Carlton-Browne of the F.O. Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		3.0
Overall		4.0

Carlton-Browne of the F.O. Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov January 12, 2026

Roy Boulting and Jeffrey Dell’s comedy "Carlton Browne of the F.O." (1959) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of StudioCanal. The supplemental features on the release include new program with critics Peter Lydon and Vic Pratt, archival documentary, and production stills. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".

Fixers

Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose. The more things change, the more they stay the same. This statement comes from French writer and critic Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Karr, who first used it in 1849. It is a very famous statement now for a good reason. It channels timeless cynicism, which the intelligent mind will always easily relate to a wide range of deserving situations.

Roy Boulting and Jeffrey Dell’s comedy Carlton Browne of the F.O. a.k.a. Man in a Cocked Hat comes from the late 1950s and presents numerous such situations, which should be entirely unrealistic now. However, they are entirely realistic, which is why the cynicism that dominates the film is instantly relatable to Karr’s statement.

In London, middle-aged government slacker Cadogan de Vere Carlton-Browne (Terry-Thomas), better known as C.B., is, much to his surprise, summoned by the Foreign Minister (Raymond Huntley). Because C.B.’s official job title is Permanent Assistant and Political Secretary for the Miscellaneous Territories, he should know how to manage properly a small crisis with the potential to become a big crisis on the tiny island of Gaillardia, a former British colony, which has requested urgent help. But C.B. has landed his cushy government job only because he is the son of Sir Arthur Carlton-Browne (Kynaston Reeves), a legendary, now retired diplomat, and he has no clue where Gaillardia is. On top of this, someone has failed to tell the senile British Council (Miles Mallesone) in Gaillardia that he should have stopped representing the interests of the Mother Country there and returned home decades ago. And on top of this, the Russian government has already launched a sophisticated campaign to take over Gaillardia. Nevertheless, when he is urged to act by the Foreign Minister, the visibly perplexed C.B., while relying on his instincts and the senile British Council, organizes a cultural event, which ends with a big bang that takes out the utterly clueless King Loris, the Mother Country’s most trusted partner in Gaillardia. Shortly after, C.B. and Colonel Bellingham of the Bays (Thorley Walters) are dispatched to Gaillardia to ensure that, in the aftermath of King Loris’ premature death, the island does not pick Russia over the Mother Country. However, upon arriving in Gaillardia and meeting the corrupt Prime Minister Señar Amphibulos (Peter Sellers) and the patriotic Young King (Ian Bannen), both with drastically different plans for the future of their home, C.B. finds himself stuck in a lose-lose situation that threatens to permanently destroy his career.

Two types of cynicism dominate the narrative. The first is mixed with light but very witty humor that ultimately gives the film its identity. This development is hardly surprising given that Tomas and Sellers appeared at their best when they worked with material favoring this exact type of cynicism. The second emphasizes politics that are a bit too dry and transparent. It is what makes certain areas of the film dated. (The military parade and the chatter surrounding it produce the most dated material for this very reason).

A romantic subplot brings Bannen and Luciana Paluzzi together, and while mostly decent, it should have been reworked to sync better with Tomas and Walters’ ongoing failures. After Bannen and Paluzzi begin seeing each other, large chunks of melodrama unnecessarily stretch the narrative.

While surrounded by wonderful actors, Tomas is the undisputed star. Often, his facial expressions reveal more than the words of his colleagues, many of whom clearly attempt to match the quality of his performance.

*StudioCanal’s release introduces a new 4K restoration of Carlton Browne of the F.O., sourced from the original camera negative.

Carlton-Browne of the F.O. Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.67:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Carlton Browne of the F.O. arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of StudioCanal.

The release introduces a recent 4K restoration of Carlton Browne of the F.O. that is pretty impressive. Other than a few small surface imperfections, like nicks and blemishes, which could have been eliminated with digital tools, the rest is managed as well as possible. For example, delineation, clarity, and depth remain terrific throughout the entire film. The grayscale looks very good, too. Blacks are lush but not crushed, while grays and whites are wonderfully balanced. There are no traces of any problematic digital corrections. Image stability is very good. A few transitions reveal small unevenness, but this is an inherited limitation. Finally, I did not encounter any encoding anomalies to report in our review. My score is 4.75/5.00. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

Carlton-Browne of the F.O. Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English LPCM 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

All exchanges are very clear, sharp, and easy to follow. Plenty of music is used to create more of certain situations, but the dynamic intensity will not impress an audiophile. Also, the short action footage looks and sounds predictably dated. In a few areas, it feels like the audio becomes a tad thin, but this is almost certainly an inherited limitation. I did not encounter any encoding anomalies to report in our review.

Carlton-Browne of the F.O. Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Diplomacy & Drollery - in this new program, critics Peter Lydon and Vic Pratt discuss Carlton Browne of the F.O. and what they perceive to be its strengths. The two critics also comment on the evolution of its stars' careers. In English, not subtitled. (14 min).

• Sellers Begins: From Satire to Stardom - presented in this program are clips from archival interviews with Roy Boulting, writer/director Bryan Forbes, Ian Carmichael, Beryl Reid, and Ian Bannen, amongst others. The interviewees comment on Peter Sellers' acting methods and charisma before the camera, as well as his perpetual disappointment with the quality of his work. In English, not subtitled. (14 min).

• Still Gallery - a collection of black-and-white stills from the production of Carlton Browne of the F.O.. Silent. In English, not subtitled. (1 min).

Carlton-Browne of the F.O. Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

A couple of generations ago, British cinema had amazing actors whose ability to create memorable laughs was truly unmatched. Terry-Thomas is one of my favorite of these actors, and I genuinely believe that he was a little better than Peter Sellers. I think that Carlton Browne of the F.O. offers plenty of evidence to support the validity of this claim, but it is a wonderful film to see even if you disagree. StudioCanal's upcoming Blu-ray release introduces a terrific new 4K restoration of Carlton Browne of the F.O., which will be made available in America by Kino Lorber. (The American release will be using the film's alternate title, Man in a Cocked Hat). HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.