The Smallest Show on Earth

From the 60s through to the present day Patrick Church has worked in the cinema from Peterborough through to Bury St Edmunds. In The Smallest Show on Earth he takes us through that experience in an autobiography that draws the reader into the trials and joys of a being a projectionist screening blockbusters like ‘Jaws' and a curious period of Indian films where half the time is spent splicing the films back together.The role of projectionist was always a low paid, but with the advent of TV and bingo and other demands on people's time it also became a precarious one as the decades rolled by. Sometimes Patrick had to plead his case as cinemas changed hands from ABC, to Odeon and bingo conglomerates, just to keep his job going and the buildings in operation. The fact that he succeeded is testament to his love for cinema and this passion shines through in this engaging book.

Patrick Church has worked in cinema from the 60s through to the present day. His passion for it shines through in The Smallest Show on Earth, this engaging autobiography. Spending most of his career as a projectionist Patrick shows how he guided cinema through the competitive advent of TV and continues on in a Picturehouse in Bury St Edmunds.