The Mouse That Roared (1959)

An impoverished backward nation declares a war on the United States of America, hoping to lose, but things don't go according to plan.

Director:

Jack Arnold

Writers:

Roger MacDougall (screenplay) (as Roger Macdougall), Stanley Mann (screenplay)

Stars:

Peter Sellers, Jean Seberg, William Hartnell

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Peter Sellers	...	Grand Duchess Gloriana XII / Prime Minister Count Rupert of Mountjoy / Tully Bascombe
Jean Seberg	...	Helen Kokintz
William Hartnell	...	Will Buckley
David Kossoff	...	Doctor Alfred Kokintz
Leo McKern	...	Benter
MacDonald Parke	...	General Snippet (as Macdonald Parke)
Austin Willis	...	United States Secretary of Defense
Timothy Bateson	...	Roger
Monte Landis	...	Cobbley (as Monty Landis)
Alan Gifford	...	Air Raid Warden
Colin Gordon	...	BBC Announcer
Harold Kasket	...	Pedro

Storyline

The Duchy of Grand Fenwick, the smallest country in the world, is nestled in the French Alps. Being as isolated as it is, its life is a throwback to olden days. It is a happy, peace-loving country. Its economy solely rests on export of its only wine, Pinot Grand Fenwick, to the US. When a California vintner starts producing and selling a knock-off of the Pinot Grand Fenwick at a lower price, the Grand Fenwick economy goes into a crisis situation, the country on the brink of bankruptcy. Three protests to the US go largely unanswered. Grand Fenwick's Prime Minister, Rupert of Mountjoy, believes the solution is to declare war on the US, and promptly lose the war in less than a day with no casualties on either side, after which the US, which it has historically done, will provide vast financial aide to rebuild the country. Grand Fenwick's monarch, the Grand Duchess Gloriana XII, ultimately supports this concept. The plan is to send an official declaration of war to the US, have a small ...

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Plot Keywords:

duchy of grand fenwick | bomb | satire | radio broadcast | actor playing multiple roles | 

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Taglines:

The New Screen Scream!

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Genres:

Comedy

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English French

Release Date:

November 1959 (USA)

Also Known As:

La souris qui rugissait

Filming Locations:

Southampton, Hampshire, England, UK

Box Office

Budget:

$450,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures Corporation,Highroad Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

83 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Color (Eastman Color)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The palace band includes a double flageolet, a 19th century wind instrument.

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Goofs

The scene when Tully and his men return to Grand Fenwick was obviously shot in segments and pieced together. In the shots of Count Mountjoy and Bentner, one can clearly see their breath (condensation) as they are speaking, but not in the shots focusing on Tully or the Duchess, indicating that those scenes were shot at a time when the weather was colder.

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Quotes

General Snippet: Remember, men, no matter what they do, don't talk.
U.S. Policeman: What if they torture us?
General Snippet: Just don't talk!
U.S. Policeman: Can we scream a little?

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Crazy Credits

An animated mouse roars like a lion as the title appears onscreen.

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Connections

Spoofs The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957)

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Soundtracks

Romeo and Juliet Love Theme
(1868) (uncredited)
Written by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Played often in the score

User Reviews

I guess that the threat of nuclear annihilation always made for some great comedy with Peter Sellers in multiple roles!

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.