Peter Sellers was a comedy genius who rose from humble beginnings on “The Goon Show” to worldwide acclaim as the star of the “Pink Panther” films and “Dr Strangelove”. But in private he was a self-destructive, insecure shell of a man, unable to interact with others. This film shows what happens ... Read review
Sellers has long been acknowledged as one of the screen's greatest comic actors. In this ... more
biography Roger Lewis draws on over 300 interviews with Sellers's family wives mistresses enemies and co-stars to show how he succeeded and why it was at such a cost to himself and to those who he professed to love.
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Sellers has long been acknowledged as one of the screen's greatest comic actors. In this ... more
biography, Roger Lewis draws on over 300 interviews with Sellers's family, wives, mistresses, enemies and co-stars to show how he succeeded, and why it was at such a cost to himself and to those who he professed to love.
Original UK Quad; Rolled Poster; Poster Condition: New; Size: 40 x 30 inches approx. All ... more
our items are despatched from the United Kingdom. Starring - Geoffrey Rush, Charlize Theron, Emily Watson, John Lithgow, Miriam Margolyes, Manufacturer: MoviePostersDirect
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Production Year: 2003 - Drama - Director: Michael Winterbottom - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring: Tim Robbins, Samantha Morton, Om Puri, Jeanne Balibar
Production Year: 2004 - Drama - Director: Nick Cassavetes - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over, 12 years and over - Starring: Rachel McAdams, Ryan Gosling, Gena Rowlands
Advantages: Fantastic performances all round, inventive Disadvantages: Abrupt ending, missing chunks of Sellers' life
...Show” to worldwide acclaim as the star of the “Pink Panther” films and “Dr Strangelove”. But in private he was a self-destructive, insecure shell of a man, unable to interact with others. This film shows what happens when there is no-one behind the mask of a clown.
Director Stephen Hopkins is a man who knows how to milk a gimmick, having previously directed TV’s “24”. In his adaptation of Roger Lewis’ biography of the same name he ... ...of a thousand faces) plays the most important people on his life. He uses their voices to justify his behaviour or to put the words into their mouths that he wants to hear them say. It is one of many aspects that gives the film the air of a Blake Edwards movie, as does the gleeful animated intro, the preponderance of big name stars and the episodic nature of the narrative. It presents Sellers’ life as a film set, with the man himself often stepping ... more
Peter Sellers was a comedy genius who rose from humble beginnings on “The Goon Show” to worldwide acclaim as the star of the “Pink Panther” films and “Dr Strangelove”. But in private he was a self-destructive, insecure shell of a man, unable to interact with others. This film shows what happens when there is no-one behind the mask of a clown.
Director Stephen Hopkins is a man who knows how to milk a gimmick, having previously directed TV’s “24”. In his adaptation of Roger Lewis’ biography of the same name he has eschewed the standard approach to the biopic, deciding instead to employ surreal interludes in which Peter Sellers (man of a thousand faces) plays the most important people on his life. He uses their voices to justify his behaviour or to put the words into their mouths that he wants to hear them say. It is one of many aspects that gives the film the air of a Blake Edwards movie, as does the gleeful animated intro, the preponderance of big name stars and the episodic nature of the narrative. It presents Sellers’ life as a film set, with the man himself often stepping out of the reality of his life and into his imagination as he becomes the people around him. This cinematic theme is echoed in Sellers’ documentation of his life through cinefilms and photography. It is a strangely apt tribute to a man who was only ever happy when he was portraying someone else.
Geoffrey Rush is fantastic as Peter Sellers. Much like the character he is playing, he has a chameleonic talent for inhabiting a character (as evidenced by his Oscar-winning turn in “Shine”). He portrays Sellers as a man without personality or opinions of his own, who consequently seeks people to control him in the same way as his domineering mother Peg. He captures the acting genius of Sellers whilst convincing as a domestic tyrant whose childish fits of pique destroy every relationship he enters into. He comes across as a control freak frustrated by his inability to make decisions or affect the world around him. Though supremely creative in his career he is ultimately a husk of a man with a talent for self-destruction. Just look at the scene where his mother visits him on the set of “Dr Strangelove”, only for him to stay in character as the Nazi doctor throughout. Rush’s performances as other characters filtered through Sellers’ imagination are also pretty good, mimicking their voices and body language with aplomb. Unfortunately this in turn undermines the hard work being put in by the other actors. Why push them off screen when they are doing such a good job?
Emily Watson is always watchable and here she proves no different at Sellers’ put upon first wife, Anne. Hers is a subtle performance that shows a woman in the process of having her almost boundless patience tested to breaking point. Anne’s love for Peter is never in doubt and we feel for her as she is pushed into the arms of another man by her husband’s obsession with Sophia Loren. She is at her best in the scene where, after returning from a night with her lover, she discovers Peter has trashed their London flat and he then threatens to leap off the balcony. Her patience turns to anger and her inner strength is revealed.
The performances throughout are uniformly good. Miriam Margoyles is indomitable as stage mother Peg; “Bite the hand that feeds you. There will always be another hand. And they’ll marvel at how sharp your teeth are.” Charlize Theron puts in another excellent performance as Peter’s second wife Britt Ekland, bringing the right mix of exotic eroticism and little girl charm to the part. Peter Vaughn says all he needs to by barely uttering a word as Sellers’ dad. John Lithgow brings vim and verve to the role of Blake Edwards, but Stanley Tucci never quite manages to pull off the role of Stanley Kubrick. Stephen Fry remembers he can act as Peter’s “spiritual advisor” Maurice Woodruff, who is portrayed as a charlatan taking orders from others in order to control Sellers’ career.
The director manages shot-for-shot recreations of some of Sellers’ most iconic roles, sometimes making it difficult to differentiate between Rush and the real Sellers. Changing times are signposted by the soundtrack that skips merrily along from Tom Jones to the Rolling Stones, David Bowie and The Clash. Period costumes are lovingly recreated, as are interior design styles to add to the sense of time passing. The make-up department did a first class job, at times rendering Rush and his alter ego indistinguishable from each other.
The film is by no means perfect; it skates over large portions of Sellers’ life, seemingly only interested in those where celebrities are in evidence. We hear nothing of his last two marriages and the film ends rather abruptly with a surtitle giving a few facts and figures about the end of the actor’s life. Considering that the film is called “The Life and Death of Peter Sellers” it seems bizarre that we don’t see his death. Even stranger is the decision to end the film on a scene where Sellers and Edwards meet, only for Sellers to stand outside the restaurant, refusing to speak or even move. It’s almost as though the film-makers ran out of money before they could finish the film. The fantastic acting, particularly the magnetic central performance from Geoffrey Rush, makes up for many of the film’s shortcomings. Your enjoyment of the film will largely depend on how interested you are in the life of Peter Sellers and if you value great acting over big bangs. That being said there are sex, drugs and rock ’n’ roll knocking about and more fast cars than you can shake a stick at. Take a step into the mind of a genius and see what a scary place it can be.
Advantages: Superb acting by Geoffrey Rush Disadvantages: Sellers' apparent 'non-personality'
...become much more aware of the time I spend watching the BBC channels recently. Frankly, it's not a whole lot. But occasionally they do have some excellent programmes on, one of which was this film, albeit hidden away rather late on a Saturday night on BBC 2. The mention of Peter Sellers' name transports me instantly back to my childhood and evenings in with my mum watching The Pink Panther. I've never known a great deal about his private life, however, ... ...one of the best actors of our time in my opinion was much welcomed.
The story
The film starts at the beginning of Sellers' television career, when he moved from radio to The Goons. At the time, Peter is married to his first wife, Anne, with whom he has two children. It is immediately obvious that Peter has some kind of mental health issue; his mood swings are great, his behaviour erratic and his family, although devoted to him, struggle to cope. ...
sunmeilan 04.10.2006
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of The Life And Death Of Peter Sellers (DVD)
Advantages: Good performances, interesting style Disadvantages: Not good if you are looking for comedy!
...so well in public.
The film manages to cover most of his life and starts by introducing you to one of his strongest relationships, that beween him and his mother - which runs throughout the film, it touches on the history of the family - how his mother had been on the stage herself and how he had been encouraged in this area from an early age.
It then goes on to show how Sellars firstly known for his hilarious roles in the Goon show wanted to build ... ...as I'm alright Jack and The Mouse That Roared but Sellars wanted much more.
The film shows the brilliant moment where Sellers appears in his agents office and is offered the role of Clouseau that has just been turned down by Peter Ustinov - his initial reaction to the offer and his agents careful manipulation of him that would lead to his biggest film success to date.
The film portays Sellers as a tormented man - who always wanted more, nothing ...
martin2048 20.10.2004
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of The Life And Death Of Peter Sellers (DVD)
Advantages: Fascinating subject, good performances Disadvantages: Overlong and too gimmicky
...carving out a career as the actress who looks like people - see also Monster). This is a good start.
Peter Sellers is, in many ways, ideal biopic material: a stunningly talented, deeply unpleasant and weird man with a dominating mother. For long stretches when this film is merely recording Sellers's career it is fascinating stuff. The problem lies with Geoffrey Rush. Not content with playing Peter Sellers (which he does extremely well) and most ... ...Blake Edwards and Stanley Kubrick. The point of these moments is unclear except to show off Rush's versatility as an actor. Unfortunately, Geoffrey Rush is not quite as versatile as he likes to think he is. These characterisations, who address the camera directly, bear little relation either to Sellers himself or the actors who portray the people for the rest of the film. The end result is a film that becomes more about Geoffrey Rush than about Peter ...
Drdad 21.08.2005
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of The Life And Death Of Peter Sellers (DVD)
Advantages: Quirky style with a surprising life story. Disadvantages: My god it was long!!
...his films but didn't realise the extent of his impact on British celebrity culture.
I loved the quirky format of this film. It took quite a story with a dark undertone and combined it with bright colours and buckets of enthusiasm to keep the audience unsure of how to feel and so engaged by this confusion.
Geoffrey Rush was superb both as Sllers but also in the short breaks in the narrative where he plays other characters. These particular scenes ... ...My min complaint is the sheer length of it. I watched it in two sittings so it didn't seem like such a commitment but hats off to anyone who watched it in one go!
I like this film, it refreshes a filming legend long departed in a wonderfully colouful way and makes you really feel for the people that Peter Sellers had around him. The other actors in the film also delivered excellent performances and the moments of mad humour (for example Sellers' ...
mollbird 06.05.2006 (07.05.2006)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of The Life And Death Of Peter Sellers (DVD)
Traces the life of the popular BBC radio performer as he is catapulted into the limelight to become one of the most significant comedy actors of the twentieth century.
Release details
DVD Region
DVD
Studio(s)
Icon Home Entertainment; Warner Home Video
Release date
18/04/2005
No of Discs
1
Catalogue No
D 025396
Barcode
7321900253963
Languages
Main Language
English
Technical information
Special Features
Audio Commentary With Actor Geoffrey Rush And Director Stephen Hopkins, Audio Commentary With Screenwriters Christopher Markus And Stephen McFeeley, 8 Deleted Scenes, The Making Of
Aspect Ratio
1.85 Wide Screen
Sound
Dolby Digital 5.1
Dubbing Sound
Dolby Digital 5.1 English
Professional reviews
Review
One of the most enjoyable films I've seen this year... A fabulous performance from Geoffrey Rush (Jonathan Ross - Film 2004, )
Charlize Theron perfectly captures Ekland's voluptuous exoticism... Geoffrey Rush's performance is Oscar worthy (Total Film, )
DVD Description
A co-production from the BBC and HBO, THE LIFE AND DEATH OF PETER SELLERS is a compelling dramatisation of the late comic actor's life. Geoffrey Rush (SHINE) stars as Sellers, delivering a remarkable performance that deftly vacillates between the light and dark sides of Sellers' personality. Diving headlong into his character, Rush portrays Sellers' many cinematic triumphs--including a wonderful turn as bumbling detective Inspector Clouseau--as well as offering a harrowing glimpse into his personal life. Taking his radio work with THE GOON SHOW as a starting point, director Stephen Hopkins traces Sellers descent into the hands of his own personal demons. Illustrating how Sellers' relationship with his mother deeply affected him, Hopkins' film progresses to show how his personal failings began to get the better of him. Known for having an uncontrollable temper and succumbing to many bouts of selfish, and explosively violent, temper-tantrums, Sellers hit some remarkable low points in his life. Talking of 'dark nights of the soul' may have become something of a cliche when discussing the private lives of cinematic funnymen, but the beatings that Sellers meted out to several of his wives should be classified as just that. Ultimately, THE LIFE AND DEATH OF PETER SELLERS is an unflinching portrait of a highly schizophrenic performer who couldn't bring even a modicum of the happiness he gave to millions of people on the cinema screen into his personal life. Despite his talent, it becomes hard, if not impossible, to warm to Sellers, with Hopkins leaving little room for remorse for the late actor, who died from a heart attack in his 54th year.
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