<body><div><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=3dH5df_0uQsGKMJ00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=3dH5df_0uQsGKMJ00" width="1100" height="618" ><figcaption>Custom Image by Zanda Rice&nbsp;</figcaption></figure>The Big Picture<ul><li>Peter Sellers stars in two Cold War comedies: Dr. Strangelove and The Mouse That Roared . </li><li>The Mouse That Roared is a lesser-known masterpiece based on a book series by Leonard Wibberley, exploring nuclear war and human nature. </li><li>Both films share similarities in plot, characters, and themes, but The Mouse That Roared offers a more nuanced approach. </li></ul>Before Dr. Strangelove, and even before the Pink Panther series, Peter Sellers was in not one, but two great Cold War comedies. While everyone knows Dr. Strangelove, Stanley Kubrick’s landmark dark comedy, The Mouse That Roared is as effective a spoof of the tense situation between the Western powers and Russia. Told in a lighter, more fanciful tone, The Mouse That Roared is a bit of an unsung masterpiece that often gets overshadowed by its more well-known relative, especially since Peter Sellers stars in multiple roles in both films. <figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=3l5Mso_0uQsGKMJ00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=3l5Mso_0uQsGKMJ00" width="960" height="1440" ></figure>The Mouse That Roared (1959) PGComedyThe Mouse That Roared is a satirical comedy that follows the tiny, fictional European country of Grand Fenwick as it faces economic ruin. Desperate for a solution, they devise a plan to declare war on the United States, anticipating a quick defeat and the promise of foreign aid. However, the scheme goes hilariously awry when Grand Fenwick's ragtag army, led by the hapless Tully Bascomb, accidentally captures a powerful American super-weapon, turning the tables in an unexpected twist.Release DateOctober 26, 1959 DirectorJack Arnold CastPeter Sellers , Jean Seberg , William Hartnell , David Kossoff , Leo McKern , MacDonald Parke , Austin Willis , Timothy Bateson Runtime83 Minutes Main GenreComedy WritersLeonard Wibberley , Roger MacDougall , Stanley Mann <h2>What Is 'The Mouse That Roared' About? </h2>The Mouse That Roared is based on the first installment in a book series by Leonard Wibberley, whose sequel, The Mouse on the Moon, is also a Cold War satire. The premise of the movie is that a small, unknown European nation runs out of money due to their signature wine being copied in America and sold for less. Realizing that they’re out of options, they then decide to declare war on America, intending to surrender and receive aid through the Marshall Plan. When they arrive in New York to sign a treaty, unannounced, and adorned with swords and mail armor, they accidentally take a general hostage and stumble onto a new, secret nuclear technology. But rather than surrender, they take the device, and cleverly use it to extort the rest of the world. The plot, though far-fetched, is only as absurd as the political milieu in which it was produced. Of course, Peter Sellers is brilliant as always, playing multiple characters (as he often does) in a sort of generic European hodge-podge called the “Duchy of Grand Fenwick.” Playing not only the Duchess of Fenwick, but the Prime Minister, and the main hero, Tully Bascombe, Sellers is fantastic at creating a sort of grand absurdist farce about potential nuclear war. The concept of a relatively primitive, unknown nation defeating America by happening upon the deadliest weapon known to man seems preposterous to a modern audience. But while it is to an extent, in 1959, when The Mouse That Roared was made, the USSR’s planting of nuclear weapons in small, unsecured locations was a real concern (one that would be confirmed with the fall of the Berlin Wall). The idea being, of course, that the answer to a nuclear weapon is another nuclear weapon, so even a small, unaccounted for device could have potentially caused a snowball effect. This is the same idea in Dr. Strangelove, where one bomb causes a chain reaction that, we have to assume, causes a cataclysmic event. Where The Mouse That Roared differs in tone is in its view of human nature, which is not quite as fatalistic. When Grand Fenwick manages to keep the nuclear device from being recaptured by America, other countries try to ally themselves by cozying up to the Dutchess. In the end, Grand Fenwick is able to keep the device and receive aid from America, who also agrees to stop production of the knock-off wine. In The Mouse That Roared, the small, football-sized nuclear device is what gives the world hope because small countries then have recourse against the nuclear juggernauts. Although, it may not be too flowery since the temptation to leverage their newfound power for financial gain proves too much for the small, cash-strapped nation. <h2>'The Mouse That Roared' Is Stuck in 'Dr. Strangelove's Shadow </h2>But The Mouse That Roared is not only the lesser known Sellers Cold War film, it also presents a different approach than Dr. Strangelove, despite being made only five years previous. While Sellers plays multiple roles in Dr. Strangelove as well, the timbre is quite different, being more of a dark satire than a farce. The two movies explore the same topic, and though Dr. Strangelove is embedded in American cultural literacy, The Mouse That Roared, which is every bit as effective in a different way, is sadly absent. While it's not entirely hopeful, the message of The Mouse That Roared certainly differs as well. The Mouse That Roared is also not as over the top, and doesn't have scenes as intense as Slim Pickens' famous missile rodeo (more on that later), instead employing a more nuanced approach that is also comedically potent. It would be remiss, however, not to discuss some of the striking similarities between both films that may very well not be coincidence. The significance of playing three characters is a stylistic choice that, it can be presumed, was meant to add to the irreverence of the film, but why those specific characters? In one triple role, Peter Sellers plays Group Captain Mandrake, a military officer, President Muffley, and Dr. Strangelove, his adviser. In The Mouse That Roared, Sellers plays the leader of Grand Fenwick, her closest adviser, Prime Minister Mountjoy, and a military officer named Tully Bascombe. While not verbatim, this certainly posits a very similar formula to Dr. Strangelove. <h2>How Is 'The Mouse That Roared' Similar to 'Dr. Strangelove'? </h2><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=1YTzx7_0uQsGKMJ00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=1YTzx7_0uQsGKMJ00" width="1500" height="750" ><figcaption>Image via Highroad Pictures&nbsp;</figcaption></figure>Further, the basic plots of the two movies share a striking resemblance: a military plot that goes awry creating a nuclear crisis, which, at the end, is not resolved (the mouse reactivates the device in the final scene). Originally, Columbia Pictures had agreed to let Kubrick make the movie under the condition that Sellers play four parts, including that of Major “King” Kong (it would be strange to imagine Peter Sellers riding a nuclear missile), but a last-minute ankle sprain spurred a change of plans. While it will always remain a source of speculation, it’s a safe assumption that The Mouse That Roared was likely a significant part of the impetus for Dr. Strangelove. They are both classics in their genre, so we don't need to choose between the two films, but students of the craft would do well to compare each according to the progression of world events that spawned their conception. Possibly due to situations such as the Cuban Missile Crisis, or America’s increasing involvement in Vietnam, there is a disparity between the films that acts as a sort of cinematic mood journal of the Cold War. As time capsules, both movies show a side of the Western world that is comedic, but also betrays the great anxiety it was experiencing. Whether you’re a history buff that is fascinated with the era, or you’re currently learning about it in class, fans of Dr. Strangelove shouldn't miss The Mouse That Roared. The Mouse That Roared is available to rent on Prime Video in the U.S. </div></body>

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This Cold War Comedy Was One of Peter Sellers' Best, and It's Not 'Dr. Strangelove'

Peter Sellers stars in two Cold War comedies: Dr. Strangelove and The Mouse That Roared . The Mouse That Roared is a lesser-known masterpiece based on a book series by Leonard Wibberley, exploring nuclear war and human nature. Both films share similarities in plot, characters, and themes, but The Mouse...