Product Details

• Actors: Fred Applegate, David Frost, Richard Lester, David Lodge, Shirley MacLaine
• Directors: David Leaf, John Scheinfeld
• Writers: David Leaf, John Scheinfeld
• Producers: David Leaf, John Scheinfeld, Iris Frederick, Larry Adler, Mark S. Andrew
• Format: Black & White, Color, DVD, NTSC
• Language: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Studio: Winstar
• DVD Release Date: September 5, 2000
• Run Time: 52 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B00004U0FP
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #82,676 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
• For more information about "The Unknown Peter Sellers" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Most of the moviegoing public is familiar with Peter Sellers's classic roles in films such as Dr. Strangelove, The Pink Panther, Lolita, and A Shot in the Dark. However, plenty of examples exist of his earlier work that rarely see the light of day. The Unknown Peter Sellers traces the comic actor from his days entertaining RAF troops during World War II to the triumphs of his latter-day movie career. Sellers helped create the genre-breaking, anarchic radio comedy The Goon Show, as well as the equally off-the-wall BBC TV series A Show Called Fred. More obscure, however, are several films directed by or starring Sellers, ones that have only been seen by a handful of people. The tantalizing clips from Sellers's early career show his flair for physical comedy, one that owes much to silent stars such as Buster Keaton and Stan Laurel, and Monty Python's Michael Palin discusses Sellers's influence on his own 1960s TV series. Also included are snippets of Sellers teaming with director Richard Lester with the plotless, surreal short The Running, Jumping and Standing Still Movie, which was instrumental in Lester's selection for the Beatles' Hard Day's Night movie.

Despite his phenomenal success as a versatile, inventive comic actor, Sellers's life was fraught with trouble, and The Unknown Peter Sellers doesn't gloss over any of it. This is essential viewing for fans of Peter Sellers, teasing the audience with glimpses of his early career and the films many may still never see. --Jerry Renshaw

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Peter Sellers reigns on!, August 17, 2000

By 

Dimitris Verionis (Athens Greece) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Unknown Peter Sellers [VHS] (VHS Tape)

This release of this VHS/DVD is a true gift for Sellers' fans! We all know and love Peter Sellers from his biggest hits, like the Panthers, The Party, Dr.Strangelove and others, but this documentary brings to light a different, also fascinating work of the great actor and proves his influence in the world of comedy. So, this VHS/DVD succeeds in presenting some never seen before material or rarely seen or considered as "lost" stuff. One can see Sellers' first film days in segments from short films like "Let's Go Crazy"(1951), "The Super Secret Service"(1953), "Cold Comfort"(1957), all of them as rare as can be! What's more, there are segments from "A Carol For Another Christmas", the very first (TV)film Peter did after his dreadful health problem, in 1964: This film was also considered as lost! Also, it features his perfomances in "A Day At The Beach", "The Running, Jumping, Standing Still Film" and some extraordinary commercials he did for TWA and Barclays! Yet, there are many photos from his life, from his childhood to his very last months and photos from the alternative, "lost" ending of "Dr.Strangelove". Apart from some famous Clouseau scenes, there are also a few outtakes(hilarious!) and some recorded material from radio days(like the Goons and his first radio job ever, "New To you"!). The documentary also features interviews with Peter's friends, famous fans and colleagues such as David Lodge, Shirley MacLaine, Michael Palin, Harry Secombe, Richard Lester and others. Beautifully shot and edited, one screening of this nice documentary is never enough! I, myself, was delighted as a fan and very satisfied as a viewer! Let's hope this very ambitious documentary will lead to more Peter Sellers' films and rare material releases! Highly recommended!

21 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Peter Deserves Better, December 20, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The Unknown Peter Sellers (DVD)

This is largely a cheesy 50 minute American documentary in the A+E Channel mode with plenty of Peter Sellers left unknown by the end for a sequel (no mention of two of the wives and no mention at all of the three kids). The comments from Shirley MacLaine and Sir David Frost are especially banal. Why interview the great David Lodge but never mention the film Two-Way Stretch? Harry Seacombe speaks at length but Spike Milligan isn't interviewed. Forget it. The BBC did a documentary a few years back on Sellers that was infinitely better (though it was biting). "The Unknown" clips shown are mostly, with one or two exceptions, perversely short, all while exclaiming how exciting it is to see these films that were long thought lost. A DVD of just A SHOW CALLED FRED would have been better appreciated. Note: It is the special features that almost save the day. The full commercials for Barclay and TWA are included (very funny) and there is a hacked-up television interview. Go out to Amazon.co.uk and buy the Goon show CDs first.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beyond the Pink Panther, November 7, 2005

By 

Michael J. Mazza - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (COMMUNITY FORUM 04)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Unknown Peter Sellers (DVD)

"The Unknown Peter Sellers" is a fascinating documentary about the great comedic actor. This film is produced, written, and directed by John Scheinfeld and David Leaf. The filmmakers incorporate clips from Sellers' film and television work, as well as interviews with a number of individuals: biographer and film critic Alexander Walker, Sellers' "Being There" co-star Shirley MacLaine, Monty Python's Michael Palin, director Richard Lester, and more. MacLaine's memories of Sellers are particularly mesmerizing.

The documentary provides a general overview on the brilliant Seller's personal life and career. The film covers his family background, his extensive career in radio comedy, his television work, and the ups and downs of his career in theatrical films. We get insight into how Sellers developed the character of Inspector Clouseau, and learn what happened behind-the-scenes of his triple role in the classic "Dr. Strangelove." Also covered are Sellers' TV commercials and his artistic triumph in "Being There."

As the title indicates, this documentary emphasizes Sellers' lesser-known artistic achievements. The filmmakers cover television programs and films that I had never heard of, and include a sampling of clips from this remarkable body of "unknown" work. This material includes such oddities as a 1964 TV film, written by Rod Serling, entitled "Carol for Another Christmas." The narrator notes that this film aired once and "vanished"; included is a fascinating clip showing Sellers in character as a frighteningly intense cult leader.

The DVD includes some intriguing special features. I especially enjoyed Sellers' TV commercials for Barclay's Bank and TWA Airlines; in these ads the versatile Sellers gets to play some colorful characters, such as a hilarious Italian swinger. There is also a fun behind-the-scenes featurette about the making of the TWA ads. Another extra is an engrossing 1971 TV interview with Sellers. He talks about working on TV, the characters he portrayed in his radio career, and more. This interview offers a funny and touching view of Sellers; it's especially fun to watch him clowning and causing the interviewer to laugh. The DVD also includes a filmography of Sellers' work.

I have admired Sellers' work since I was a child, and this superb documentary left me admiring this great talent even more. He truly was a one-of-a-kind performing artist whose best work remains as entertaining and as relevant as ever. This documentary is the perfect companion to the award-winning biographical drama "The Life and Death of Peter Sellers," in which Geoffrey Rush brilliantly plays Sellers.