Customer Reviews:
Terry-Thomas.......2005-05-28
Hooray! Carlton-Browne is on DVD! Forget Sellers, always a bit irritating dodgy as an actor, and stick with Terry-Thomas, an actor far funnier...
The Peter Sellers? Collection.......2005-02-16
Hoffman and Two Way Stretch are two wonderful Sellers films, filled with dark wit and crazy fun respectively. However, Carlton-Browne and The Smallest Show only feature Sellers in minor roles! With Being There, Dr Strangelove, The Party and a wealth of other leading roles - why pick two minor roles? CB of the FO is a Terry-Thomas vehicle and the TSSOEarth does not stand out from a load of similar quaint 50s & 60s comedies. The DVD is worth buying for the first two (and it is lovingly presented in its boxset), but it just seems a bit of a waste.
At last! Peter Sellers' greatest moments on DVD!.......2001-11-08
This DVD contains four Peter Sellers films of what can be called "his British era". The all time classic "Two Way Stretch" is here, along with the very amusing "Carlton Browne of The FO", the moving "The Smallest Show On Earth" and "Hoffman", a film which is in the Top-10 of the Best, more underestimated films of film history! Especially the last is a true diamond, in which Sellers reveals another approach of acting from what is known in the public (but not his fanatic fans!).
Yet, it is very dissapointing that the production of the DVD fails to meet the expectations, as the DVD is nothing more than 4 films of Sellers thrown all together in the market...There are no extras, no trailers, no commentaries, no filmograpy, not even subtitles (which I find a terrible offense for the disabled or the non-native english viewers). If they'd just take a walk at the BFI, I'm absolutely sure they'd find some material...Why? No answer expected...
Whatever the goal of the production is, this is a DVD set with nice picture and sound and something no real fan of Pete Sellers or British's cinema should pass by...
Getting There..........2001-10-27
Four classics from the master of character comedy, the late great Peter Sellers...
Two-Way Stretch, is one of Sellers most fondly remembered british made capers. A very funny story played out by a cast on top form...classic.
The Smallest Show on Earth, a quaint, twee little comedy about a young couple who inherit a run down little cinema and it's very eccentric staff of whom Sellers plays the old drunken projectionist...british acting greats showing off their comedic skills...hhhmmm, nice.
Carlton Browne of the F.O., Sellers first film with the Boulting Brothers, all about international politics and british diplomacy surrounding some far flung colonial island somewhere on the planet...a fun little film.
Hoffman, A really dark "comic" performance from Sellers as a middle aged man who blackmails his pretty young secretary into staying with him for a while...so he can seduce her. It's tense and quite unerving in places, Sellers at first comes across as very cold and distant...but will you warm to him? - Will his secretary warm to him?
And will he reveal what he's really like? - An intriguing and very underated film worth seeing.
As a DVD set it's nicely presented, the lack of extras is dissapointing but hardly surprising with the age of some of the films. Picture quality is pretty good for their age, the sound is crisp and very clear, of course the price is pretty good for 4 films! Lets hope we get more Sellers movies on DVD...Enjoy!
Amazon.co.uk Review
An amiable knock-off of the Ealing comedy style, The Smallest Show on Earth starts with aspiring novelist Bill Travers and his "nice gel" wife Virginia McKenna inheriting a cinema from a hitherto unknown uncle and discovering that it isn't the sumptuous modern Grand, which specialises in those "smash 'em in the face, knock 'em over the waterfront" pictures, but the decrepit Bijou, known locally as "the fleapit". The initial plan, set up by lawyer Leslie Phillips, is to sell off the cinema to the owner of the Grand so he can knock it down to make a car park, but our heroes are put off by the arrogant bullying of the rival manager (Francis De Wolff) and succumb to the inept charms of the crazed, aged staff--drunken projectionist Peter Sellers, doddery commissionaire Bernard Miles and dotty ticket lady Margaret Rutherford (who joined the team as a piano accompanist).
In the 1950s, there was a run of gentle British comedies in which outmoded and broken-down local institutions (steam trains, tugboats, vintage cars) were saved by collections of committed eccentrics who despised the new-fangled bus services or soulless council bureaucracies and were willing to resort to a little larceny (in this case, arson). The Smallest Show slots in perfectly with the cycle, getting laughs from the Bijou's already outmoded programme of scratchy Westerns and desert dramas (which increase ice cream sales) and sentiment over the staff's midnight screenings of silent movies that remind them of better days. It's likeable rather than hilarious, with Sellers and Miles buried under crepe hair and fake wrinkles competing to out-dodder each other and losing the picture to the inimitable Rutherford, who doesn't have to fake her eccentricity. Pin-up, June Cunningham, is the glamorous usherette and Sid James plays her annoyed Dad.
On the DVD: The Smallest Show on Earth is presented in a decent print, but with no extras. The film is also available as part of the four-disc Peter Sellers Collection. --Kim Newman
Customer Reviews:
ABSOLUTE GEM OF A MOVIE - AND NOT EDITED AT ALL!.......2008-01-15
Don't be deterred from buying this wonderful DVD by the aforementioned question of running time. ALL Region 2 versions of movies - that is, any disc using the PAL television system - will seem to be shorter than the running time given in film-books and databases. The latter usually take the original cinema screening time, but the PAL system has to play the programme slightly faster thereby cutting the playback time by about 3 minutes in every hour. The Region 1 (NTSC) system more closely approximates to the theatrical run time but even that is not exact. Check up on the specifications of the two systems for a fuller explanation, but rest assured that if a movie on a PAL disc seems to be about 4 minutes shorter than stated elsewhere that does not mean it has been cut or edited. It's merely an anomaly of the technology. Hope that helps.
WHY THE CUTS ? (CHECK THE TIMING!).......2007-08-30
Not a review, really. Just a question. Why, on most of the DVDs available, have we lost 3 - 4 minutes from this gem of a film ? Is there something in it that is offensive ? Has some wannabe editor or director decided that they can do better ? To hack any decent film that lasts only 80 minutes is bad enough, but to lacerate this priceless little gem with scissors is nothing short of criminal. And impertinent.
CHECK THE TIMING BEFORE YOU ORDER. You'll be glad you did.
A shame about the cuts, get the full version!.......2007-01-22
There is no doubt that this is one of the most charming English films of the 1950s. Sadly this version listed as 77 minutes is actually 73 minutes, the original version being 81 minutes. The changes that this origonally delightful film has been subject to, are quite unnecessary, the editing only detracts from the enjoyment of the film. Take my advice and get an unedited version. You will like it so much more.
A True British Comedy Classic.......2006-02-04
This 1957 classic ranks next to my all-time favourite classic British comedies. Husband and wife team, Bill Travers, and Virginia McKenna inherit a run-down cinema along with its staff, Margaret Rutherford, and the excellent Peter Sellers as the elderly projectionist. Their inheritance pays off, but cathces the shady intentions of their rival (Francis De Wolff- better known as the shape-changing robot, Jedikiah, in two episodes of, "The Tomorrow People").
The film must be seen. Grab the chance while you can. Very highly recommended.
The Smallest Show On Earth.......2006-01-09
This is a well crafted film, boasting teriffic atmosphere and a cracking cast. The story involves a young couple inheriting a small, run-down provincial cinema and going into competition with a nearby mega-cinema in the hope of attracting an offer from the larger cinema to purchase the business (which the inheriting couple didn't really want). The plot when discovered by their haphazard staff causes much upset and a series of upsetting (comedic) events then follows. Excellent performances are given by amongst others: Margaret Rutherford; Peter Sellers and Leslie Philips
Customer Reviews:
Deliciously Dotty - delightfully English........2007-08-30
The story of a cinema - or Kinema, as Margaret Rutherford's elderly usherette insists on calling it. This charming little film was never meant to change the world, but it's warm-hearted and funny with some lovely performances, and devotees of Peter Sellers will find plenty to enjoy.
This is a little classic, not least because of its delicious performances and its essential 'Englishness' (meaning that in the best sense of the word.)If you've never seen it, treat yourself - it's cheap enough!
Amazon.co.uk Review
An amiable knock-off of the Ealing comedy style, The Smallest Show on Earth starts with aspiring novelist Bill Travers and his "nice gel" wife Virginia McKenna inheriting a cinema from a hitherto unknown uncle and discovering that it isn't the sumptuous modern Grand, which specialises in those "smash 'em in the face, knock 'em over the waterfront" pictures, but the decrepit Bijou, known locally as "the fleapit". The initial plan, set up by lawyer Leslie Phillips, is to sell off the cinema to the owner of the Grand so he can knock it down to make a car park, but our heroes are put off by the arrogant bullying of the rival manager (Francis De Wolff) and succumb to the inept charms of the crazed, aged staff--drunken projectionist Peter Sellers, doddery commissionaire Bernard Miles and dotty ticket lady Margaret Rutherford (who joined the team as a piano accompanist).
In the 1950s, there was a run of gentle British comedies in which outmoded and broken-down local institutions (steam trains, tugboats, vintage cars) were saved by collections of committed eccentrics who despised the new-fangled bus services or soulless council bureaucracies and were willing to resort to a little larceny (in this case, arson). The Smallest Show slots in perfectly with the cycle, getting laughs from the Bijou's already outmoded programme of scratchy Westerns and desert dramas (which increase ice cream sales) and sentiment over the staff's midnight screenings of silent movies that remind them of better days. It's likeable rather than hilarious, with Sellers and Miles buried under crepe hair and fake wrinkles competing to out-dodder each other and losing the picture to the inimitable Rutherford, who doesn't have to fake her eccentricity. Pin-up, June Cunningham, is the glamorous usherette and Sid James plays her annoyed Dad.
On the DVD: The Smallest Show on Earth is presented in a decent print, but with no extras. The film is also available as part of the four-disc Peter Sellers Collection. --Kim Newman
Customer Reviews:
ABSOLUTE GEM OF A MOVIE - AND NOT EDITED AT ALL!.......2008-01-15
Don't be deterred from buying this wonderful DVD by the aforementioned question of running time. ALL Region 2 versions of movies - that is, any disc using the PAL television system - will seem to be shorter than the running time given in film-books and databases. The latter usually take the original cinema screening time, but the PAL system has to play the programme slightly faster thereby cutting the playback time by about 3 minutes in every hour. The Region 1 (NTSC) system more closely approximates to the theatrical run time but even that is not exact. Check up on the specifications of the two systems for a fuller explanation, but rest assured that if a movie on a PAL disc seems to be about 4 minutes shorter than stated elsewhere that does not mean it has been cut or edited. It's merely an anomaly of the technology. Hope that helps.
WHY THE CUTS ? (CHECK THE TIMING!).......2007-08-30
Not a review, really. Just a question. Why, on most of the DVDs available, have we lost 3 - 4 minutes from this gem of a film ? Is there something in it that is offensive ? Has some wannabe editor or director decided that they can do better ? To hack any decent film that lasts only 80 minutes is bad enough, but to lacerate this priceless little gem with scissors is nothing short of criminal. And impertinent.
CHECK THE TIMING BEFORE YOU ORDER. You'll be glad you did.
A shame about the cuts, get the full version!.......2007-01-22
There is no doubt that this is one of the most charming English films of the 1950s. Sadly this version listed as 77 minutes is actually 73 minutes, the original version being 81 minutes. The changes that this origonally delightful film has been subject to, are quite unnecessary, the editing only detracts from the enjoyment of the film. Take my advice and get an unedited version. You will like it so much more.
A True British Comedy Classic.......2006-02-04
This 1957 classic ranks next to my all-time favourite classic British comedies. Husband and wife team, Bill Travers, and Virginia McKenna inherit a run-down cinema along with its staff, Margaret Rutherford, and the excellent Peter Sellers as the elderly projectionist. Their inheritance pays off, but cathces the shady intentions of their rival (Francis De Wolff- better known as the shape-changing robot, Jedikiah, in two episodes of, "The Tomorrow People").
The film must be seen. Grab the chance while you can. Very highly recommended.
The Smallest Show On Earth.......2006-01-09
This is a well crafted film, boasting teriffic atmosphere and a cracking cast. The story involves a young couple inheriting a small, run-down provincial cinema and going into competition with a nearby mega-cinema in the hope of attracting an offer from the larger cinema to purchase the business (which the inheriting couple didn't really want). The plot when discovered by their haphazard staff causes much upset and a series of upsetting (comedic) events then follows. Excellent performances are given by amongst others: Margaret Rutherford; Peter Sellers and Leslie Philips
DVD:
- Pinky [1949] (REGION 1) (NTSC)
- Pinocchio : Special Edition [1940]
- Pippin [1982] (REGION 1) (NTSC)
- Platoon [1987]
- Playtime [1967] (REGION 1) (NTSC)
- Postman Pat Clowns Around [2004]
- Postman Pat - Popstars
- Prokofiev: Romeo & Juliet [2000]
- Real Pirates Of The Caribbean
- Richard Burton's Hamlet [1964] (NTSC)
DVD List
DVD
![Peter Sellers - Hoffman / The Smallest Show On Earth / Carlton-Browne Of The F.O./ Two Way Stretch [1957]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/21W7HEVCVFL.jpg)
All Classics
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Peter Sellers Collection - Comic Icons
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Terry-Thomas Collection - Comic Icons
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![The Smallest Show On Earth [1957] (REGION 1) (NTSC)](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/21WD2CXRAJL.jpg)
![The Smallest Show on Earth [1957] (REGION 1) (NTSC)](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/21lbwxIbROL.jpg)
