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The Life and Death of Peter Sellers

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Geoffrey Rush will no doubt win every award available to him in this bravura performance for this BBC/HBO production. Based on the rather tabloid-sleaze biography by Roger Lewis, it presents a portrait of a demented, self-obsessed man who hurts everyone he comes in contact with. Taking into consideration the final facts stated in the film (he left his children $ 2,000.00 apiece) there is probably more truth than one would care to believe in this account of Peter Sellers, which starts with his appearances on The Goon Show, shows his twisted relationship with his mother, the women he abused in various ways, his difficult behavior on the movie sets, and ends during the time of "Being There", the award-winning 1979 film about a gardener who becomes a politician.

Geoffrey Rush is phenomenal as Sellers; and I especially like the scenes when he becomes his mother, as well as Blake Edwards. Rush is made to look somewhat like Sellers, but it is the body language and the verbal inflection that makes this portrayal so convincing.
Others in the cast are also excellent: Miriam Margoyles as his mother, Emily Watson as wife # 1, Charlize Theron as Britt Ekland, Stanley Tucci as Stanley Kubrick, Stephen Fry amusing as celebrity psychic Maurice Woodruff, and the very underrated John Lithgow once again terrific as Blake Edwards. Sonia Aquino is impressive in the small part of Sophia Loren.

The direction by Stephen Hopkins is stylish and well-paced, and the score by Richard Hartley is peppered with Tom Jones singing "It's Not Unusual", and other songs that fit into the timeline from The Animals, The Kinks, and more.
A way above average Cable TV production, it's a riveting look at a great talent gone wrong, and a "must see" for Rush's performance alone. Total running time is 122 minutes.

"The Life and Death of Peter Sellers," directed by Stephen Hopkins, looks at the remarkable life of the actor who triumphed in such films as "Dr. Strangelove" and "Being There." The film covers Seller's early days in British radio, his troubled personal life, his marriages, his relationship with his parents, his box office successes, his craftsmanship as a performer, and his relationship with director Blake Edwards. "Life and Death" opens up with a colorfully anarchic animated sequence (done to a swingin' Tom Jones song) and never loses its energy.

It takes a brilliant chameleon to play a brilliant chameleon, and Geoffrey Rush is amazing in the title role. He creates a remarkable portrait as he not only portrays Sellers at different stages of his life, but also recreates some of Sellers' most famous screen roles. Rush is ably supported by a stellar cast that includes Charlize Theron and Emily Watson. In one of the film's most striking motifs, Rush temporarily takes over some of his costars' roles and seemingly plays Sellers playing various individuals in his life; this motif is itself a clever, and eerily effective, homage to Sellers' own ability to play multiple roles in a single film.

The film mixes together some of the standard biopic elements with some really surreal elements and sequences. Overall it's a highly effective blend. Sellers ultimately is portrayed as a volatile creative force, capable of destructive rages as well as of great charm, playfulness, and generosity. His story is superbly complemented by a great soundtrack of evocative songs. Visually the film is stunning to look at as it captures different decades that Sellers lived through.

The DVD of the film is loaded with great extras. There are a number of really intriguing deleted scenes, including additional scenes of the versatile Rush taking on even more roles. There are two excellent feature-length audio commentaries. One is by Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, who wrote the screenplay; the second is by Rush and director Hopkins. The commentaries reveal fascinating details about Sellers' life and career, and about the making of the film. Among the most interesting topics covered in the commentaries is the scrapped alternate opening for the film. Ultimately, this film made me want to both revisit the Sellers classics that I have loved for years and check out the Sellers films that I have never seen. "Life and Death" is a powerful, moving, entertaining, and thought-provoking tribute to one of the most amazing screen performers of the 20th century.

Who was Peter Sellers? According to Stephen Hopkins film he was anybody his director and public wanted him to be; a little boy trapped in a man's suit who could adopt any persona and "be" that person. Geoffrey Rush gives a brilliant performance as Sellers. Unlike most movies, we see the most important moments in Sellers' life from his perspective; when a traumatic event happens (whether it be his wife saying she's leaving him, his mother dying, etc.) we "see" Sellers become that character and injecting what that moment meant to him. Ultimately, Sellers comes across as a self centered child who could and would become anyone to please those around him.

Hopkins complex but riveting film begins while Sellers is a member of the cast for The Goon Show on radio. Trying to break through to films, Sellers realizes the only way he can land a role that he wants as an elderly, daft gentlement is to show up already in character. Nobody knows who he is and he's immediately offered the role only then stepping out from behind the identity that he's assumed. As Sellers shoots to international stardom in "The Mouse That Roared" and in his signature role of Inspector Clouseau in "The Pink Panther", he also begins to lose control of his life distancing himself from his family and alienating his wife.

Rush manages to capture Sellers to a T.

BBC Films / HBO Films present a slightly unconventioanl biographical film of cultural icon Peter Sellers, featuring perfectly cast Geoffrey Rush as Sellers, Emily Watson as Anne Sellers (his first wife), Charlize Theron as Brit Ekland, Miriam Margolyes as his mother Peg Sellers, and Peter Vaughan as father Bill Sellers. Some of the real-life persons who influenced, and were influenced by Sellers are also played by the interesting cast, most notably Blake Edwards by John Lithgow and Stanley Kubrick by Stanley Tucci.

If you know something about Peter Sellers, you will realize that the film's power comes from Geoffrey Rush who has become Sellers himself. In fact, this picture is all about Sellers/Rush, and Sellers' troubled personalities, alarmingly close relations with his mother, and incredibly naive (and inconsiderate) way of treating people around him, are funny, fascinating, off-putting, or all in one.

The bio-pic completely ignores the childhood of Sellers, and after the opening credits (with delightful animations) it jumps straight to the days of the popular BBC radio show. Then, you see his humiliating audition for the film (and his tactful revenge), meeting with Sophia Loren and a fortune teller (cameo by Stephen Fry), Hollywood and the successful 'Pink Panther' series, Stanley Kubrick and his legendary triple roles, and 'B.E.' The film follows the events of his life, but you may feel that some integral parts are missing from that.

The superficial touch, if any, is owing to the fact that the film presents Peter Sellers as a man without self. His face is, so to speak, 'surgically removed' and there is no identity, no real Peter Sellers in him. According to the interpretaion of the film, that's why he can be in character so easily and convincingly.

[GIMMICKS GALORE] Director Stephen Hopkins ('Lost in Space') introduced very unusual method to explain the genius of Sellers. Geoffrey Rush, at certain points of the story, becomes other characters one after another (such as tormented wife Anne), and HE (Sellers) gives us his ideas about the incidents or the characters he mimics. Do we really need this strange method when Rush is so fantastic? And, sorry to say this, but why the director of 'Lost In Space' in the first place?

In addition to the inspired acting from Geoffrey Rush, there are several merits you can find in 'The Life and Death of Peter Sellers.' Though you have to wait for one hour to meet her, Charlize Theron is excellent as Brit Ekland with short blonde hair, sporting accent. Some original films of Peter Sellers are re-created in detail, and one sequence presents exactly the same scene of Kubrick's 'Dr. Strangelove,' where the US president very timidly talks over the phone about the emergent situations.

'The Life and Death of Peter Seellers' is often hard to watch, especially when it shows Sellers' nervous, irresponsible, and even childish personality, and his wife-beating too. But Geoffrey Rush's magnificient acting as Sellers would make us forget such defects as some of the misguided direction, and rather simplified ideas about the nature of being genius. See the hilarious scene (perhaps fictional) in which English Sellers transforms his outer image into French Clouseau in an airplane, deceiving the bewildered flight attendant. It's a small gem. But I wanted these inspired, insightful moments more.

"The Life and Death of Peter Sellers," produced by HBO and BBC Films, has its moments, including a surreal scene in which Sellers has a near death vision populated by his assorted film characters, but it somehow misses the mark. There are times when I swore it was the late Sellers himself appearing in his own life story, but too often Geoffrey Rush is obviously Geoffrey Rush pretending to be an actor whose face is more familiar to audiences than his own.

Although it would be impossible to dramatize any life without condensing certain events to save time, those familiar with the subject are tempted to wince at errors. Sellers' career stalled in the early `70s and was revived with 1975's "Return of the Pink Panther," NOT the next year's "The Pink Panther Strikes Again" as the film claims. In an office where a nearly destitute Sellers meets with Blake Edwards (a bewigged John Lithgow), he rejects the script for the `76 Inspector Clouseau vehicle while Edwards holds up a poster for "Where Does It Hurt?," a film that a studio executive (who is portrayed as rather stuffy and square, as execs are always portrayed in these Hollywood biopics) claims was not released. Actually, it was, briefly, in summer `72.

Did the screenwriters get it wrong or were the facts changed for dramatic effect and reasons of economy? Whatever their motive, it had me saying "Wait a minute, that's not true." I said that one time too many during the course of the film," enough for me to question the accuracy of the entire film.

I'd give Geoffrey Rush an A for effort for his performance, but I'd rather stick to the real Sellers.

Brian W. Fairbanks

First off, the English subtitles have some glaring errors. Many of the words spoken by the various actors DON'T make it to print, and others are just plain WRONG. This may seem like a trifle matter, but for folks like my father who don't hear well and rely on those subtitles to follow the plot, this is a serious matter.

Second, the film's implication that Sellers' later films (in the '70's) were less brilliant than his earlier work I strongly disagree with. Indeed, I think his performance in "The Blockhouse" is nothing short of STUNNING-among the finest of Sellers' entire career(and from reading the reviews others have written for it here in Amazon.com I'm certainly NOT alone in this opinion).

I agree that the film's portrayal of Sellers is truly horrific, yet one CAN see moments of genuine sweetness and vulnerability in this man. Check out the hilarious scene where he is sauntering down the hotel corridors to Britt's hotel room, desperately trying to primp himself into an irresistible playboy BEFORE he gets there("HELLO! I'm PETER! Peter Sellers! But YOU can call me PETER!")as he crashes into mirrors, etc. And cad or not, I simply HAD to smile watching as he nervously awaited Sophia Loren's arrival at dinner, trying to fashion a white rose into a buttonaire for his dinner jacket, only to have it crumple into a hundred pieces in his sweaty hands(poor baby)!

I wish the screenwriters had based this film on Michael Sellers' excellent(and far more balanced)bio. Though Michael DID NOT pull any punches showing the dark side of his father's personal life, he was also able to show those moments of genuine warmth and vulnerability his father also possessed, making you understand WHY Sellers was able-despite his rages and often irrational, selfish behavior-to attract people to him so magnetically and to actually KEEP many friendships right up til his early demise(despite the film's implication he DID NOT die without close friends).

Another scene I LOVED in the film was where Rush as Sellers performs "I Haven't Told Her, She Hasn't Told Me" in his mum's home, as he accompanies himself on ukelele. In reality, Sellers LOVED to sing and play the ukelele, and he did a wonderful recording of this song that's NOT to be missed(you can find it on "The Best Of Sellers").

Overall, I really enjoyed watching Geoffrey Rush have a field day with his simply SMASHING portrayal here of Sellers! I don't think ANYONE could have done better than he does here. Of course, the fact I think Rush is one of THE SEXIEST(in the truest sense of the word)actors onscreen today made this a REAL TREAT for me to watch, as he gets his first chance onscreen to really "strut his stuff" with all the ladies(my lord, I've replayed THAT sex scene between him and Theron SOOO MANY times that now the disc kinda skips, tee hee)!

Geoffrey Rush is outstanding in this biopic on the troubled Peter Sellers. Peter was a child in many ways, and did not know how to be himself. He often lived his life as one of the many characters he created. I thoroughly enjoyed this film, but noted many of the scenes included solo scenes and I was left wondering how did the director really know how Sellers felt? Who was around at the time to know if those particular scenes really happened, or even more so, how Sellers would have felt.

Viewers should definitely treat this film with the "Based on facts" approach. There is alot of speculation on the behalf of the script writers. Also, fans of Sellers might be a little hurt by what is speculated. Treat with caution. Otherwise, excellent performances by Rush, Theron and everyone else for that matter!

DVD Features include a Making of, and deleted scenes. Definitely worth a rent if anything.

Geez, I never knew this man was such a looney, but then again he's not the first nor the last creative genius to fall under that rubric now is he?

Geoffrey Rush is excellent(can't remember the last time he actually gave a BAD performance in fact) in the title role, as is virtually everything else about this movie: cast, direction, pacing, theme ... truly topnotch. Charlize Theron is barely recongizable as the Swedish actress Britt Ekland who becomes Seller's second wife on the misunderstood advice of his psychic, buried under about 5 pounds of makeup --- as always though, she also puts in a stunning performance.

I was relieved to see that this was not yet another bland and playing-it-safe, feel-good hagiography like the biopics recently done about Johnny Cash and Ray Charles. Peter Sellers had plenty of dark side, which this film tackles head-on and unapologetically. It also takes many bold creative chances, veering away from straight biopic into the realm of surreal and metaphorical imagery/effects/scenes which thrust the viewer ever more deeply into Seller's twisted psyche.

Highly, highly recommended.

****
This movie is a truly great movie, and I agree with other reviewers that it may even be brilliant because of the creative way that Peter Sellers' life story was told. The acting, the story, everything was top-knotch.

However, it is also dark and depressing, because it is the story of a very disturbed man with a mental illness (possibly bipolar I, although the film doesn't say) and with a bizarre upbringing. If you'd enjoy a deep exploration of how family life, relationships, and work life are affected by mental illness in someone who is truly and amazingly talented, you'll enjoy this movie. That said, it was not uplifting for me, but somewhat depressing and very, very sad because of the nature of Peter Sellers' life, which was very realistically portrayed.

Still, if you look for quality and creativity in filmmaking, excellence in acting, and psychologocial explorations, you'll enjoy it. Just don't watch it some night when you're down already or looking for a good laugh.

I've thought about it quite a while since watching it. I loved its portrayal of the 1960's and 1970's, which I've lived through but forgotten many things (e.g., music, clothes, culture). And I truly felt badly for Peter Sellers---who was such a brilliant but disturbed man---living in an era before medications and treatment were available to help his suffering and to prevent him from living anything remotely close to a happy life.

****

Paraphrasing a famous line serves as a summation to this excellent study of Peter Sellers, one of Hollywood's most popular and beloved comedians: for all the public masks there were many more private ones that until now never seemed so cogent.

Peter Sellers (a brilliant Geoffrey Rush who is such a fine actor that he doesn't try to impersonate Sellers, rather interpret him) was one strange man. His foibles in life are more interesting than the fascinating characters he created on film, characters that are still being imitated by such actors as Steve Martin, etc. He was a disturbed man, with a more than bizarre relationship with his mother (Miriam Margolyes), his directors Stanley Kubrick (Stanley Tucci) and Blake Edwards (John Lithgow) and abusive relationship with his wife Anne (the always superb Emily Watson) and his tryst with Britt Ekland (Charlize Theron).

At times in this rather cumbersome script the film loses focus with a too heavily weighted angst that besmirched Sellers life. His abominable behavior patterns and generally inappropriate responses to those who would make him a star, while expertly crafted by Geoffrey Rush into complete credibility, are not relieved by sufficient moments of comedy, moments that made this actor famous in the first place.

The acting is uniformly excellent, far better than the script would suggest, and the glamour of the 1960s excesses is well captured though degenerate to see again. But for all that, this is a well-done look at the life of a comedic genius whose screen presence was probably the only real thing about him. Grady Harp, May 05