The more you know about the aftermath of World War Two, the funnier this film is. It was a very timely satire, making fun of the Marshall Plan, American shirt advertising, the price of agricultural goods (a very important issue in the '50s). It makes fun of "The World, the Flesh, and the Devil" and "The Bridge Over the River Kwai" British misunderstanding of baseball, American military men romancing British women when the Americans were stationed there. There are echoes of the great radio show Sellars appeared in-- The Goon Show. The movie is in no way obscene or dirty, but sexuality is a strong current all through it in that way in which Freudianism sexualized nearly everything in the popular mind back then. Jean Seberg in her prime is of the first rank of all beautiful women in human history. I saw a bit of this on black-and-white TV, and color adds a great, great deal to this film-- more than I expected. It's an excellent satire-- better if you know '50s history. It made me laugh out loud.
Review of The Mouse That Roared
