- Actors: Virginia McKenna, Bill Travers, Peter Sellers, Margaret Rutherford, Bernard Miles
- Directors: Alvin Rakoff, Basil Dearden, Jeffrey Dell, Robert Day, Roy Boulting
- Writers: Jeffrey Dell, Alan Hackney, Ernest Gebler
- Format: Box set, PAL, Black & White, HiFi Sound, Mono
- Language English
- Region: Region 2 (This DVD may not be viewable outside Europe. Read more about DVD formats.)
- Number of discs: 4
- Classification: 15
- Studio: Momentum
- DVD Release Date: 15 Oct 2001
- Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
- ASIN: B00005OR5K
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 33,800 in Film & TV (See Top 100 in Film & TV)
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English
Region 2
Region 2
From the Back Cover
Four classic Peter Sellers films available for the first time on DVD. Includes "Carlton-Browne of the F.O.", "Hoffman", "The Smallest Show on Earth" and "Two Way Stretch".
Hoffman: Peter Sellers is Hoffman, a middle-aged misfit who blackmails his young and attractive secretary into spending a week with him. Although he behaves like a creep throughout the weekend he actually emerges as a sympathetic character in the end.
Two Way Stretch: While in prison, Peter Sellers has planned the perfect robbery. He intends to break out, steal a fortune in diamonds, and then break back into prison without anyone noticing he has been absent. With only a few days left of his sentence, and a perfect alibi -- what could possibly go wrong?
Carlton-Browne of the F.O. Peter Sellers is Amphibulos, the corrupt Prime Minister of a small Pacific Island who hopes to profit from renewed interest in the island from the British in the wake of the death of the island's king and the rumour of valuable mineral deposits being found on the island. Carlton Browne (Terry Thomas) is the hapless man sent from the Foreign Office to re-establish friendly relations with the idealistic heir to the throne (Ian Bannen).
The Smallest Show on Earth: Jean and Bill are a married couple trying to scrape a living. Out of the blue they receive a telegram informing them that Bill's long-lost uncle has died and left them his business -- a cinema in the town of Sloughborough. They expect to sell the cinema to gain a huge inheritance, however, when they get there they discover the cinema is falling apart and is run by three equally run-down attendants (Peter Sellers, Margaret Rutherford and Bernard Miles) who seem to have worked there forever.
On the DVD: Four randomly bunched films, two actually starring Sellers and two with him in fairly minor support. Aside from decent prints and letterboxing for Hoffman, the discs offer no extras, not even a Sellers filmography. Aside from Two Way Stretch, none of the films are first-rate Sellers, but they're all a long way from The Fiendish Plot of Dr Fu Manchu and the little-seen Hoffman shows the mercurial comedian in one of his occasional committed acting roles. --Kim Newman
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
36 of 37 people found the following review helpful
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.
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!
49 of 51 people found the following review helpful
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...
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...
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
The Peter Sellers Collection - a varied selection that shows several sides of the great man
16 Nov 2009
Picking four titles for a `Best of Peter Sellers' compilation would be a tough task, as there are so many possible candidates. The producers of this set seem to have gone for some less obvious choices that are designed to demonstrate the many sides of this great actor.
Four films are contained herein, The Smallest Show on Earth, Carlton Browne of the FO, Two Way Stretch and Hoffman.
The Smallest show on Earth follows the fortunes of a young couple who inherit an ancient cinema, complete with ancient staff. Sellers, made up to look very aged, plays the doddery old projectionist. This is a very touching and gentle comedy, typical of the time. Sellers gives a delicately nuanced performance that gets much sympathy from the audience. Also look out for him `starring' in some of the films being shown in the films being shown in the cinema.
Carlton Browne of the FO is a straight farce, following the trials and tribulations of an upper class twit sent to be the British representative in a banana republic and completely out of his depth. Sellers steals the film as the corrupt local.
Two Way Stretch is a great crime caper, in which Sellers, David Lodge and Bernard Cribbins need to escape from jail, do a robbery and break back in again, all in one night so as to establish the perfect alibi. This mixes together elements of straight comedy and serious robbery caper into one great whole. It is a forerunner to the highly successful Porridge.
Form me the star of the show is Hoffman, a curious little film about a middle aged man (Sellers) blackmailing a beautiful girl into spending a week alone with him in his flat. It starts off very creepily, and Sellers is genuinely disturbing (and to someone more familiar with Inspector Cluseau, very surprising) in this role. As the film progresses the relationship between the two gradually changes. This is a great folm, virtually a two hander and totally carried by Sellers, showing that he was a serious actor and not just adept at funny accents and pratfalls.
The films are all presented in their original aspect ratio, with stereo soundtracks. The picture quality is pretty good.
A great set that gives a taste of the many aspects of Sellers' great talent. Well worth getting.
Four films are contained herein, The Smallest Show on Earth, Carlton Browne of the FO, Two Way Stretch and Hoffman.
The Smallest show on Earth follows the fortunes of a young couple who inherit an ancient cinema, complete with ancient staff. Sellers, made up to look very aged, plays the doddery old projectionist. This is a very touching and gentle comedy, typical of the time. Sellers gives a delicately nuanced performance that gets much sympathy from the audience. Also look out for him `starring' in some of the films being shown in the films being shown in the cinema.
Carlton Browne of the FO is a straight farce, following the trials and tribulations of an upper class twit sent to be the British representative in a banana republic and completely out of his depth. Sellers steals the film as the corrupt local.
Two Way Stretch is a great crime caper, in which Sellers, David Lodge and Bernard Cribbins need to escape from jail, do a robbery and break back in again, all in one night so as to establish the perfect alibi. This mixes together elements of straight comedy and serious robbery caper into one great whole. It is a forerunner to the highly successful Porridge.
Form me the star of the show is Hoffman, a curious little film about a middle aged man (Sellers) blackmailing a beautiful girl into spending a week alone with him in his flat. It starts off very creepily, and Sellers is genuinely disturbing (and to someone more familiar with Inspector Cluseau, very surprising) in this role. As the film progresses the relationship between the two gradually changes. This is a great folm, virtually a two hander and totally carried by Sellers, showing that he was a serious actor and not just adept at funny accents and pratfalls.
The films are all presented in their original aspect ratio, with stereo soundtracks. The picture quality is pretty good.
A great set that gives a taste of the many aspects of Sellers' great talent. Well worth getting.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
honest retailer
I purchased this collection knowing the outside case was a little bit worn, the retailer was honest enough to tell me up front, this did not detract from the fantastic films... Read more
Published 10 months ago by Mr. Eric N. Taylor
Terry-Thomas
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...
Published on 27 May 2005 by J. E. S. Leake
The Peter Sellers? Collection
Hoffman and Two Way Stretch are two wonderful Sellers films, filled with dark wit and crazy fun respectively. Read more
Published on 16 Feb 2005 by "praise_pagan"
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