The Strange Case of the End of Civilisation

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The Strange Case of the End of Civilization as We Know It (1977) Running Time: 55 min.   John Cleese Connie Booth   The Strange Case of the End of Civilization As We Know It is a spoof of the Sherlock Holmes detective series, as well as the mystery genre in general.   The film begins aboard a luxury aircraft as US diplomat Dr. Henry Gropinger (a Dr. Henry Kissinger parody) travels on a goodwill tour. His diary stolen, he no longer knows where he is or is supposed to be next. Stepping off the plane, he is shot dead after offering woefully erroneous greetings to a reception committee of Arabs. Soon after, the U.S. President (a President Gerald Ford parody) receives a threatening letter signed only "Moriarty", claiming responsibility for the death. The letter also claims Moriarty has set in motion a plan that will allow him to gain control of the world.      True to form, this latter-day Holmes also has a taste for certain illicit substances, stashed in containers bearing legends such as "Grand Royal African Special Selection" and "Herbs Au Sherlock Holmes".

Cleese's performance is reminiscent of Basil Fawlty, with Arthur Lowe's Watson standing in for Manuel, although Manuel of course was not the blithering dolt this sidekick is.  This show aired once or twice in the US, and many critics regard it as the least of Cleese's works, citing flat humor, low budget, and ethnic references which may be inappropriate by modern standards.  The last has probably received the greatest assault in dismissing this movie, yet the original Monty Python series had far more racially-charged material.       All in all, even if this is not the best work that John Cleese ever did, it is still John Cleese. And that alone puts it head and shoulders above 99% of the rest of what passes for comedy these days.  So there.