When the British Empire learns of valuable mineral deposits in one of their long-forgotten territories, the Foreign Office dispatches bumbling envoy Carlton-Brown (Terry-Thomas) to secure them. Unfortunately, the tiny island territory of Gaillardia is on the brink of civil war following the death of their former king, leading to a power struggle between northern and southern factions. With Russians and Americans also sniffing around, the Brits are at risk of losing their riches, especially with Carlton-Brown as negotiator.
Buy Man in a Cocked HatThis Boulting Brothers production spins lots of plates but doesn’t land many of them, suffering from an overabundance of plot threads. The main story is Carlton-Brown’s comical quest to prove himself, but there’s also international Cold War intrigue, palace drama due to a conniving Prime Minister (Peter Sellers), a budding love story between northern and southern royals, civil war, recurring jabs at the threadbare Gaillardian forces, and the specter of fading Empire. With so much going on, the narrative throughline gets jumbled and storylines are poorly developed. Still, the gist of Carlton-Brown’s quixotic adventure is adequately resolved in the film’s too-brisk 90 minutes.
Although Sellers has second billing, he’s a surprisingly small component of the film, with total screentime of maybe 20 minutes at most. He’s in full Sellers mode by the time of this 1959 film, hamming it up as the shady Prime Minister with a ridiculous accent and amusing mannerisms, even though no other islanders seem to be so ethnic. He’s funny while he’s on screen, but again, his subplot is underdeveloped. That leaves the heaviest comedic lifting to Terry-Thomas, delivering his typically uptight-but-endlessly-confused take on the hapless envoy character. If you came for a Sellers film, be forewarned that you’re getting a Terry-Thomas vehicle with only a side order of Sellers.
The Blu-ray features a brand new HD master from a 4K scan of the original camera negative. The black-and-white film has excellent contrast and minimal flaws, with equally crisp and precise sound. While there are no bonus features, an audio commentary track by a film journalist is included.
The film was originally released as Carlton-Browne of the F.O., a far better title than the current nonsensical iteration. His “cocked hat” is only briefly worn in a couple of scenes, hardly the stuff of title significance. Like its title change, the film never really knows what it wants to be, but it’s still a lighthearted, entertaining jaunt through its chaotic jumble of stories.
