Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #31072 in DVD
• Released on: 2000-12-19
• Rating: Parental Guidance
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Formats: PAL, Colour, DVD-Video, Widescreen, Subtitled
• Original language: English, French
• Subtitled in: Spanish, French
• Dubbed in: Spanish
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .25 pounds
• Running time: 85 minutes

Customer Reviews

Classic!
A classic of British comedy, full to the brim with those great character actors who seem to be in every film of that era in one role or another.
As well as the excellent main roles, look out for the late Ed Bishop as a US astronaut (a sign of things to come!), Peter Sallis as the
Soviet ambassador, and even an uncredited walk-on by Frankie Howerd.

For some reason, this film hasn't surfaced on TV for a couple of decades, and that's a crime. It's easily as inventive and funny as the acknowledged classics of the period which are repeated incessantly. Some of the political jokes are uncannily like those in "Yes Minister", some 20 years later.
This double-sided DVD has both wide-screen and normal versions. There's no apparent restoration, but once you're past the title sequence, the images are crisp and clear, although the sound quality is a bit woolly.
Well worth tracking down.

Priceless gem
The Duchy of Grand Fenwick is a small European state with all the qualities of the most innocent, quaint and eccentric image of Britain as portrayed in many Ealing comedies. A small caricatured piece of Britishness if ever there was one.

Set in the space race/cold war era of the 60's, Ron Moody plays the scheming Prime Minister Mountjoy who wants hot water plumbed into his castle. With the country's wine exports faltering, as bottles explode in restaurants around the world, Mountjoy hatches a plan to get the money for his plumbing.

The Americans have been denying they are in a race to the moon against the Russians, so Mountjoy asks the US for $1million for a space mission. As Mountjoy predicted, the Americans gladly hand over the money in what they see as a PR coup of international co-operation without any danger of competition from the tiny state.

The Russians, not to be out done, donate an old rocket. This together with a brilliant scientist, kidnapped from the USA (don't ask) in the almost as good prequel (Mouse That Roared) and Mountjoy's soppy son (Bernard Cribbins) who wants to be an astronaut and not forgetting the explosive wine ...... well you can guess what happens ..... a tortoise and hare style race to the moon.

Satirical in its time, this is an immensely enjoyable and funny film and is my personal all time favorite comedy. Only on Region 1, it is well worth buying a multi-region player just to see this film.

Classic comedy from Margaret Rutherford as the dotty old Duchess figurehead and Terry-Thomas as the British spy dispatched by John Le Mesurier to find out exactly what these little people are up to.

This is the best film of its genre, if you like gentle British comedy, you will love this film. Definitely one to watch over and over.

This film stands on its own. No need to have seen the Mouse that Roared where Peter Sellers plays all the leading parts in another ruse to get money from the Americans. The Peter Sellers film is very good, but this one is better!

Outstanding British Comedy..............................................
At last this gem is on DVD.
The Duchy of Grand Fenwick is a miniscule, and out of date country in the midst of Europe. In order to instal indoor plumbing at the castle, Prime Minister, Ron Moody, obtains a gift of £1,000,000 from the Americans telling them that he needs the money for rocket research. His son, played by Bernard Cribbins and David Kossof, an aged scientist, however have other ideas when the Russians, not to be beaten by the Americans, send Grand Fenwick a rocket.
And so the story unfolds.........
There is an all star cast and a naivity about the entire story that keeps it going. Terry-Thomas is excellent as the British Agent, and Margaret Rutherford is superb as the Dotty Duchess.
This one is a firm favourite of mine and is likely to remain so.
Easily the best of the series.
Don't miss it.