This is actually one of the first comedy films I can remember seeing, my dad being a Sellars fan and having brought it home once. As a child of course I couldn't understand all the satirical elements here, but I did understand the basic set-up of having them invade the USA to get reparations and then winning the war, a premise I found amusing then at the age of 6 or 7 and that I still find very amusing.
There aren't really a lot of belly laughs in this one for me.... but nonetheless it's always watchable. Sellars is great in all 3 roles, really a bit of a case study in his technique. As the Grand Duchess Gloriana, he's the image of a strong woman. Her countrymen sometimes think she's just a fool, but she knows more than Mountjoy and Buckley in some ways. My favorite scene with her is when she's on the harpsichord and singing along. His count Rupert is a good example of the Sellars villain, in this case a very self-disciplined man who looks down on absolutely everyone else in the world. Tully Bascombe is a bit of a loser and a nerd, who everyone (again) thinks is a fool but who actually knows how to seize an opportunity when he sees it, whether it's a chance to conquer the USA or Jean Seberg. Speaking of Seberg, she is just entrancing in this film, though her character has little of substance to do.
The film was directed by Jack Arnold, more famous for his 50s monster films including "Creature from the Black Lagoon" and his later lagoon adventures with Gilligan and the Skipper. In the 60s Arnold parlayed his success with Gilligan into this film and several films with Bob Hope. This is the jewel of the bunch as far as what I've seen, probably Arnold's best film after he left Universal.
Recommended to fans of political humor and Peter Sellars.
There aren't really a lot of belly laughs in this one for me.... but nonetheless it's always watchable. Sellars is great in all 3 roles, really a bit of a case study in his technique. As the Grand Duchess Gloriana, he's the image of a strong woman. Her countrymen sometimes think she's just a fool, but she knows more than Mountjoy and Buckley in some ways. My favorite scene with her is when she's on the harpsichord and singing along. His count Rupert is a good example of the Sellars villain, in this case a very self-disciplined man who looks down on absolutely everyone else in the world. Tully Bascombe is a bit of a loser and a nerd, who everyone (again) thinks is a fool but who actually knows how to seize an opportunity when he sees it, whether it's a chance to conquer the USA or Jean Seberg. Speaking of Seberg, she is just entrancing in this film, though her character has little of substance to do.
The film was directed by Jack Arnold, more famous for his 50s monster films including "Creature from the Black Lagoon" and his later lagoon adventures with Gilligan and the Skipper. In the 60s Arnold parlayed his success with Gilligan into this film and several films with Bob Hope. This is the jewel of the bunch as far as what I've seen, probably Arnold's best film after he left Universal.
Recommended to fans of political humor and Peter Sellars.