- Actors: Terry-Thomas, Peter Sellers, Luciana Paluzzi, Ian Bannen, Thorley Walters
- Directors: Jeffrey Dell, Roy Boulting
- Writers: Jeffrey Dell, Roy Boulting
- Producers: John Boulting
- Format: Black & White, Full Screen, PAL, Dolby, Digital Sound
- Language English
- Region: Region 2 (This DVD may not be viewable outside Europe. Read more about DVD formats.)
- Aspect Ratio: 4:3 - 1.33:1
- Number of discs: 1
- Classification: U
- Studio: Momentum
- DVD Release Date: 8 July 2002
- Run Time: 88 minutes
- Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
- ASIN: B000067NQU
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 79,714 in Film & TV (See Top 100 in Film & TV)
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Reviews
Amazon.co.uk Review
A perennial afternoon telly treat, Carlton-Browne of the F.O. is a little less tart and smart in its assault on British diplomacy than the earlier John and Roy Boulting satires. The much-loved Terry Thomas, is the idiot son of a great ambassador, given a sinecure in the Foreign Office that becomes a hot seat when crises rock the almost-forgotten former colony of Gaillardia. Clod-hopping "dance troupes" of every world power dig for cobalt, a line of partition is painted across the entire island, and the young King (Ian Bannen) is undermined by his wicked uncle (John le Mesurier) and unscrupulous Prime Minister Amphibulos (Peter Sellers).
There's a touch of Royal romance as the King gets together with a rival princess (the winning Luciana Paoluzzi), but it's mostly mild laughs at the expense of British ineptitude, with Thorley Walters as the dim army officer who sends his men to put down a rebellion with orders that lead them to turn in a circle and capture his own command post, Miles Malleson as the gouty consul who should have come home in 1916, and a snarling Raymond Huntley as the minister appalled that the new monarch of a British ally was a member of the Labour Party at Oxford.
The film finds Sellers' non-specific foreign accent unusually upstaged, with Terry Thomas walking off with most of the comedy scenes, blithely inspecting a line of shabby crack troops who keep passing out at his feet. It fumbles a bit with obvious targets, especially in comparison with similar films like Passport to Pimlico and The Mouse That Roared, but you can't argue with a cast like this. Down in the ranks are: John Van Eyssen, Irene Handl, Nicholas Parsons, Kenneth Griffith, Sam Kydd and Kynaston Reeves.
On the DVD: Carlton-Browne of the F.O. comes to disc in fullscreen, with a decent-ish quality print. The film is also available as part of the four-disc Peter Sellers Collection.--Kim Newman
Special Features
4:3 Full Frame
DVD 5
English
Region 2
Dolby Digital 2.0 English
Dolby Digital 2.0
DVD 5
English
Region 2
Dolby Digital 2.0 English
Dolby Digital 2.0
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Super Sunday Afternoon Film!,
By
This review is from: Carlton-Browne of the F.O. [DVD] [1959] (DVD)
I really like all of the films that Terry - Thomas made and Carlton-Browne Of The F.O is one of the best.So sit back and relax - transport yourself back in time and enjoy a classic!
5.0 out of 5 stars
Good fun,
By
This review is from: Carlton-Browne of the F.O. [DVD] [1959] (DVD)
A very typical "tongue-in-cheek" look at British bureaucracy and how amazingly accurate, too! Terry-Thomas plays the inept diplomat, accustomed to doing what most diplomats do (allegedly): nothing! Responsible for an almost forgotten colony, which nobody has had an interest in for years, he is suddenly called to action, when foreign powers take an interest in the country for its valuable mineral deposits.The story is a complete farce from the outset, with very typical British humour adding to the lunacy. Excellent viewing, with plenty of chuckles. The print is of good quality, as is the sound. No extras, but who cares? Good value!
2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Uneven but often hilarious.,
By John Austin "austinjr@bigpond.net.au" (Kangaroo Ground, Australia) - See all my reviews (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER) (TOP 1000 REVIEWER) (VINE VOICE) (REAL NAME)
This review is from: Carlton-Browne of the F.O. [DVD] [1959] (DVD)
Peter Sellers is just one member of a large ensemble of British comic talent assembled by the Boulting Brothers for this uneven but often hilarious 1959 satire on Britain's fading colonialism and the incompetence of its Foreign Office.
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