The lowdown:  William Hartnell plays the role of Sergeant Will Buckley, the head of the army of the Duchy of
Grand Fenwick. It has a total area of fifteen and three quarters square miles, and its main export is wine. The
US is the major customer for Fenwick's wine, but when an American wine company produces a rival wine with
a similar title, Fenwick is forced to decare war on the US. Buckley and Field Marshall Tully Bascombe (Peter 
Sellers) lead the Duchy's small army of 20 volunteers to the US to fight the war. They arrive to find the streets
of New York deserted, due to an air raid drill. After many comic misadventures, our heroes capture the Q-Bomb
(a new kind of nuclear weapon). The Fenwick army returns home with the Q-Bomb and its creator, having 'won'
the war. Suddenly, the Duchy holds the balance of power in the world, but the Americans want the bomb back.

The verdict:  Another very enjoyable light-hearted British comedy from another era, and it is too bad that they
do not make films like this any more. While Peter Sellers is the star of this film, taking on no less than three
separate roles (which was not unusual for Sellers), William Hartnell is wonderful as Sergeant Buckley). This is
a film that is definitely worth watching if you love the British sense of humour. Think of 'Doctor Strangelove', but
aimed at a more family-oriented audience. Some critics say this film is dated now, but in my opinion it is still a
thoroughly enjoyable romp.

Trivia: The film is based on a 1955 novel of the same name, by Leonard Wibberley.

Video Clips:
Declaration of war   (2.3mb)
A call for volunteers  (2.0mb) 
Aliens in New York?   (2.9mb)
The Q-Bomb  (4.1mb)