The Mouse That Roared (1959)

This is one of the strangest movies of the 1950s--starting BEFORE the opening credits and lasting until the final seconds! Just plain weird! It seems the insignificantly small Duchey of Grand Fenwick is in crisis--the nation is nearly bankrupt and there appears to be no way out of their financial dilemma. Untimately they hit upon a plan--they will declare war against the United States and quickly surrender. Then, based on how the US treated its defeated foes after WW2, the US is sure to pour mountains of financial aid into Grand Fenwick! The first problem is they don't have an army. What they do have are some old medieval suits of armor and some bows and arrows, so with these they set off for America! What happens next, you'll just have to see to believe!

This movie is very interesting because Peter Sellars appears in the movie in many different roles (apparently the gene pool in Grand Fenwick is rather limited)--ranging from the hero of the story, Tully Bascombe to the conniving prime minister to even the queen! It reminds me very much of the Alec Guinness film KIND HEARTS AND CORONETS, in which Guinness played multiple roles.

The down side is that occasionally the plot lags and becomes a bit too silly. However, considering the risks they take and the overall weirdness and how funny the movie is in general, I think these lags can easily be over looked.

This movie had a sequel, MOUSE ON THE MOON, about the space race. I didn't particularly care for that--it was very silly but the magic just wasn't there.

Fmovies: "The Mouse that Roared" is a very funny 1959 film starring Peter Sellers in three different roles, and he's brilliant in all of them. The supporting cast includes Jean Seberg and Leo McKern. A tiny, backward duchy's sole support is wine imported to the U.S. When a copycat comes in and destroys their income, the powers that be decide to wage war on the U.S. - well, they decide to declare war on the U.S. Then they plan to surrender. After all, after the U.S. is involved in a war, don't they come in with money, food and supplies to rebuild the country they were against? In their medieval costumes, armed with bows and arrows, the country's motley group of soldiers head for the U.S. via ship. Once there, unable to find anyone to surrender to - everyone's underground because of a bomb test - and those who see them take them for outer space aliens - they take the creator of the powerful Q bomb, his daughter, and some policemen hostage. With the bomb, which looks like a football, they then control the world.

It's a great concept, with two soldiers fighting over which one is going to get the Empire State Building ("I saw it first. It's mine."), and a display for the hostages on duchy soil that includes the orchestra playing "Frankie and Johnnie." Sellers' roles are that of Gloriana XII, the reigning duchess, Baron Montjoy, the prime minister, and Tully Bascomb, the shy, unwilling army commander who falls in love with the inventor's daughter (Jean Seberg). He creates three completely different characters, all totally believable.

Jean Seberg, who came to such a tragic end, is exquisitely beautiful but possibly one of the worst actresses ever to hit the screen. It's hard to believe someone gave her Joan of Arc - she could barely get through this. I remember her being much better in "Moment to Moment" and "Airport" and of course, she had a huge hit with "Breathless." Here, up against the talents of Sellers, she's just saying words with false emotion. However, she's so beautiful, you can't take your eyes off of her, so she certainly makes a successful object of Tully's affections.

All in all, a wonderful farce with a serious undertone. Highly recommended.

Yes, the "joke" is rather a truism: declare war on the US, lose and then collect the massive foreign aid we always send... Peter Sellers has fun in his several roles, along with a cast of strong supporting actors. The standard "pretty blonde" is Jean Seberg -- who seems not to know what she's doing in this role: comedy was not the lady's strongpoint.

Yet there is something very gentle and charming that moves this film along. I suppose that little something could very well be that the "bottom line" for the tiny country was world peace... Not a bad concept.

Worth watching.

The Mouse That Roared fmovies. This is a delightful movie, my wife and I have enjoyed this one over the years. And each year it is better. The message is blunt, declare war on the U.S. and lose. However, it is the subtle background which is so good. One must just sit back and enjoy the movie and Peter Sellers. It is not often one gets to just watch a master of the arts at work. There is nothing heavy duty slapstick. Just a fun time.

Any film buff remembers Peter Sellers playing three roles in the Cold War comedy "Dr. Strangelove". Well, "The Mouse That Roared" was a sort of prequel to that.

A tiny, backwards nation on France's Mediterranean coast has no way of moving forward economically. So, the queen and prime minister (both played by Sellers) make a decision: the country will declare war on the United States, lose, and collect foreign aid. There's just one problem: when they arrive in New York, there's no one around - the threat of nuclear annihilation has driven everyone into hiding. The army decides that this calls for drastic measures - with hilarious results.

Some people might say: "If you've seen one zany comedy, you've seen 'em all." Be that as it may, you've still gotta see "TMTR". It's just so funny. And one scene that's likely to open any teenage boy's eyes is when Peter Sellers walks into Jean Seberg's room and she's...well, I won't spoil it for you, but I will assert that it seems like it would have been risqué for 1959. Classic.

In this hilarious film Peter Sellers plays three roles (one a duchess) and plays them superbly. I suppose one has to have a taste for understated British humor to fully appreciate this film, but I'm not British and I love it. If you like Peter Sellers -- or just good comedy -- please give this delightful film a try.