Simply A Masterpiece

The story-telling is good with flashbacks.The film is both funny and heartbreaking. You smile in a scene and get a soulcrushing revelation in the next.

There are moments in this movie where the great movie it could've been peek out... They're fleeting, here, but they're worth savoring, and they happen often enough to make it worth your while.

True to its essence, the characters remain on the same line and manage to entertain the viewer, each highlighting their own distinctive qualities or touches.

Peter Sellers' film career was a hit and miss affair to say the least but it surely hit a new low with this wretched, screamingly tedious, jumbled, painfully unfunny 'comedy' set in a French brothel during WW2 that sees Sellers' ego move into overdrive as it has him appearing in no fewer than 6 roles, each as annoying and unfunny as the next. How was this justified ? Oh I forgot, Peter was the star of the show and if Peter wanted the opportunity to wear as many costumes as he wanted whilst dazzling us with his repertoire of 'hilarious' accents then, hey, there's little point in the director, producer etc arguing with The Great One and so they might as well bow to his every whim. I was under the impression that at least 90% of the acting profession was out of work at any one time but it seems no-one told this to Sellers and if they had, he clearly wasn't listening. This abomination really was another nail in the coffin as far as his career was concerned and it came as no surprise that Inspector Clouseau made a re-appearance a year of two after this unwatchable drivel was polluting the handful of movie theatres that the distributors decided to show it in.One of the better 007 baddies, Curt Jurgens, was clearly desperate for the pay cheque as he makes an appearance alongside the likes of Windsor Davies ( no sign of Lofty though ) and Rula Lenska.Brutal stuff. Don't say you weren't warned.

The tag line: "The film with Six Best Sellers in one!"a) The word Best in that sentence is misleading; b) That sentence is funnier than the film itself."Soft Beds" is a very disjointed, rambling film set in World War 2. France is being invaded, and a local brothel seems to be getting mixed up in the conflict. A group of prostitutes, with help from a British and an American soldier, save Paris from being blown up by the Gestapo. Well, there you have it. I don't think I'd need go on, as that sums up the whole rubbishness of the film adequately, but I think I might as well press on.The only reason anyone may remember this film is because Peter Sellers plays six roles. However, none of them are impressive, and several are characterisations played with far better flair in his other films; the old man who is married but prefers to spend time with the young ladies was played a lot better in "Waltz of the Toreadors", whilst the Japanese man, with pidgin English, was funnier in "Murder by Death". Sellers also plays another French character who has about 3 minutes screentime and isn't worth remembering, a Gestapo leader who is neither funny nor menacing, and Adolf Hitler, there so that we can make a joke about the fact that the Fuhrer was racist. It sums up the tone of the film quite nicely. The only character played by Sellers who gets any laughs is a British officer, who has the same voice inflections as Captain Mandrake from "Strangelove", and is funny only because Sellers can say "Sod it!" in a funny way.The film is just a long line of sketches involving prostitutes getting one over on the Nazis, with the British Sellers wandering in and out of the narrative to shoot someone. The rambling, unfunny plot, coupled with several scenes in which people die of flatulence, are the final nails in the coffin for this sorry film. In fact, the only fun one could get from this film is the fact that the cast list is chocker with actors and actresses you'll recognise from other shows (including Phillip Madoc, and good old Nick "the Brigadier in Doctor Who" Courtney, uncredited, and managing even to out-act Sellers with 3 lines). And Rula Lenska is topless in her first scene, which probably counts for something.It's rubbish. Stay away. 3/10

This movie is not particularly funny but it is good for Sellers fans. I am such a fan and really enjoyed his acting. Sellers plays 6 roles and his range is different than many other actors in that he portrays people from several nationalities at once very well. Although this time I think his French accent was not as good as the others. The movie itself is amusing but not great.

To my mind, Sellers was at his peak when he made this film. It wasn't a commercial success like the Panther films, but it was a personal success for Sellers. He was being funny AND enjoying himself whilst doing it. I saw this film when it was first released at the cinema and enjoyed it then, and then again when it was shown on British TV. It hadn't aged, it was still excellent. I just wish Warners would release it on Video or DVD now......