Plot: What’s it about?
One of cinema’s all time greatest comic performers, Peter Sellers left behind a career loaded with unforgettable efforts. Sellers made his name in his native England and became a sensation there, both on the big screen and on television. After a number of successful British projects, he ventured to the United States to entertain the masses here. But his American work was less consistent than his British turns and as such, he never found the same level of mainstream success. When he was on however, Sellers could ignite the screen and gave American audiences some classic performances, without question. In this six disc collection from Anchor Bay, we’re shown some examples of his British pictures, a random sampling if you will, as these six films represent a broad base of genres. So if you’re a fan of Sellers and want to explore his resume, this collection would be a good starting point. You can also purchase five of the discs in separate releases, but Carlton-Browne of the F.O. is exclusive to this collection. I’ve included a brief synopsis for each film below, so enjoy The Peter Sellers Collection.
1. The Smallest Show on Earth- After a distant uncle passes on, Matt Spencer (Bill Travers) and his wife Jean (Virginia McKenna) find themselves with a handsome inheritance. The will has left them with a motion picture cinema, which sounds delightful, but when they arrive to inspect their new theater, the reality doesn’t match their expectations. The Bijou turns out to be a real dive, known to locals as the fleapit and as if that wasn’t enough, it comes complete with a staff of unusual, often incompetent workers. An offer from a rival theater owner once sounded fair, but it was quickly reduced once the desperation of the Spencers was made obvious. Now if they want to turn things around, they’ll have to work with the drunken projectionist (Peter Sellers), ancient usher (Bernard Miles), and other oddball employees to make The Bijou a top notch movie house again, but is that even possible anymore?
2. Heavens Above!- Reverend John Smallwood (Peter Sellers) works as a prison chaplain with an intense devotion to the scriptures. While others in his field also share that devotion, he is more idealistic and insistent that most of those around him. He expects his flock to adhere to the scriptures and do what they say no matter what, even if it doesn’t always result in positive ends. This never proves to be a problem in his prison work, but he is accidentally transferred to a wealthy town that draws its income from a single business, his tactics raise more than eyebrows. The local wealth comes from a medicine house owned by the Despards, one which manufactures Tranquilax, a well known sedative & laxative. Smallwood strikes up a friendship of sorts with Lady Despard (Isabel Jeans), telling her about the scriptures and their advice to the wealthy. When she goes overboard, sells her shares of the company, and uses the money to care for the poor, it sends the local economy into the toilet. With stores closing and ripples from the event hitting other cities, will the free market be able to survive Smallwood’s idealistic advice?
3. Hoffman- Benjamin Hoffman (Peter Sellers) is a middle-aged businessman who has found success at the office, but is lonely once he returns home. As he has grown tired of the social circus, but still craves companionship, he manages to coerce a beautiful young woman into spending a weekend at his home. The woman is Janet Smith (Sinead Cusack), a hot little number from his office’s typing pool and while she is engaged, she is forced to accept Hoffman’s invitation. She informs her fiance that her grandmother needs tending to and then she heads off to Hoffman’s place, unsure of what to expect from the experience. The weekend starts off with some darker moments, but as time passes, Janet realizes Hoffman isn’t all that he seems. She is able to take control at certain times, though he regains it at others, leading to a back and forth between the two. But when its all over, who will have benefited most from this unusual experience?
4. I’m All Right Jack- Stanley Windrush (Ian Carmichael) comes from a wealthy family, graduated from university with ease, and is prepared to take his place in the upper crust of business, but that won’t happen just yet. You see, his schooling yielded little to assist him in the real world and thanks to his spoiled upbringing, he is unready to cope with the harsh world of the common man. As such, he isn’t ready to take on a management position, so his uncle suggests he take a job as a laborer in his missile plant. Although Windrush finds this to be beneath him, he accepts and agrees to keep his ties to the owner a secret. His shop steward is Fred Kite (Peter Sellers), who is displeased with the amount of work Windrush does, as his enthusiasm could draw negative to the others, who don’t put up such impressive numbers. Soon enough, tension mounts between labor and management, but when all is said and done, will anyone be left to man the plant?
5. Two-Way Stretch- Dodger Lane (Peter Sellers) is a model inmate at Huntleigh Prison, where he lives a more comfortable lifestyle than most men on the outside. The cell he shares with Jelly (David Lodge) and Lennie (Bernard Cribbins) is lush and well furnished, while the men never want for the finer things in life, such as booze or snacks. With their release mere weeks off, it might seem as if escape weren’t even a worthwhile consideration, but an old friend arrives in disguise and unfolds a heist that the men can’t refuse. The three men would need to break out of prison, steal some jewels from a sultan, and then break back into prison before anyone notices they’re gone, giving them the perfect alibi. This idea pleases Lennie’s mother and Dodger’s girlfriend, so with what seems to be a flawless plan, the three mates sign on to handle the heist. But when their casual, laid back warden is replaced by a real hardcase, it puts their plan in serious jeopardy. Even with most of the pieces still in place, can this heist be pulled off?
6. Carlton-Browne of the F.O.- Cadogen de Vere Carlton-Browne (Terry-Thomas) works in the foreign relations department, which means serves as an envoy with foreign countries. But not the better known ones by any means, instead he is responsible for keeping up appearances with little known countries with minimal political presence. He isn’t often given much to do and even, even less in terms of important tasks, but when trouble surfaces in Gaillardia, a forgotten British colony, Carlton-Browne is dispatched. It seems some large deposits of a rare, valuable mineral have been found in Gaillardia and while it would seem England has the primary coverage, the Russians have shown immense interest in the area as well. The Prime Minister of Gaillardia, Amphibulos (Peter Sellers) tries to pull the wool over the visiting Carlton-Browne’s eyes, but so much at stake, can the bumbling envoy finally get something right this time?
Video: How does it look?
All six films are presented in 1.66:1 anamorphic widescreen. All were also filmed in black & white, except for the color production Hoffman and as per usual, Anchor Bay has managed to find some excellent source materials. There simply isn’t a bad treatment in this collection, so fans of Sellers should be very pleased here. I found the prints to be very clean, with minimal nicks and no real grain to report, which means the image is quite sharp and that means enhanced detail. The detail is high in all six films, though Hoffman does come off as a bit softer, which is odd, since it is the most recent picture found in this set. Even so, the smallest of details seem to be proper and well shown in this treatments, simply terrific work all around. The black & white films have superb black levels on showcase, while colors and contrast look great in Hoffman, so thanks to Anchor Bay, all six films look wonderful here.
Audio: How does it sound?
A mono soundtrack is included for each movie and while solid, the mixes sometimes suffer from the limitations of mono, as well as minor age related issues. I heard minimal hiss and distortion here, so age wasn’t too much of a factor with these mixes, but instances of wear & tear are evident. The music is as full as mono allows, while sound effects are clean and well placed also. I had no trouble with the dialogue either, as vocals seemed crisp and at a proper volume balance, never hard to hear or understand. Not a lot else we need here, since all six pictures are driven by dialogue and little else.
Supplements: What are the extras?
The sole supplement is an extensive talent file on Sellers, which is repeated on each of the discs in this collection.
