Very Important Person (film)

Very Important Person is a 1961 British comedy film directed by Ken Annakin and starring James Robertson Justice, Stanley Baxter, and Frankie Howerd.

The film follows the adventures of Sir Ernest Pease (James Robertson Justice), a renowned but eccentric scientist developing a top-secret radar device for the Royal Air Force during World War II. Pease is portrayed as an irascible and difficult individual, treated as a "very important person" (VIP) due to the vital nature of his work.

When Pease accidentally bails out of an aircraft over occupied France, he is mistaken for a captured airman, Flight Lieutenant Farrow (Stanley Baxter). The Germans are keen to acquire any VIP prisoners, leading to much confusion and slapstick comedy as Pease tries to maintain his anonymity while avoiding capture and assisting in the escape of real POWs. Meanwhile, Farrow, back in England, struggles with the bureaucratic red tape and preferential treatment he receives as the supposed scientist.

The humor of the film derives from the contrast between Pease's gruff personality and the high regard in which he is held, as well as the situational irony of his predicament. The film satirizes the British class system and the deference shown to individuals perceived as being of high status or importance, particularly in a wartime context. The film features a supporting cast including Leslie Phillips and Eric Sykes.