Georgi is an illiterate, good-natured assistant to a fake medicine seller, wandering the villages of 19th-century Russia. Arrested as a vagrant in a small town, he is mistaken by its panicking mayor and corrupt councillors for the Inspector General, the dreaded official sent by Napoleon's government to root out graft, and they fall over themselves to bribe, flatter and feast him. Henry Koster's musical comedy is loosely based on Nikolai Gogol's classic satire The Government Inspector, reworked as a showcase for Danny Kaye's rubber-faced clowning, patter songs and quick-change physical comedy. Walter Slezak is a delight as his scheming partner, and the film, now in the public domain, remains one of Kaye's most popular vehicles.
Add a review
Sign in to comment.