 | This articleneeds additional citations forverification. Please helpimprove this article byadding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "The Mouse on the Moon" – news ·newspapers ·books ·scholar ·JSTOR(January 2023) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
| The Mouse on the Moon | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Originalfilm poster | |
| Directed by | Richard Lester |
| Written by | Michael Pertwee |
| Produced by | Walter Shenson |
| Starring | Margaret Rutherford Bernard Cribbins Terry-Thomas David Kossoff Ron Moody |
| Cinematography | Wilkie Cooper |
| Edited by | Bill Lenny |
| Music by | Ron Grainer |
Production company | Highroad Productions |
| Distributed by | United Artists |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 82 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
The Mouse on the Moon is a 1963 British comedy film, the sequel toThe Mouse That Roared. It is an adaptation of the 1962 novelThe Mouse on the Moon by Irish authorLeonard Wibberley, and was directed byRichard Lester. In it, the people of the Duchy ofGrand Fenwick, amicrostate in Europe, attempt space flight using wine as a propellant. It satirises thespace race,Cold War and politics.
Peter Sellers, who had played three roles in the first film, did not return for this sequel and was replaced byMargaret Rutherford andRon Moody for two of Sellers' characters. The third character, Tully Bascombe, was not present in the sequel. LikewiseLeo McKern did not reprise his role of Benter; this part was played byRoddy McMillan. The film also featuredJune Ritchie,Bernard Cribbins andTerry-Thomas, withDavid Kossoff reprising his role as Professor Kokintz.
Financial disaster looms for Grand Fenwick when the current vintage of its only export, wine, starts exploding in would-be consumers' faces. Prime Minister Mountjoy decides to ask the United States for a loan, ostensibly to fund its entry in the race to the Moon, but actually to save the duchy (and both introduce television and install modern plumbing so he can have a hot bath). The devious politician knows that the Americans will not believe him, but will consider the half million dollars he is asking for to be cheap propaganda supporting their hollow call for international co-operation in space. He is delighted when they send him double the amount as an outright gift. The Soviets, not wishing to be one-upped by their Cold War rivals, deliver an obsolete rocket (with itsnose cone accidentally breaking a window of Grand Fenwick's parliament in the process).
Mountjoy asks resident scientist Professor Kokintz to arrange a small explosion during the "launch" of their lunar rocket to make it look like they have actually spent the money as intended. Meanwhile the news media commends this effort by Grand Fenwick in promoting international co-operation in space by citing its space program using American financial backing, Soviet rocket technology and Britishhorology (the watch that Vincent wears during the moon mission is British made).
Meanwhile, Mountjoy's son Vincent returns after being educated in England. Mountjoy is disappointed to find that Vincent has picked up the British sense of fair play and the ambition to be an astronaut. Professor Kokintz has pleasant news for Vincent: he has discovered that the exploding wine - if properly treated - makes excellent rocket fuel. Together, they secretly begin preparing the rocket for flight. Maurice Spender, a bumbling spy sent by the suspicious British, is given a tour of the ship, including the shower heads converted intoattitude jets, and reports back to his bosses that it is all a hoax.
Mountjoy invites the Americans, Soviets, British and other European dignitaries to the launching. To everyone's surprise, the rocket leisurely takes off with Kokintz and Vincent aboard. Kokintz calculates it will take three weeks to reach the Moon. Shocked and humiliated, the Americans and Soviets decide to risk sending their own crewed rockets ahead of schedule, timing it so they will land at the same time as (or a little before) Grand Fenwick's ship. However, Vincent accidentally hits a switch, speeding up the vessel, and he and Kokintz become the first to set foot on the Moon. The latecomers are greatly disappointed. When the Americans and Soviets try to race home to salvage some sort of propaganda coup, they almost enter the wrong ships and then, when they attempt lift-off, both descend deep into the soft lunar dust, so the American and Soviet spacemen have to hitch a ride with Kokintz and Vincent.
They return to Grand Fenwick during a memorial ceremony (they had been out of radio contact for weeks and presumed lost). The diplomats immediately begin squabbling about who reached the Moon first. Aloof from all of this, Grand Fenwick'sGrand Duchess Gloriana XIII unveils a statue/monument commemorating the successful moon mission.
The film was made on sets left over fromCornel Wilde's filmSword of Lancelot.[1] Sellers recommended Lester, whom he knew from his direction ofThe Running, Jumping and Standing Still Film.[citation needed] Producer Walter Shenson and director Lester next madeThe Beatles filmA Hard Day's Night.[citation needed]
Dell Publishing issued a comic book of the film.[2]
The film received critical acclaim and has a fresh 88% on Rotten Tomatoes from 8 critic reviews.[3]Moria Reviews gave the film 3 stars out of 5 and described the film as "a gently amusing fantasy about the world’s smallest country conducting a successful invasion of the USA".[4] The film has an assigned film score of 62 out of 100 onMetacritic from 5 critics with an overall indicating "universal acclaim".[5]The New York Times said the film had "Sensitive music by Mr. Pintoff and some wonderfully wry dialogue, subtly laced with motivations, top off this animated jewel".[6]
