The Strange Case of the End of Civilization as We Know It

The Strange Case of the End of Civilization as We Know It

Year: 1977

Runtime: 56 mins

Language: English

Director: Joseph McGrath

ThrillerMysteryCrimeComedy

John Cleese plays the modern descendant of Sherlock Holmes in a comedic detective drama of international power politics and intrigue. Unlike his famed grandfather, he constantly bungles every job. The cast also includes Arthur Lowe as the “bionic” grandson of Dr. Watson, Stratford Johns as the Police Commissioner, and Connie Booth as Mrs. Hudson.

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Timeline & Setting – The Strange Case of the End of Civilization as We Know It (1977)

Explore the full timeline and setting of The Strange Case of the End of Civilization as We Know It (1977). Follow every major event in chronological order and see how the environment shapes the story, characters, and dramatic tension.

Time period

1970s

The film sits in a Cold War milieu, reflecting 1970s geopolitics and spy culture with a satirical edge. Caricatures of contemporary political figures anchor the humor to a specific era. The humor and gadgets of the investigation are shaped by the decade’s sensibilities, blending political parody with detective fiction tropes.

Location

Airplane (private aircraft), Middle East, London, Scotland Yard

The story begins aboard a private aircraft as a diplomat misplaces a diary, triggering a panicked chase across international settings. After landing, the action shifts to London where a police committee coordinates the investigation. Much of the intrigue unfolds in the traditional halls of power, including Scotland Yard, as detectives from around the world are gathered to confront the threat.

✈️ Airplane 🗺️ Middle East 🏙️ London 🕵️‍♂️ Police investigation

Last Updated: October 05, 2025 at 08:43

Main Characters – The Strange Case of the End of Civilization as We Know It (1977)

Meet the key characters of The Strange Case of the End of Civilization as We Know It (1977), with detailed profiles, motivations, and roles in the plot. Understand their emotional journeys and what they reveal about the film’s deeper themes.

Sherlock Holmes (John Cleese)

An eccentric private detective with a sharp intellect and a fondness for addictive substances, Holmes navigates the chaos with unorthodox methods. He remains coolly analytical even as the world around him collapses into farce. His confidence and wit drive the plan to unearth Moriarty’s heir and thwart the global plot, even as he clashes with Watson’s blunders.

🕵️ Detective 💡 Clever 💊 Addict 🧭 Calm under pressure

Dr. John H. Watson (Arthur Lowe)

Holmes’s medical partner and comic foil, Watson is depicted as well-meaning but utterly foolish. He often misreads situations, creating slapstick complications for the investigation. Despite his deficiencies, his presence anchors the duo and provides a counterpoint to Holmes’s relentless deduction.

🩺 Doctor 🗯️ Foil 😂 Comedic sidekick 🧠 Observant

Mrs. Hudson / Francine Moriarty (Connie Booth)

Holmes’s landlady who doubles as Francine Moriarty, Moriarty’s granddaughter. She harbors a long-simmering vendetta against civilization and orchestrates a decisive, deadly turn in the plan. Her dual role as caregiver and mastermind culminates in a shocking, personal form of revenge.

🏠 Landlady 🧠 Mastermind 🔪 Ruthless 😈 Vengeful

President (Joss Ackland)

A caricatured U.S. president whose presence signals the film’s political satire. The portrayal underscores the parody of executive power and the era’s geopolitical anxieties. His actions set the stakes for the international manhunt and the theatrical battle of wits.

🏛️ Leader 🗣️ Figurehead 😂 Satire 🌍 Global stakes

Chief Commissioner Blocker (Stratford Johns)

Head of the police committee, an often incompetent administrator who becomes a casualty early in the investigation. His death catalyzes the plot’s escalation and forces Holmes to improvise a more audacious plan. He embodies the film’s critique of bureaucratic bungling.

👮‍♂️ Official 🧠 Bureaucrat ⚔️ Catalyst 💥 Victim

Columbo (Luie Caballero)

The laid-back, contemplative detective known for unassuming interrogations. He enters the scene as part of the world’s detectives but becomes another casualty in the masterfully stacked trap. His style stands in humorous contrast to Holmes’s flair.

🕵️ Detective 🧭 Unassuming 💤 Laid-back 🖐️ Heroic

Hercule Poirot (Dudley Jones)

The fastidious Belgian detective appears as another guest in the crossover feast of sleuths. His precise methods and obsession with order contrast with the chaos of the plot. He, too, becomes entangled in the plan’s deadly misdirection.

🕵️ Detective 🧠 Precise 🧼 Meticulous 🧭 Logical

The Other CIA Man (Christopher Malcolm)

A CIA operative who navigates the espionage atmosphere around the case. His presence underscores the global scale of the conspiracy and adds layers of intrigue. He interacts with the detectives as the plot unfolds.

🛰️ Intelligence 🧭 Espionage 🧠 Strategist 🔎 Intrigue

1st Australian (Nick Tate)

One of the international detectives invited to the climactic gathering. He represents the global reach of detective culture and the film’s penchant for a wide cast. His role adds to the ensemble feel of the investigation.

🧭 International 🕵️‍♂️ Detective 🌏 Ensemble 🗣️ Representative

African Delegate (Gyearbuor Asante)

A delegate from Africa who participates in the multinational assembly of detectives. His presence emphasizes the global stage on which the parody plays out. He contributes to the sense of a world in flux amid the satire.

🌍 Delegate 🕊️ Diplomatic 🧠 Insightful 👥 Ensemble

Black CIA Man (Val Pringle)

A CIA operative figure among the international crowd. His character helps populate the multi-national cast that Holmes manipulates in the plot. He embodies the era’s spy-centric humor.

🛰️ Agent 🧭 Espionage 🧠 Calculated 🎭 Satirical

Miss Hoskins (Josephine Tewson)

A secretary-like figure who provides a touch of bureaucratic and social comedy. Her interactions heighten the film’s lighthearted farce. A minor role that nonetheless contributes to the overall cacophony of the investigation.

🗂️ Secretary 🗣️ Minor role 😂 Light comedy 🧭 Bureaucracy

Dr. Henry Gropinger (Kissinger parody)

A parody of Henry Kissinger aboard the goodwill tour whom the plot quickly destabilizes. His misplacement of a diary and the ensuing panic trigger much of the early chaos. The character embodies the film’s sharp political spoofing.

🕴️ Diplomat 🧠 Parody 🗺️ Geopolitics 💥 Catalyst

Last Updated: October 05, 2025 at 08:43

Major Themes – The Strange Case of the End of Civilization as We Know It (1977)

Explore the central themes of The Strange Case of the End of Civilization as We Know It (1977), from psychological, social, and emotional dimensions to philosophical messages. Understand what the film is really saying beneath the surface.

🎭 Satire

The film uses celebrity caricatures and mock politics to lampoon Cold War era geopolitics and espionage. Humor arises from bureaucratic misfires, over-the-top conspiracies, and the clash between grand ambitions and inept leadership. By blending high-stakes world domination fantasies with slapstick detective work, it skewers both detective fiction tropes and real-world power plays. The satirical tone invites audiences to question authority while staying firmly in comedic territory.

🪞 Identity

A central twist hinges on a Watson-Holmes doppelgänger dynamic that creates confusion and misdirection. The real Watson appears alongside a flatter, bumbling counterpart, challenging Holmes to discern who is genuine. This identity mix fuels paranoia, comic misreads, and escalating tension. The reveal that the impostor is Moriarty's grandchild, who is actually Holmes' landlady Mrs. Hudson, reframes the entire vendetta into a personal, vendetta-driven conspiracy.

🌍 Conspiracy

Moriarty's world-domination scheme drives the plot, turning global politics into a theatrical farce. To trap the mastermind, the story threads together an international cadre of detectives, highlighting the fragility of civilization in the face of grandiose plots. The farce satirizes grand conspiracies while poking fun at the fragility of truth in a world of doubles and distractions. The culmination suggests that power plays can be undone as easily by misdirection as by force.

🎬 Cameos

The party scene gathers iconic detectives from fiction—Columbo, Hercule Poirot, Sam Spade—into one televised-style crossover, heightening the spoof of crossover thrillers. Each figure is dispatched in a comic contest of wits, reinforcing the film’s penchant for absurd reversals. This meta-commentary pokes fun at fan service and the audience’s recognition of familiar sleuth archetypes. The sequence solidifies the film’s role as a playful pastiche of detective fiction.

Last Updated: October 05, 2025 at 08:43

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