Monte Carlo or Bust! *** (1969, Peter Cook, Dudley Moore, Tony Curtis, Bourvil, Walter Chiari, Terry-Thomas, Gert Fröbe, Susan Hampshire, Jack Hawkins, Eric Sykes) – Classic Movie Review 11,157

Director Ken Annakin’s 1969 comedy Monte Carlo or Bust! [Those Daring Young Men in Their Jaunty Jalopies] stars Peter Cook, Dudley Moore, Tony Curtis, Bourvil, Walter Chiari, Terry-Thomas, Gert Fröbe, Susan Hampshire, Jack Hawkins, Eric Sykes, Peer Schmidt, Walter Chiari, Mireille Darc, and Marie Dubois.

Annakin’s similar-veined follow up to his 1965 epic comedy Those Magnificent Men in their Flying Machines, in which Sir Cuthbert Ware-Armitage (Terry-Thomas) challenges Chester Schofield (Curtis) to a side-bet in a cross-Europe international 1920s car rally, which attracts sportsmen from all over the world, though naturally some are less sporting than others.

The script allows a host of venerable British comedians to do their engaging turns, and the film is just silly slapstick nonsense, but nevertheless it is still quite a lot of fun.

The original story and screenplay are by Ken Annakin and Jack Davies.

Also in the cast are Nicoletta Macchiavelli, Hattie Jacques, Derren Nesbitt, Nicholas Phipps, William Rushton, Michael Trubshawe, and Richard Wattis.

Monte Carlo or Bust! [Those Daring Young Men in Their Jaunty Jalopies] is directed by Ken Annakin, runs 125 minutes, is made by Arthur Conn, Basil Keys Productions, Champion, Dino de Laurentiis Cinematografica, Les Films Concordia and Marianne Productions, is released by Paramount Pictures (1969) (US) and Paramount British Pictures (1969) (UK), is written by Jack Davies and Ken Annakin (original story and screenplay), is shot in Technicolor and Panavision by Gabor Pogany, is produced by Dino De Laurentiis, Ken Annakin and Basil Keys, and scored by Ron Goodwin.

It had a large budget of $10,000,000.

It was shot at Åre, Jämtlands län, Sweden; England; Monte Carlo; Monte Gelato Falls, Treja River, Lazio, Italy; Paris; and at Dino De Laurentiis Cinematografica Studios, Rome.

© Derek Winnert 2021 Classic Movie Review 11,157

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