{"id":21956,"date":"2012-01-10T11:12:31","date_gmt":"2012-01-10T18:12:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=21956"},"modified":"2021-09-05T11:43:35","modified_gmt":"2021-09-05T18:43:35","slug":"smallest-show-on-earth-the-1957","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=21956","title":{"rendered":"Smallest Show on Earth, The (1957)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>&#8220;We&#8217;ve got to make the Bijou the best little cinema in this part of the country!&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n<table>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/Smallest-Show-on-Earth-Poster.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/Smallest-Show-on-Earth-Poster-206x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"206\" height=\"300\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-21959\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/Smallest-Show-on-Earth-Poster-206x300.jpg 206w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/Smallest-Show-on-Earth-Poster-88x128.jpg 88w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/Smallest-Show-on-Earth-Poster.jpg 520w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 206px) 100vw, 206px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Synopsis:<\/strong><br \/>\nWhen a writer (Bill Travers) and his wife (Virginia McKenna) inherit a rundown cinema (the Bijou) previously manned by three aging employees &#8212; a doorman (Bernard Miles), a ticket-taker (Margaret Rutherford), and a tippling projectionist (Peter Sellers) &#8212; they attempt to turn it into a going concern in order to convince their competitor (Francis De Wolff) to buy them out.\n<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p>\n<strong>Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Comedy<\/li>\n<li>Inheritance<\/li>\n<li>Margaret Rutherford Films<\/li>\n<li>Peter Sellers Films<\/li>\n<li>Rivalry<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Review: <\/strong><br \/>\nFilm fanatics will surely be inherently drawn to the subject matter of this comedy about a young couple trying to revive an ailing independent cinema house (which shows nothing but westerns!). Unfortunately, while there are some genuinely charming moments scattered throughout &#8212; and one definitely gains a renewed appreciation for the skill involved in running a movie theater &#8212; the storyline itself never really takes off, making this a good-natured situation comedy with much potential but too little pay-off. Once the central conflict is established &#8212; McKenna and Travers must convince De Wolff that they&#8217;re serious in their commitment to running the Bijou &#8212; all that&#8217;s left is to watch our intrepid cast attempt to make a go of things; but their antics are mildly amusing at best. Meanwhile, none of the three &#8220;elderly&#8221; characters &#8212; played by cinematic favorites Sellers, Rutherford, and a nearly-indistinguishable Miles &#8212; are sufficiently developed (or given enough screentime): <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/Smallest-Show-Three-Elderly.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/Smallest-Show-Three-Elderly-1024x750.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"469\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-65793\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/Smallest-Show-Three-Elderly-1024x750.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/Smallest-Show-Three-Elderly-300x220.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/Smallest-Show-Three-Elderly-128x94.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/Smallest-Show-Three-Elderly-768x562.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/Smallest-Show-Three-Elderly-369x270.png 369w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/Smallest-Show-Three-Elderly.png 1389w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&#8230; and the understated denouement is surprisingly discomfiting.  <\/p>\n<p><strong>Redeeming Qualities and Moments: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>An amusing look at the challenges of running an independent cinema house<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/Smallest-Show-Still.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/Smallest-Show-Still-1024x757.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"473\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-65790\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/Smallest-Show-Still-1024x757.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/Smallest-Show-Still-300x222.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/Smallest-Show-Still-128x95.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/Smallest-Show-Still-768x568.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/Smallest-Show-Still-365x270.png 365w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/Smallest-Show-Still.png 1381w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/Smallest-Show-Still3.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/Smallest-Show-Still3-1024x764.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"478\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-65789\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/Smallest-Show-Still3-1024x764.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/Smallest-Show-Still3-300x224.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/Smallest-Show-Still3-128x96.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/Smallest-Show-Still3-768x573.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/Smallest-Show-Still3-362x270.png 362w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/Smallest-Show-Still3.png 1379w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Must See? <\/strong><br \/>\nNo, though it&#8217;s worth a look, and will likely be endearing to most film fanatics, given its subject matter. Listed as a Sleeper in the back of Peary&#8217;s book.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Links: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0050985\/\">IMDb entry<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.thespinningimage.co.uk\/cultfilms\/displaycultfilm.asp?reviewid=1562&#038;aff=13\">Spinning Image Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.dvdtalk.com\/dvdsavant\/s744sell.html\">DVD Savant Review (scroll down)<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.timeout.com\/movies\/the-smallest-show-on-earth\">Time Out Capsule Review<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;We&#8217;ve got to make the Bijou the best little cinema in this part of the country!&#8221; Synopsis: When a writer (Bill Travers) and his wife (Virginia McKenna) inherit a rundown cinema (the Bijou) previously manned by three aging employees &#8212; a doorman (Bernard Miles), a ticket-taker (Margaret Rutherford), and a tippling projectionist (Peter Sellers) &#8212; they attempt to turn it into a going concern in order to convince their competitor (Francis De Wolff) to buy them out. Genres, Themes, Actors,&#8230;<\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more\"><a class=\"btn btn-default\" href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=21956\"> Read More<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">  Read More<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-21956","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-reviews"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21956","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=21956"}],"version-history":[{"count":12,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21956\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":75827,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21956\/revisions\/75827"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=21956"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=21956"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=21956"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}