Carlton-Browne of the F.O. is a tongue in cheek satire about a forgotten British colony that becomes embroiled in a heated Civil War. It has been many years since the quaint pacific British Colony of Gaillardia has been self governed, so long that Britain has more or less forgotten about it. But the prevalence of a number of Russian spies suspiciously drilling holes around the eyes draws the ire of international attention, with mother England taking notice. When the small island country's king suddenly dies, a struggle quickly ensues between one side, consisting of the greedy and power hungry Prime Minister Amphibulos (Peter Sellers) and the kings's brother Grand Duke Alexis (John Le Mesurier) and another, containing the king's son Young King Loris (Ian Bannen) and the lovely Princess Ilyena (Luciana Paluzzi), about the type of government to establish. The Prime Minister calls in the slightly buffoonish Cadogen de Vere Carlton-Browne (Terry-Thomas) to set matters straight, who comes up with a solution to divide the country in half. But this only heightens the matter of the precious mineral deposits in the region, which is what the Russians were seeking, and the idea of literal split in the land soon becomes a raging, and subtly hilarious, debate. Roy Boulting and Jeffrey Dell direct this funny and charming commentary on cold war politics and English diplomacy, also known as Man in a Cocked Hat.moreless
