British comedy-writing legends Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais wrote this funny satire about West Indies-style politics and the decline of British colonialism in the Thatcher Era. Elements of the story were also inspired by the 1982 Falklands conflict (when Argentina invaded the British overseas territory in the south-west Atlantic Ocean).
Set on a fictional Caribbean island (Cascara) owned by Britain but largely left to its own devices, the story centres around the discovery of a lucrative resource – the natural mineral water of the title – and the reaction of people on the island and other nations.
Location shooting for the fictional British Caribbean colony of Cascara took place in the real former British Caribbean colony of St. Lucia in the West Indies.
The stand-out cast features Brits Leonard Rossiter, Billy Connolly, Maureen Lipman and Fulton Mackay and Americans Valerie Perrine, Fred Gwynne, Ruby Wax and Jimmie Walker.
The charity rock band featured at the end of the movie – The Singing Rebels – features George Harrison (whose Handmade Films produced the movie), Ringo Starr, Eric Clapton and Jon Lord (of Deep Purple).
Baxter
Michael Caine Pamela
Valerie Perrine Dolores
Brenda Vaccaro Sir Malcolm
Leonard Rossiter Delgado
Billy Connolly Rob
Dennis Dugan Eric
Fulton Mackay Jay Jay
Jimmie Walker Deke Halliday
Dick Shawn Spender
Fred Gwynne Pepito
Trevor Laird Garfield
Chris Tummings Nado
Kelvin Omard Miguel
Oscar James Ken
Charles Thomas Murphy Sarah
Felicity Dean Ben
William Hootkins Charlesworth
Alan Shearman Hollister
Bill Bailey Foreign Secretary
Richard Pearson Prime Minister
Maureen Lipman Kessler
Paul Heiney UN Secretary-General
Rashid Karapiet Pierre
Alfred Molina Spenco Executive
Ruby Wax
Set on a fictional Caribbean island (Cascara) owned by Britain but largely left to its own devices, the story centres around the discovery of a lucrative resource – the natural mineral water of the title – and the reaction of people on the island and other nations.
