| Invasion Quartet | |
|---|---|
 Original film poster by Ronald Searle | |
| Directed by | Jay Lewis |
| Written by | Jack Trevor Story John Briley Norman Collins (story) |
| Produced by | Ronald Kinnoch |
| Starring | Bill Travers Spike Milligan |
| Cinematography | Geoffrey Faithfull Gerald Moss |
| Edited by | Ernest Walter |
| Music by | Ron Goodwin |
| Distributed by | Metro Goldwyn Mayer |
Release date | September 1961 |
Running time | 91 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
Invasion Quartet is a 1961 British World War II comedy-drama film directed by Jay Lewis and starring Bill Travers and Spike Milligan.[1] It was publicised as a parody of The Guns of Navarone.[2]
The plot has similarities to the exploits of Commando Sgt Peter King and Pte Leslie Cuthbertson.
Plot
Two wounded officers, one British and one French are deemed unfit and surplus to requirements. They abscond from their hospital and, together with an explosives expert suffering from mental illness, and a Colonel, thought too old to serve in the Army, make their way to France to destroy a long range German artillery piece.
Cast
- Bill Travers as Freddie Oppenheimer
- Spike Milligan as Godfrey Pringle
- Grégoire Aslan as Debrie
- John Le Mesurier as Colonel
- Thorley Walters as Cummings
- Maurice Denham as Dr. Barker
- Thelma Ruby as matron
- Millicent Martin as Kay
- Cyril Luckham as Col. Harbottle
- William Mervyn as naval officer
- Peter Swanwick as gun commander
- Alexander Archdale as Brigadier, War Office
- Gerald Case as Medical Board officer (uncredited)
- Ernst Ulman as German Sergeant
- John Wood as duty officer, War Office
- Richard Marner as German soldier (uncredited)
- Bernard Hunter as coding officer, War Office
Reception
Box office
According to MGM records, the film made a loss of $119,000.[3]
Critical
The Monthly Film Bulletin wrote: "Here is a story with almost unlimited possibilities for satire including, as it does, references to all the standard British war film themes, from Kwai to Navarone. Regrettably, its makers have taken the easy way out. Instead of pursuing all the debunking opportunities to their logical conclusion, they have fallen back on well-tried slapstick situations and hoary verbal gags. Even on this level, the production is often forced and heavy and, from a generally ill-directed cast, only Spike Milligan's brand of zany humour emerges reasonably intact. "[4]
See also
References
- ↑ "Invasion Quartet". British Film Institute Collections Search. Retrieved 11 January 2024.
- ↑ Weiler, A. H. New York Times film review 11 December 1961
- ↑ The Eddie Mannix Ledger, Los Angeles: Margaret Herrick Library, Center for Motion Picture Study.
- ↑ "Invasion Quartet". The Monthly Film Bulletin. 28 (324): 156. 1 January 1961 – via ProQuest.
External links
- Invasion Quartet at IMDb
- Invasion Quartet then-and-now location photographs at ReelStreets