Review of Carlton Browne Of The F.O.

Introduction

It`s time for another classic British comedy, namely Disc 2 of the Peter Sellers Collection, Carlton Browne of the F.O, a cutting satire of the results of colonialism and superpower interests in third world countries. Carlton Browne is perhaps more relevant today than it was when it was made.

A former British colony, Gaillardia is a small rustic tropical island, divided in half between the King and the Grand Duke. Through typical bureaucracy, the British representative was never recalled, and when a letter comes in after several decades, the Foreign Office is hard pressed to even recall where the island is. Concern grows, however when the letter reveals that suspected Soviet agents are prospecting in the islands interior. When the British send some people to counter the Communists, they are unfortunately embroiled in the assassination of the old king. To smooth over the diplomatic incident, the Foreign Secretary reluctantly sends the civil servant responsible Gaillardia, the unlikely Carlton Browne to be the man on the scene. He must meet with the new king and assure him of the support of Her Majesty`s Government and keep the island stable. Accompanying him, as an advisor is Colonel Bellingham and the unscrupulous Prime Minister Amphibulos, meets them. The situation is rapidly deteriorating though, as Amphibulos is playing both sides against the middle, and the rest of the superpowers, intrigued by the one-upmanship occurring between the UK and the USSR send their own covert and overt representatives to discover what is going on. Soon the humble island of Gaillardia is prominent on the world stage as the United Nations debates its future.

Video

In terms of quality, this disc is a lot like Two Way Stretch. I might as well just cut and paste my comments from the other review. Again, while the transfer is competently done, the source material leaves a lot to be desired. The picture requires restoration, being quite dirty and scratched in places. The image is a little soft, and the contrast levels seem a little subdued. Of course this is a monochrome 4:3 transfer.

Audio

A 2.0 mono soundtrack is provided with Carlton Browne. The dialogue is clear fortunately, but there is a constant hiss, and the higher frequency sounds are often distorted. The music is suitable to the feature and is quite funny. I especially liked the Gaillardia philharmonic orchestra whose rendition of the Gaillardian national anthem is hilarious.

Features

Nothing. No trailer, no subtitles. I`ve already ranted about the lack of extras on a flagship title like the Peter Sellers Collection on the Two Way Stretch review. Consider it repeated.

Conclusion

Made in 1958, this remains a relevant and biting satire 40 years on. I remain confused as to why this is in the Peter Sellers Collection when Terry-Thomas is billed as the star. He plays a rather out of his depth civil servant who gets designated ambassador to Gaillardia, simply because of his position, one he received because of nepotism. He is a rather lackadaisical character who is more concerned with his social position rather than the responsibilities of his office and consequently finds himself overwhelmed by the mess he inadvertently creates. Peter Sellers is the corrupt and opportunistic Prime Minister Amphibulos who is more intent on lining his own pockets than in the welfare of his people. Sellers creates more of a caricature than a character, but in the context of the ridiculous story it is ideal. Thorley Walters is the bellicose Colonel Bellingham who assists Carlton Browne in his assignment. A young Ian Bannen plays the idealistic king of Gaillardia with some style and John Le Mesurier plays against type as the militaristic and bombastic Grand Duke Alexis whose designs on the throne rend the small island.

This intelligent film is a great example of the mess that superpowers make when they dictate policy to smaller developing nations. The arbitrary partition of Gaillardia by the UN is particularly poignant when I consider the history of India and Pakistan and the resultant strife since the partition of those nations in 1947. The larger nations are shown as greedy and opportunistic as they make decisions simply for their own gain over nations, which would be otherwise irrelevant. Carlton Browne here is more of an observer than a participant and it`s through his eyes that we see the ridiculous lengths to which nations will go to promote their own agendas. The bumbling militaristic intervention foretells the messes that certain nations got into in the sixties during the cold war. The only difference here is the happy ending. Because the island is completely fictional and the characters and situations are ridiculous, the film can be seen as a gentle comedy with little political ramification (despite the labelling of a Labour Party member as a communist) but you don`t have to scratch deeply to see the satire. Unfortunately, some of the society machinations and the obvious class distinctions have dated the film somewhat. One of the conversations between Carlton Browne and Bellingham had me completely flummoxed. Nevertheless, this film should be made compulsory viewing to all Foreign Secretaries, and should be played on a constant loop at the UN. An excellent film, let down by the DVD.