Search - Carlton-Browne of the F.O. on DVD

Content Advisory: Suitable for Children Movie Release: 1959 Format: DVD - Black and White,Enhanced Wide Screen Letterbox for 16x9 TV - Closed Captioned Audio Tracks: English SwapaDVD Credits: 1 Number of Discs: 1 Run Time: 1 hrs 30 mins Studio: Anchor Bay Members Wishing: 2 Genres: Comedy, Farce, Absurd Comedy, Political Satire

This is an uneven though occasionally hilarious comedy about a remote British colony and diplomatic blunders. Terry-Thomas as a British diplomat and Peter Sellers as a nasty, vile Prime Minister on the island, tend to overshadow the roles they are playing. Carlton-Browne (Terry-Thomas) is sent to the remote island of Gaillardia to prevent any other powers from tapping into its potentially rich mineral deposits. The fact that the Brits have ignored Gaillardia for the last fifty years or that Carlton-Browne is a walking disaster does not stop the Foreign Office. Circumstances quickly spin out of control as the island colony heads toward revolution with a new, young king (Ian Bannen) on the throne. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide

Terry-Thomas - Cadogen de Vere Carlton-Browne
Peter Sellers - The Prime Minister
Luciana Paluzzi - Princess Ilyena
Thorley Walters - Colonel Bellingham
Ian Bannen - Young King

Roy Boulting and Jeffrey Dell's 1958 film Carlton-Browne of the F.O. (released in the U.S. as Man in a Cocked Hat) was a fine showcase for Peter Sellers' chameleon-like persona (or was it a non-persona, as he always insisted?). He portrays the wily prime minister of a tiny former British colony that suddenly finds itself in the sights of both Great Britain and the Eastern bloc. Sellers doesn't appear until well over 20 minutes into the movie, by which time the comedic level has been built up very high by the movie's actual star, Terry-Thomas, who plays the title-role ("F.O.," incidentally, means Foreign Office) -- Sellers' arrival in the plot and onscreen simply pushes it over the top. This film, like most of the others in Anchor Bay's Peter Sellers Collection, dates from the period before Sellers was given the chance to carry entire movies on his own, when he was in the awkward position of being both a star and a specialty act. The movie looks great, and considering that it was seldom on any lists of British pictures that were in high demand (as it isn't so much a Sellers vehicle as a Terry-Thomas vehicle), one can't complain about having it here. The Boulting brothers' usual sharp-edged humor is present, and it's unlikely that anyone in either America or England has seen the movie looking or sounding this good since 1958. The 1.66:1 aspect ratio (with 16 x 9 enhancement) frames the action perfectly, focusing the viewer on the elegant camera movements that carry this farce gracefully across the screen. The 22 chapters are more than adequate for this plot and the 90-minute running time, and are easily accessed in an easy-to-use menu that opens automatically on start-up. There is no trailer or other special features, simply a repeat of the same Sellers bio that appears on other discs in this package. Carlton-Browne of the F.O. is only available as part of the slipcased complete set, as opposed to the others in the box, which are available separately. ~ Bruce Eder, All Movie Guide