the main reason people still care about carlton browne of the f. o. be that it feature peter seller in a second billed role . but watch this film to see peter seller be a mistake . seller play amphibulos and a vaguely reptilian prime minister of the dirt poor island nation of gaillardia and formerly a british colony and now host a lot of russian digger during the height of the cold war . amphibulos want to play both u. k. and soviet interest against each other for easy profit and everything very friendly and all our card under the table . terry thomas be the title character and a lazy british diplomat anxious to show gaillardia that great britain hasn not forget them and all appearance to the contrary . a positive review here say represent the reason this movie be consider average be because the comedy be understated . i would argue that the reason carlton browne be consider below average be because the comedy be non existent . after a decent opening that establish the film only two strength and a sympathetically doltish terry thomas and john addison full on larky score and thing quickly slow down into a series of slow burn and lame miscommunication joke . the low opinion of carlton browne by his bos and the obscurity of gaillardia ( which no one can find on a map ) be milk to death . by the time we actually reach the island ( after a labored series of airsick joke ) and expectation be quite low . theyre still too high and though . the island itself and which seem to exist either in latin america or the mediterranean and be so pathetic it honor guard faint at the airport and and the review stand fall apart in the middle of a parade . the army be apparently still horse drawn and allow for another lame aural gag by a thick accent announcer represent in war and the army use many horse . seller never quite take center stage even when be on his character island . the plot be take over instead by ian bannen a king loris and who inherit the throne of gaillardia after his father assassination . bannen be dull and play his part as straight a it be write . normally this would make him the likely target for scene stealing by seller and but trap behind a thick accent and greasy moustache and seller be only a threat to those of u who remember him far more happily in two other film make this same year and the mouse that roar and i be all right and jack . strange that this film and like jack and be a boulting brother production and with roy boulting here serve a co director alongside jeffrey dell . usually boulting film combine wicked social satire with anything go comedy and but here there be only fey jab in either direction . amphibulos work his mangled english vibe for all it worth ( this man be like and how do you say and the bull in the chinese ship ) while carlton browne be generally rag on by his superior far more than he seem to deserve . the weak and most protracted element of the film be young loris romance with ilyena . score one point for her be play by ravish luciana paluzzi and dock one for the fact that they be apparently cousin be never address . the film wind up with a lamely staged revolution whose surprise resolution will surprise no one and and a final bit of action by carlton browne that would seem to nail the lid on his coffin literally . apparently he live to see another day and but the film of the same name be strictly doa .