Review of Peter Sellers Box Set

Introduction

Complementing the review by Chris Cox of the first two titles in this box set, this review will cover Two Way Stretch and The Smallest Show on Earth.

Two Way Stretch is the story of three prison lags that plan the biggest job of their life, but there`s only one problem. They are still in prison from the last job. Their plans of the perfect alibi are dealt a blow when a new Chief Prison Officer is appointed, a man they know only too well.

The Smallest Show on Earth is the story of a young couple that inherit an old fleapit cinema. Little do they realise that the cinema also comes complete with a staff of three who have been working there since it was first opened. Their plans to make a profit are quickly thrown into disarray.

Video

Two Way Stretch

A mixed bag with regards to the video quality of this disk. At times it is excellent, but more often than not it is below average. There is a noticeable amount of dirt on the print, which can be excused, as this is probably an old master, but the amount of flickering and variance of contrast in some scenes is a big disappointment.

The image is presented full frame 4:3 and is mostly bright and clear, but when the action moves inside variations in contrast become more obvious which does make this a pain to watch at times.

Smallest Show on Earth

This film is again presented in 4:3 but does not suffer from the contrast problems of Two Way Stretch. Again, there is a noticeable amount of dirt on the print, but this does not detract too much from the viewing experience.

The colours are handled quite well, especially when considering that a lot of the film was shot in a cinema, which is not the friendliest environment to shoot a black and white film.

Audio

Stereo soundtracks are employed for both discs and they do their jobs well. The dialogue is crisp and clear, whilst the incidental music and sound effects are especially characteristic of the era in which the films were produced.

Features

A static menu screen that is all the same quite well produced backs up the chapter selection area. The same image is used for all menu options.

There are no other extras at all, which is a shame, but can be understood given the age of the films.

Conclusion

Two Way Stretch has got to go down as one of my favourite films of all time and I have been waiting for a DVD release for quite a while. The edition is a little disappointing due to the problems with the video, but I find I can forgive these as the performances of the whole cast are just superb. Prison Officer Crout , played by Lionel Jeffries, is the embodiment of an ex military man trying to instil discipline into a prison community, so much so that his reputation precedes him.

For me Crout steals the show from Sellers, although all the main characters are so strong that any one of them could take on the mantle of the lead, including Beryl Reid, Wilfred Hyde White, Bernard Cribbins and David Lodge.

A marvellous film from the height of the British Comedy films industry that really does deserve a better treatment on DVD.

The Smallest Show on Earth is in my mind one of the weaker films that Sellers made. The cast has a good sprinkling of stars such as Leslie Phillips, Sid James and Margaret Rutherford, but it never really seems to come to life. The film is sometimes billed as a comedy of errors, although that can be taken two ways, one of which is being a bit unkind to the production!

A more complimentary way of describing this film is probably as a charming comedy, the sort of Sunday afternoon viewing that is put on when the football has been cancelled. Rutherford, who later went on to become the face of Miss Marple, gives a charming performance and Sellers plays an old man very well considering his age at the time of the film (32).

This is an enjoyable film, although not one I would especially wait to see. Peter Sellers has done better, but at the same time he has also made a lot worse.