Customer Reviews

The Mouse on the Moon [VHS]

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

In 1959, a hilarious Cold War-inspired film entitled "The Mouse that Roared" was produced about a fictional tiny country named "The Duchy of Grand Fenwick", which is no ordinary country. First, it's the smallest country in the world (about 15 square miles). Second, it's the only English-speaking country in continental Europe (located in the French Alps). Third, its primary source of revenue is its wine. When a California winery made a cheap knock-off of Grand Fenwick's wine and reduced the nation's only source of revenue, Grand Fenwick declared war on the U.S. and won! The result: the California winery stopped producing the cheap knock-off and Grand Fenwick kept a brilliant scientist, Professor Alfred Kokintz (David Kossoff, 1919-2005), that they captured in the U.S.

With the success of "The Mouse that Roared", a sequel was produced 4 years later in 1963 and entitled "The Mouse on the Moon". Unlike the first film that had Peter Sellers (1925-1980) playing three of the main characters as in the original 1959 film, each of these characters were played by separate actors: Grand Duchess Gloriana XII (Margaret Rutherford, 1892-1972), Prime Minister Rupert Mountjoy (Ron Moody) and his nephew Vincent Mountjoy (Bernard Cribbins). Only David Kossoff reprised his role as Professor Kokintz.

Focusing again the Cold War between the U.S. and the former Soviet Union, the story for "The Mouse on the Moon" begins with Prime Minister Mountjoy coming up with what he believes will be a brilliant way to get a loan from the U.S.: trick the U.S. into thinking that Grand Fenwick wants to start a space program, when in reality, he just wants the money to have indoor plumbing installed in Grand Fenwick's castle. The U.S., not trusting Mountjoy, goes ahead and gives a grant to Grand Fenwick thinking that it will improve how other nations view the U.S. in its race with the former Soviet Union to send astronauts to the moon. To counter the U.S., the Soviet Union sends an old space rocket to Grand Fenwick. Delighted with the gifts, Mountjoy proceeds with turning the rocket and money into indoor plumbing, but not before Professor Kokintz discovers why bottles of Grand Fenwick wine have been inexplicably exploding: they contain a new radioactive element, which Kokintz discovers can generate lift. With Vincent's eager help to become an astronaut, Professor Kokintz proceeds to prepare the rocket for space travel, which he believes will take about 3 weeks to reach the moon. To counter suspicions in the U.S. and the Soviet Union that Grand Fenwick is indeed using their gifts for space exploration, Mountjoy invites representatives from each to visit the launching of the rocket. Mountjoy asks Professor Kokintz to make it appear that the rocket explodes, but unknown to him, Kokintz and Vincent are ready to take their radioactive-wine-powered rocket for a roundtrip to the moon. Would the smallest country in the world beat the U.S. and the former Soviet Union to the moon? Just watch this charming film and find out.

Though considered not as good as the original 1959 film, "The Mouse on the Moon" is still very entertaining. Granted there are some slight mistakes with how air inside the Grand Fenwick rocket is maintained since it has no airlock, but for 1963, few people would have realized this. Other interesting characters include Maurice Spender (Terry-Thomas, 1911-1990), Cynthia (June Ritchie) and one of the American astronauts who was played by Ed Bishop (1932-2005). Some sci-fi TV series buffs may remember Ed Bishop as Commander Ed Straker in the 1970 sci-fi TV series "UFO". Overall, "The Mouse on the Moon" is a fun film and deservers a rating of 4 out of 5 stars.

I bought this movie based on reviews I read here on Amazon.com and wasn't disappointed. I watched "The Mouse That Roared" first and thought it was funny, but in my opinion this movie is even better.

Magaret Rutherford is great as the clueless Grand Duchess, I wish there was more of her in the movie.

Ron Moody does a great job as the prime minister who is hung up on getting running hot water for his bathtub at any cost.

There was a small take off on Dr. Strangelove that I liked. Two ex-German scientists one for the US and one for the USSR give their boss a Nazi salute before catching themselves.

I had some good laughs throughout the movie. If you liked "The Mouse That Roared" I'm sure you'll like this movie.

A superior sequel to "The Mouse That Roared" where Prime Minister Bobo (a manic and hilarious Ron Moody)cons both Russia and the USA into sending Grand Fenwick space research funds and equipment that he can recycle into a plumbing system for the castle. Then the scientist from the first movie actually heads for the moon in a Jules Vern-ish Victorian space ship using the Grand Fenwick wine crop as rocket fuel. Lester and Shenson made this film right before they teamed for HARD DAYS NIGHT and the dry British wit is very apparent. Margaret Rutherford even says a line that John Lennon would say in HDN.

One of my favorite comedies from back when I was a kid (and they used to show old films like this on broadcast TV...) One of those rare instances in which a sequel to a cult film is still fun enough to make it on its own merits, despite losing the original lead actor. This is the followup to the kooky Peter Sellers classic, "The Mouse That Roared," returning us to Duchy of Grand Fenwick, an eccentric European backwater that makes Lichtenstein seem like the Ottoman Empire. Sellers is gone, but the farce remains, as the Grand Fenwickians inadvertently enter the Cold War space race, with the US, USSR and UK all falling over themselves to try and either control or subvert the tiny country's absurdly rickety space program. There are fine character bits, with Ron Moody and Margaret Rutherford starring, respectively, as Grand Fenwick's prime minister and queen, but what makes this film an enduring classic is how deftly it satirizes the already-farcical propaganda wars between America and the Soviet Union (that Great Britain really factored in as a "player" in the Kennedy-era Cold War is a quaint, Bond-ian affectation...) A genuinely funny film that stands on its own dramatically, but which is also a priceless snapshot of the times it was made in. Recommended!

Unless you are at least fifty-five, most people will likely miss some of the topical comical references in this 1962 movie.

If you are living in 1962, here are some things that you are most likely aware of.

It is the early days of the space age. The first two satellites - Russia's Sputnik 1 and 2 - to orbit the Earth were launched five years ago. Sputnik 2 carried the first animal to go into space: a dog named Laika. So little was known at the time about the effects of space travel on human beings that animals were used initially to learn if there were any show stoppers. The Soviet Union used dogs.

Last April, the first man was launched into space aboard the Russian Vostok 1. His name was Yuri Gagarin. He flew a single orbit around the Earth and landed safely. One month later, U.S. President John F. Kennedy made his famous speech committing the United States to landing a man on the moon and returning him safely. The project was called Apollo. The race to the Moon was on.

Last August, the Soviets built a wall separating East and West Berlin.

And lastly, there is a subculture in some cities known as 'beatniks': young people who reject society.

Double-sided disc. On one side of the disc is the Full Screen version. On the flip side is the Widescreen version; however, it is formatted in letterbox designed for old TV screens. When you view the widescreen side of the disc on a flat-panel wide-screen TV, you will see a small widescreen picture in the middle of your screen. To fill the screen on my TV (Sony), I had to select: 'Screen', 'Wide Mode', 'Zoom'.

Picture (DVD): Good.

I rate The Mouse On The Moon as 4 of 5. It didn't have the same quality of humor as its predecessor The Mouse That Roared, but nevertheless still a very funny movie and worth watching.

The difference I think is that in the first movie(The Mouse That Roared) the narrator told his story as if it was wild and unbelievable, yet he appealed to the audience to accept that it was true. This movie (The Mouse on the Moon) maintained or even surpassed the silliness of the first, but lacked the appeal that it was a wild yet still true story. Not to say that they did anything specifically to make you think that it was not true, but when they tell a story that wild you need the appeal to believe it is true to keep you in the story as the first movie does.

Having said that, I still think this movie is worth buying, just know that if you are a fan of the first movie, this one just doesn't meet the same standard.

The Mouse on the Moon (1963) was a four to five star British comedy I had never heard of until I very recently discovered it. It was totally British and hilarious and was the sequel to the Mouse that Roared. The very poor special effects only added to the comedy and I think they achieved exactly what they were looking for.

Had hoped for more footage of Margaret Rutherford, but it was greatly enjoyed by a family of mixed generations.

Fitfully funny satire about the space race but it is not as amusing as "The Mouse That Roared." Sorely lacking here is the presence of Peter Sellers. It's interesting to watch political satire of it's time but the space race does not have the resonance today that the arms race did.

This is one great movie. I take it as a spoof of the former Great British Empire, now reduced to a "Duchy" compared to it's Uncle, Sam. Dame Margaret Rutherford is wonderful as the befuddled "Duchess" who really has no clue as to whats going on. Now, what does that remind you of, hmmmm? And to boot, it has Terry Thomas. Fans of British humour will love it. It is a "niche" movie, of course, but what a niche!! Buy it!!