Rent The Mouse That Roared (1959)

3.5 of 5 from 78 ratings
1h 20min
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Synopsis:
In this classic satire, the Duchess (Peter Sellers) and the Prime Minister (Peter Sellers) of the tiny Duchy of Grand Fenwick have come up with a brilliant plan to keep their country from going broke - make war on the United States, lose, then collect lots of American post-war aid. Their only mistake is not telling their invasion force leader (Sellers again, in chain mail!) that he's supposed to lose. Sellers lands in New York City during an air raid drill and finds the streets empty. He then proceeds to capture a brilliant scientist (David Kossoff), his assistant (Jean Seberg) and his awesome new weapon. The U.S.
is forced to surrender! Grand Fenwick then forms the League of Little Nations which presents the big nations with its terms - Peace Forever.
Actors:
, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , Richard Gatehouse,
Directors:
Producers:
Walter Shenson
Writers:
Roger MacDougall, Stanley Mann
Studio:
Columbia Tristar
Genres:
Classics, Comedy
Collections:
People of the Pictures, Remembering Bernard Cribbins, The Instant Expert's Guide, The Instant Expert's Guide to Stanley Kubrick, Top 10 Films By Year, Top 10 Films of 1959
BBFC:
Release Date:
05/08/2002
Run Time:
80 minutes
Languages:
English Dolby Digital 1.0 Mono, French Dolby Digital 1.0 Mono, German Dolby Digital 1.0 Mono, Italian Dolby Digital 1.0 Mono, Spanish Dolby Digital 1.0 Mono
Subtitles:
Arabic, Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hebrew, Hungarian, Italian, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Spanish, Swedish, Turkish
DVD Regions:
Region 2
Formats:
Pal
Aspect Ratio:
Widescreen 1.85:1
Colour:
Colour
Bonus:
  • Theatrical Trailer

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Reviews (2) of The Mouse That Roared

Funny but dated Cold War satire - The Mouse That Roared review by PV

Spoiler Alert
14/08/2015

This is a very dated and silly satire, based on a post war novel. However, it is a neat conceit, however absurd, and the plot (which seems to get thinner as the film progresses to a rizla thickness) allows for some wonderful hammy acting from always-watchable Peter Sellers.

The multi-character playing is not up there with Alec Guinness standards (in Kind Hearts and Coronets). But really, Peter Sellers in an average and dated movie is 10 times more watchable than most actors in most movies!

It's a short film and funny - if one allows oneself to enter the absurd world of the story.

It's also a period piece and now looks quaint - people rehearsing going to shelters in preparation for a nuclear war etc. The post-war jokes are there - about how the USA showers the losing side in wars with cash (i.e. Germany and Japan) whereas the victors have to be poor and pay for themselves (the UK didn't pay its final payment to the US for money we borrowed to save the world until 2006. Yep, 2006!)

Oddly, it brought to mind 28 Days Later when the Fenwick 'army' land in New York to find it deserted. That movie beats this on the special effects but not the humour!

0 out of 1 members found this review helpful.

Satirical Absurdity. - The Mouse That Roared review by Steve

Spoiler Alert
05/08/2023

Eccentric British comedy which channels the kind of absurd humour typical of The Goons and Monty Python. The impoverished Duchy of Grand Fenwick invades the United States, intending to immediately surrender and apply for war aid. But their troops, armed with bows and arrows, blunder into winning the battle by capturing an atom bomb.

Peter Sellers plays multiple members of the court, including the Grand Duchess, performed in the manner of Margaret Rutherford. He dominates the film and the rest of the cast play straight to his suppressed craziness. Jean Seberg contributes some elfin love interest. David Kossoff is effective as the nuclear scientist, like a daft Albert Einstein.

There is a little satire built around such dunderheads having control of the means of global destruction. And maybe there's a hint that Fenwick is Britain in its diminished status after the recent Suez crisis. But mostly this is just cartoonish high jinks full of extraordinary plot complications which are often inspired.

But is it funny? Well of course that depends, but those who enjoy the classic surreal British humour will laugh at this. Or Irish, as the writer of the source novel (Leonard Wibberley) was from Dublin. It has lost most of its topicality, but the clever script and Sellers' multifaceted comic talent keeps the comedy fresh.

0 out of 0 members found this review helpful.

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