For a film decrying the fact that people will do anything for money, I wonder whether the personnel involved realized that by roping in a roster of stars – often to embarrassing effect (more on this later) – they would themselves be guilty of just such a crime!
Anyway, it has garnered a considerable cult reputation with the years: I had come across portions of the film on late-night Italian TV several years back – and, in view of the excess of talent on hand, I’d always wanted to check it out. However, despite a promising theme, it never quite catches fire as a satire and now feels extremely dated into the bargain! Peter Sellers, the era’s reigning comic genius, offers another of his trademark larger-than-life characters; ex-Beatle Ringo Starr plays his adopted son, but his role isn’t very well defined (former bandmate Paul McCartney, then, contributes the catchy “Come And Get It” to the film’s soundtrack – which also includes Thunderclap Newman’s signature song, “Something In The Air”).
Resolving itself into a series of sketches to hit as many targets as it possibly can, the film is undeniably amusing on occasion but the overall effect is decidedly uneven – and the general tone more heavy-handed than incisive. It does provide a bridge between two specialized brands of British humor, The Goons (of which Sellers himself had been a member, along with Spike Milligan who turns up in a cameo) and Monty Python (Graham Chapman and John Cleese also put in appearances and even contributed to the script).
To be honest, none of the guest stars are particularly well-used – but a few do provide unforgettable camp moments: Laurence Harvey’s strip-tease rendition of Hamlet, Yul Brynner’s unbilled cabaret act in drag(!) seducing Roman Polanski, Raquel Welch as the “Priestess Of The Whip” overseeing the host of topless ‘slave-girls’ at the helm of the titular cruise-liner and Christopher Lee as the self-explanatory “Ship’s Vampire”. The film, then, culminates in a notorious climax as heaps of money are thrown into a vat filled with a stomach-turning combination of blood, urine and manure – and Sellers challenges the people of London to ‘go for it’!
Anyway, it has garnered a considerable cult reputation with the years: I had come across portions of the film on late-night Italian TV several years back – and, in view of the excess of talent on hand, I’d always wanted to check it out. However, despite a promising theme, it never quite catches fire as a satire and now feels extremely dated into the bargain! Peter Sellers, the era’s reigning comic genius, offers another of his trademark larger-than-life characters; ex-Beatle Ringo Starr plays his adopted son, but his role isn’t very well defined (former bandmate Paul McCartney, then, contributes the catchy “Come And Get It” to the film’s soundtrack – which also includes Thunderclap Newman’s signature song, “Something In The Air”).
Resolving itself into a series of sketches to hit as many targets as it possibly can, the film is undeniably amusing on occasion but the overall effect is decidedly uneven – and the general tone more heavy-handed than incisive. It does provide a bridge between two specialized brands of British humor, The Goons (of which Sellers himself had been a member, along with Spike Milligan who turns up in a cameo) and Monty Python (Graham Chapman and John Cleese also put in appearances and even contributed to the script).
To be honest, none of the guest stars are particularly well-used – but a few do provide unforgettable camp moments: Laurence Harvey’s strip-tease rendition of Hamlet, Yul Brynner’s unbilled cabaret act in drag(!) seducing Roman Polanski, Raquel Welch as the “Priestess Of The Whip” overseeing the host of topless ‘slave-girls’ at the helm of the titular cruise-liner and Christopher Lee as the self-explanatory “Ship’s Vampire”. The film, then, culminates in a notorious climax as heaps of money are thrown into a vat filled with a stomach-turning combination of blood, urine and manure – and Sellers challenges the people of London to ‘go for it’!