At it's best, vintage British movie comedy knocks all other countries' humour into a cocked hat. Unfortunately, for the most part, this farce about a pair of wounded soldiers undertaking a mission into German-occupied France to prove their fitness for active service, falls far short of being a vintage comedy. There's nothing wrong with the story superior comedies to this have been crafted from much weaker material but the casting is curious to say the least. Bill Travers is not a strong enough comedy presence to lead the cast, and John le Mesurier is miscast as the leader of the Home Guard (although, in hindsight, this may be due to the fact that he is so familiar to us now as the effete Sergeant Wilson in DAD'S ARMY). Gregoire Aslan, as Travers' French sidekick, adds nothing whatsoever to the film. Only Spike Milligan, as the shell-shocked Godfrey Pringle, manages to reap a few meagre laughs from the threadbare script.
Review of Invasion Quartet
