Plot: What’s it about?
The nation of Grand Fenwick is one of the smallest countries in the world, but it has some of the biggest worries. The tiny nation faces certain financial doom, one so extreme, Grand Fenwick might have to go bankrupt. Of course, the Duchess of Grand Fenwick (Peter Sellers) has no intentions of letting her people go through such a traumatic chain of events, so she begins to formulate a plan. So with the help of Prime Minister Mountjoy (also Peter Sellers), she concocts a scheme that will save Grand Fenwick. The two surmise that whenever the United States defeats another nation in battle, the Americans send over vast amounts of aid and supplies, which is just what Grand Fenwick needs. As such, Grand Fenwick will declare war on the United States, send over a small, overmatched platoon, surrender at once, then sit back and collect the post-war aid that will keep them afloat. So invasion leader Tully Bascombe (once again Peter Sellers) is sent over with a few men, armed with wooden crossbows, but they find the streets abandon, as a nuclear drill is being conducted. Bascombe stumbles upon a scientist and his assistant (Jean Seberg), as well as the world’s most powerful weapon. When Bascombe seizes the weapon and the scientist, Grand Fenwick finds it in an unexpected situation. The plan was to lose, but what will Grand Fenwick do if it happens to win?
This is a wonderful movie, one that hasn’t lost an ounce of its charm over the years and is sure to delight audiences. The Mouse That Roared has a flawless blend of slapstick and subtle, intellectual humor, so that the laughs are frequent and deep, but there is also a bit of social commentary tossed in there. But have no worries, as this might be about politics, but the messages are subtle and mesh with the humor at all times. The premise is a grand one, as Grand Fenwick plans to declare war on the United States, lose the conflict, and collect the post-war aid, but as usual, things don’t go as planned. I love the storyline of The Mouse That Roared, as it unfolds at a brisk pace and is loaded with hilarious moments. Yes, there is a definitive absurd edge to this material, but come on, it is a comedic picture, after all. And the writing is quite good, thanks to the excellent source novel from Leonard Wibberley. But you have to give some credit to Peter Sellers, who handles not one, not two, but three roles in The Mouse That Roared. We all know Sellers can excel when given multiple roles, so this proves to be no exception. I am quite pleased to have this movie on DVD, but I do wish Columbia could have done more with this release. But the movie is good enough to overlook the lack of extras, so The Mouse That Roared is recommended.
A lot of actors have tackled multiple roles in movies, with mixed results, though some can always seem to turn the trick. One of, if not the best at handling more than one role had to be Peter Sellers. He did so on more than one occasion and in each picture, his roles proved to be the highlight of the production. In the case of The Mouse That Roared, Sellers is handed three roles and very different ones at that, but he manages to give each a unique presence and persona, which is no simple task, to be sure. As we all know, Sellers could pull immense humor from any character, so imagine how much he extracts from a trio of unusual, off kilter characters like the ones he plays in The Mouse That Roared. He is great in all three, but his best moments come as Tully Bascombe, the inept invasion force leader. In this role, he is able to have a more likable persona, which Sellers is able to sell to no end. Other films with Sellers include Dr. Strangelove, The Prisoner of Zenda, The Pink Panther, Two Way Stretch, and Being There. The cast also includes Jean Seberg (Breathless, Paint Your Wagon), Timothy Bateson (The Italian Job, The Unstoppable Man), and Jacques Cey (The Whole Truth, Night Train to Paris).
Video: How does it look?
The Mouse That Roared is presented in 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen. This treatment is a tad rough at times, but this movie was made in 1959, so we can overlook some of the inherent print flaws and such. The print is cleaner than I expected, with light grain and minimal defects, but the image is on the soft side throughout. Those flaws never detract much from the visuals, which come across in more than solid fashion. The colors look a shade faded at times, but usually look natural and never suffer from errors. I found black levels to be consistent, but time has softened them somewhat in some scenes. Even with some age related flaws, this movie looks more than solid here and fans should be pleased.
Audio: How does it sound?
A basic, but solid enough mono option is found here, which manages to avoid most of the age related errors I had expected. I heard little hiss, distortion, or other hiccups, aside from minor instances, but given the age of the material, some flaws have to be expected, I think. The music, sound effects, and dialogue all sound clean and easy to understand all times, so the bases are more than covered here. This disc also includes subtitles in English and French, just in case you might need those at some point.
Supplements: What are the extras?
This disc includes the film’s theatrical trailer.
