The Mild Bunch

Full-length animated cartoons are so rare these days that it is pleasant to welcome even a distant relative, The Brain. True, the film is populated by live people, but its antic, antique characters are lateral descendants of Tom 'n' Jerry, Bugs Bunny and Woody Woodpecker.

The mild bunch descends on the cash resources of NATO, which are being moved from France to Belgium via freight train. Three separate elements pursue the loot: a tough Mafioso (Eli Wallach), two French thieves (Bourvil and Jean-Paul Belmondo) and an elegant supercriminal (David Niven) known respectfully as "the Brain."

The farce obeys the laws of the standard caper film, but for every step forward there is a thunderous pratfall back. If the Mafia man gets his sweater caught on a fender, it is sure to unravel, revealing his shoulder holster. If the Brain keeps fish in an enormous tank, it is certain to shatter, drenching the occupants of the apartment below. If the robbery is meticulously planned, it is sure to collapse into a three-ringleader circus, with no one the winner--except the audience.

Niven's lines are given a martini-dry delivery, and the Belmondo-Bourvil team meshes with the cooperative, competitive flair of Graebner and Ashe. Given those talents, the film might have been considerably more. Still, in a sorry season, The Brain is smart enough to pass for comedy. Th-th-that's all, folks.

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