Written and directed by Roy Boulting and Jeffrey Dell, Great Britain has had an international agreement for the last 50 years with a small pacific island. It has been ignored until the death of their king brings it to the attention of the Foreign Office in Whitehall. They decide to send Cadogan de Vere Carlton-Browne to re-establish friendly relations. Starring: Terry-Thomas, Peter Sellers, Luciana Paluzzi, Ian Bannen, Thorley Walters, Raymond Huntley, Miles Malleson and John Le Mesurier.
As you’d expect for a film that’s a satire of that posh old boys’ school of British politics, it’s a complete farce. There’s an abundance of ineptitude, privilege and lack of any connection with everyday people. It’s a little slow to get going but unsurprisingly improves once Peter Sellers appears on screen. His character feels like a cousin to the classic cockney gangster with constant dodgy dealings, which he terrifically brings to life. That’s something that’s fairly consistent throughout Carlton-Browne of the F.O. when it’s without the comedy stylings of Sellers, it’s weaker.
The story definitely has its quintessential physical comedy moments and over the top tone, but there are also long stretches in-between where your attention may begin to wander. Their blunders are more interesting than the actual political game that they’re playing. So, the longer it spends on the latter, the more it loses your attention. However, that’s not to say the writing isn’t still an absolutely solid satire of the state of British politics of the era. Boulting and Dell do a wonderful job of capturing how they repeatedly fall foul at the behest of their belief that they’re forever the smartest people in the room, and underestimating everyone else’s intelligence.
Terry-Thomas isn’t the most captivating of characters at first as the titular Carlton-Browne, but it is enjoyable to watch his character develop and have his elitist, privileged bubble slightly burst, even if it does remain fairly intact. Ian Bannen however is quite charming as the Young King Loris, his involvement in the power and mind games, is undoubtedly the most interesting. John Le Mesurier is reliably a great addition, and it’s overall a really solid ensemble.
Carlton-Browne of the F.O. is a blend of classic farce with political satire, and while it doesn’t knock it out of the park, it is an enjoyable, easy watch. It can tend to draw itself out too much, and the comedy wains in parts but coming in at under ninety-minutes, it’s not a huge issue. There’s a great ensemble, the satire is well done, the restoration work is strong. It’s a nice reminder of how nonsensical and expensive it is for the UK, or other countries, to get themselves unnecessarily involved where they do not belong, trying to steal resources that are not theirs to take.
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