Film

The Great McGonagall

1975 · 1h 25m · Comedy

"I am Queen Victoria, and I am very Big in England."

IMDb

4.9

In this high-camp farce, Goons legend Spike Milligan stars as William Topaz McGonagall, an unemployed Scottish weaver and aspiring poet laureate who falls in love with Queen Victoria - a brilliant cameo by Peter Sellers - and thereafter devotes his banal poetry to her. Though McGonagall's solicitations are rejected by the Queen, it doesn't stop the turgid prose, and pathos, from overflowing as McGonagall hilariously attempts to become the greatest poet in the land. The image of the bad poet, trapped by his romanticism and inspired by a muse with a tin ear, appealed mightily to Spike Milligan, and this cult British spoof features the Goons show maestro at his ridiculous, genre-defying best.

Spike Milligan

William Topaz McGonagall

Peter Sellers

Queen Victoria

Julia Foster

Mrs. McGonagall

John Bluthal

various

Victor Spinetti

Valentine Dyall

Clifton Jones

Julian Chagrin

Charlie Young Atom

Luie Caballero

• Joseph McGrathDirector · Screenplay
• Spike MilliganScreenplay
• David Hamilton-GrantProducer
• Kamal PashaExecutive Producer
• Peter LambExecutive Producer
• Rusty CopplemanEditor

THE GREAT MCGONAGALL

Release date

January 23, 1975

Status

Released

Original language

English

Runtime

1h 25m

Rated

15

Genres

Comedy