Rent The Smallest Show on Earth (1957)

3.6 of 5 from 88 ratings
1h 13min
Rent The Smallest Show on Earth (aka Big Time Operators) Online DVD & Blu-ray Rental
  • General info
  • Available formats
Synopsis:
Overjoyed to learn that they've inherited a cinema in the north of England, Matt (Bill Travers) and Jean (Virginia McKenna) Spenser are subsequently shattered to find it's less of a grand picture palace and more of a fleapit (with three equally decrepit employees). Can the couple make a go of it or will they be forced to sell up and watch the Bijou Kinema be redeveloped into a car park?
Actors:
, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Directors:
Producers:
Michael Relph
Writers:
William Rose, John Eldridge
Aka:
Big Time Operators
Studio:
Momentum Pictures
Genres:
Classics, Comedy
Collections:
A Brief History of Old Age on Screen: Part 2, A History of Cinemas in Films, Cinema Paradiso's 2022 Centenary Club, Getting to Know..., Getting to Know: Sidney James, People of the Pictures, Remembering Leslie Phillips, A Brief History of Film..., The Instant Expert's Guide, The Instant Expert's Guide to Basil Dearden
BBFC:
Release Date:
08/07/2002
Run Time:
73 minutes
Languages:
English Dolby Digital 2.0
Subtitles:
None
DVD Regions:
Region 2
Formats:
Pal
Aspect Ratio:
Full Screen 1.33:1 / 4:3
Colour:
B & W
BBFC:
Release Date:
11/03/2019
Run Time:
81 minutes
Languages:
English Dolby Digital 1.0, English LPCM Mono
Subtitles:
English
Formats:
Pal
Aspect Ratio:
Widescreen 1.66:1
Colour:
B & W
BLU-RAY Regions:
B
Bonus:
  • Alternative Main Titles (Mute)
  • Image Gallery
  • PDF Material

More like The Smallest Show on Earth

Reviews (4) of The Smallest Show on Earth

Charming Comedy. - The Smallest Show on Earth review by Steve

Spoiler Alert
07/10/2013

Short, nostalgic comedy which honours the long history of local British cinemas, just as many were closing down or being converted into bingo halls. A nice middle class couple inherit and restore a small, dilapidated fleapit and begin to show films again despite many comical and sentimental complications.

The cinema building was adapted from the Victorian theatre and Edwardian music hall, and there is an impression of an evolving cultural tradition in jeopardy. And there is the warmth that comes from people doing work out of the love of things.

Bill Travers and Virginia McKenna don't have much sparkle in the lead roles, despite being married in real life... The heart of the film is the support characters played by Margaret Rutherford, Bernard Miles and a greyed up Peter Sellers, who are the eccentric, long standing staff of the old picture house.

There's a beautiful scene when the old timers watch a silent film on the big screen, transfixed and united by reminiscence and the magic of celluloid. There are no big laughs. It's a wistful, gentle film which laments the local cinema as it slipped out of fashion. 

2 out of 2 members found this review helpful.

Hilarious classic - The Smallest Show on Earth review by CP Customer

Spoiler Alert
20/06/2018

For the older generation, a trip down memory lane with some great stars. Bill Travers and Virginia McKenna were a fine teaming - they later co-starred in "Born Free". What a hilarious place to put a cinema! Very enjoyable.

2 out of 2 members found this review helpful.

The film feels old, like the cinema - The Smallest Show on Earth review by Maureen

Spoiler Alert
21/01/2020

My wife and looked forward to seeing this film again. It concerns a couple who inherit a decrepit old cinema, with a decrepit old staff, We enjoyed it many years ago but no longer as we felt it had passed its sell-by date, so we pressed the eject button.

George Roby/

1 out of 1 members found this review helpful.

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