars plays just about everyone in this light-hearted comedy about a tiny European Grand Duchy that comes up with a cunning plan to address it's shocking balance of trade problems. It decides to invade the United States! Armed with little more than halbards, helmets and lances, they sail into New work harbour and take the place unopposed. What's going on? They fully expected to be arrested so that would allow Prime Minister "Rupert of Mountjoy" (Sellars) to present the case of his Sovereign "Gloriana" (Sellars) to stop a Californian vineyard from flooding the market with their own cheap plonk version of the only product "Grand Fenwick" has to offer the world - wine! Well, as it happens they arrive just as the local citizenry are taking part in a mandatory nuclear drill and so the place is deserted. The plucky "Tully" (yep you've guessed) alights on a plan to capitalise on their advantage by kidnapping the acclaimed scientist "Kokintz" (David Kossoff) who is developing his mighty "Q-bomb" and getting back home. Once there, the little country finds itself the centre of global attention the likes of which has never been seen; everyone is terrified of this ticking contraption and "Tully" is entirely besotted with the professor's disgruntled daughter "Helen" (Jean Seberg). Two solutions seem equally possible - either "Grand Fenwick" is going to be the wealthiest country in the world - or, well, there just won't be a world! Sellars does well here but it's Kossoff who generates the best laughs as the eccentric boffin and Austin Willis also delivers quite entertainingly, if briefly, as the entirely befuddled US Defense Secretary. It's not exactly laugh out loud, but it's sheer preposterousness takes quite an enjoyable ping at the whole principle of weapons of mass destruction, of the big guy stepping on the little one and is quite good fun.
Read full review
★ 7 / 10
A tiny Duchy decides to wage war on the United States , lose and accept a generous aid
ma-cortes
Peter Sellers show with his particular talent playing three different and funny roles. Fun film with amusing screenplay by Roger MacDougall & Stanley Mann…
Peter Sellers show with his particular talent playing three different and funny roles. Fun film with amusing screenplay by Roger MacDougall & Stanley Mann , from the novel by Leonard Wibberley , being well directed by Jack Arnold . The Hilarious Story of How the Duchy of Grand Fenwick , a tiny European nation devises a foolproof method of filling its depleted treasury as declaring war on the U.S. and winning , but collects reparations from generous Americans . An impoverished backward nation declares a war on the United States of America, hoping to lose, but things don't go according to plan . They send an invasion army to New York commanded by Tully Bascombe (Peter Sellers commander of their medieval force) which arrives during a nuclear drill that has abandoned the streets . In the megalopolis they discover a scientist , Professor Alfred Kokintz (David Kossoff), with a special ultimate weapon that can destroy the Earth and they capture him along with his daughter (Jean Seberg). This is a funny and entertaining comedy with Peter Sellers as a real showman playing various characters . As Sellers acting as the scheming Prime Minister of Grand Fenwick, as the scheming Grand Duchess and as Tully Bascombe, commander of their medieval army . Sellers made this film in part as a means of emulating his intimate actor , Alec Guinness, by playing multiple roles in ¨Kind Hearts and Coronets¨ . Picture is a vehicle Peter Sellers , he's an authentic comic and real farceur . It's a pretty amusing farce with the master comic Sellers who displays efficiently his abilities. If you like Sellers's crazy interpretation ,you will most definitely enjoy this one . Colorful cinematography by John Wilcox , filmed in studios and on location as Marseilles and New York harbor sequences were filmed in Southampton, UK , the presence of the Queen Elizabeth ocean liner there was a lucky coincidence. The New York invasion sequence was filmed in Manhattan on a Sunday morning, accounting for the city's empty streets and good sets by production designer Geoffrey Drake . Atmospheric musical score by by Edwin Astley , among the musical quotations used in the film were excerpts from Felix Mendelssohn's "Hebrides Overture", "Rule Britannia", "A Life on the Ocean Waves", "Frankie and Johnnie", and a number of American marches . It is followed by a sequel ¨The mouse on the moon¨. This well-edited motion picture is compellingly directed by Jack Arnold in his best foray into the comedy genre. He reigns supreme as one of the greatest filmmakers of 50s science , achieving an important cult popularity with classics as "The Creature from the Black Lagoon," and its follow-up titled "Revenge of the Creature" that was a nice sequel . "Tarantula" was likewise a lot of amusement and of course "The Incredible Shrinking Man" attained his greatest enduring cult popularity , it's a thought-provoking and impressive classic that's lost none of its power throughout the years . Arnold's final two genre entries were the interesting "Monster on the Campus" and the outlandish "The Space Children¨ . In addition to his film work, Arnold also directed episodes of such TV shows .
Read full review
★ 7 / 10
Sweet, good natured political satire, with a farcical tone.
runamokprods
Sort of "Dr. Strangelove" without the deep, dark edge. Peter Sellers, brilliant as always - plays three roles (including a Duchess) as the smallest country in…
Sort of "Dr. Strangelove" without the deep, dark edge.
Peter Sellers, brilliant as always - plays three roles (including a Duchess) as the smallest country in the world decides to declare war on the US, because a California company is imitating the prize wine of Grand Fenwick. Their express intent of losing the war instantly, and then get rebuilding funds from the US, as the Germans and Japanese did after WWII. But through a series of slightly creaky co-incidences, the Duchy of Grand Fenwick ends up winning, not losing.
A genial and funny film, with some witty things to say about global politics, but also just a touch dopey at times.
Read full review
90%
TOMATOMETER
· 21 reviews
73%
AUDIENCE
· 2.5K ratings
6.9/10
10.3K
•••
Ohh una de las mejores pelicuas de Arnold.