The Mouse on the Moon (1963)

The British comedy film, The Mouse on the Moon (1963), is a sequel to The Mouse That Roared and is based on Leonard Wibberley’s novel of the same name. Directed by Richard Lester, it follows Grand Fenwick’s struggle with a financial crisis caused by their exploding wine export. In order to save the duchy (and finally have modern plumbing for a hot bath), Prime Minister Mountjoy devises a plan to ask the United States for a loan under the guise of funding their mission to the Moon. However, his true intention is to take advantage of the Americans’ desire for international cooperation in space and secure an outright gift instead of a loan. To his delight, he receives double the amount he requested from them. In an effort to keep up with their rivals in the midst of the Cold War, the Soviets provide an outdated rocket.

To keep up appearances and show that they have not wasted funds, Mountjoy enlists Professor Kokintz to orchestrate a minor explosion during the ‘launch’. Meanwhile, Mountjoy’s son Vincent returns from his studies abroad. Despite Mountjoy’s disappointment at Vincent’s adoption of British values like sportsmanship and a desire to be an astronaut, Professor Kokintz has good news for him: he has discovered that wine can be used as fuel for the rocket. Secretly, they begin preparations for its flight. When Maurice Spender, a clumsy spy sent by the skeptical British, is given a tour of the ship – complete with shower heads converted into attitude jets – he reports back that it is all a fraudulent scheme.