One of the lesser praised, but still hilarious Peter Sellers films, “THE MOUSE THAT ROARED” has been released on dvd by COLUMBIA TRISTAR.

There has always been controversy over the United States’ commitment to rebuilding countries that we’ve had to fight in war, upon defeating them.  But, this practice sets up a great comedy idea in “THE MOUSE THAT ROARED”.

The Nation of Grand Fenwick is not only a tiny nation, it’s a broke one too!  The Duchess of Grand Fenwick along with Prime Minister Mountjoy, both played by Sellers, comes up with the idea of attacking the U.S., without any intention of actually winning, so that when they’re defeated, they’ll rep the benefits of rebuilding aid, always given to the losing side of a battle with America.

Sellers is great in his multiple roles here, and the beautiful Hean Seberg is also on hand in a small but memorable role.  The dialogue is extremely witty, and the film has lost none of its relevance all this time later. Funny “is” funny, and “THE MOUSE THAT ROARED” is often very funny!

COLUMBIA TRISTAR has preserved the film’s 1.85:1 aspect ratio, with 16:9 enhancement.   While there’s some grain, and colors are often subdued, the film’s 44 years old, and some minor flaws are easy to overlook.  The contrast is generally impressive, with fine detail in darker scenes.  The image is much sharper than on the previously available full frame laserdisc.

COLUMBIA TRISTAR has presented a monaural mix.  Fidelity is limited, but dialogue is always intelligible and free from distortion.