The Life and Death of Peter Sellers (2004)

Director:

Stephen Hopkins

Writers (WGA):

Roger Lewis (book)
Christopher Markus (teleplay) ...

Release Date:

26 August 2004 (Australia)

Genre:

Biography | Drama

Tagline:

Never judge a man by his cover.

Plot:

The feature adaptation of Roger Lewis' book about the actor best remembered as Inspector Clouseau in the Pink Panther movies.

Plot Keywords:

Actor | Bumbling | Clouseau | Fame | Peter Sellers

Awards:

Won 2 Golden Globes. Another 17 wins & 23 nominations

Cast

Geoffrey Rush	...	Peter Sellers
Charlize Theron	...	Britt Ekland
Emily Watson	...	Anne Sellers
John Lithgow	...	Blake Edwards
Miriam Margolyes	...	Peg Sellers
Peter Vaughan	...	Bill Sellers
Sonia Aquino	...	Sophia Loren
Stanley Tucci	...	Stanley Kubrick
Stephen Fry	...	Maurice Woodruff
Henry Goodman	...	Dennis Selinger
Alison Steadman	...	Casting Agent
Peter Gevisser	...	Ted Levy
David Robb	...	Dr. Lyle Wexler
Edward Tudor-Pole	...	Spike Milligan (as Edward Tudor Pole)
Steve Pemberton	...	Harry Secombe

Also Known As:

Eu, Peter Sellers (Portugal) [pt]
I zoi kai o thanatos tou Peter Sellers (Greece) (festival title) [el]
Karsinizda Peter Sellers (Turkey: Turkish title) [tr]
Livet av Peter Sellers (Finland: Swedish title) (TV title) [sv]
Llámame Peter (Spain) [es]
Moi, Peter Sellers (France) [fr]
Peter Sellers - Zycie i smierc (Poland) [pl]
Peter Sellers gia panta (Greece) [el]
Peter Sellersin elämä (Finland) (TV title) [fi]
Tu chiamami Peter (Italy) [it]
Una pantera a Hollywood (Italy) [it]

Runtime:

122 min

Country:

USA | UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Argentina:13 | Germany:12 | Switzerland:14 (canton of Zurich) | Iceland:L | Portugal:M/12 | Spain:13 | Australia:M | Canada:14A | Czech Republic:12 | Finland:K-11 | Netherlands:12 | Switzerland:14 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Vaud) | UK:15 | Singapore:M18

Filming Locations:

Biltmore Estate - 1 Approach Road, Asheville, North Carolina, USA

Company:

HD Vision Studios

Trivia:

Steve Coogan was at one point considered to play Peter Sellers.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: The entire film was shot in Europe, so the scene in which Britt Eklund and Peter Sellers visit Los Angeles a matte shot was used for the background of the hotel. The shot contained modern skyscrapers such as the U.S. Bank building which did not exist during the sixties and seventies.

Quotes:

Peter Sellers: People ask me why do I keep compromising my artistic integrity by walking in front of Blake's cameras. Do you know what I tell them? Money.

Movie Connections:

References The Party (1968)

Soundtrack:

Love is a Many Splendored Thing

I thought Geoffrey Rush's performance was fantastic and makes the movie totally worth watching.

The story begins with the Goons and ends just after his role in the movie, Being There, thirty years later. A lot of the film features recreations of famous moments in Seller's acting life, such as appearing on "The Goons" or in "The Pink Panther". There are some particularly hilarious insights into his development of the "Inspector Clouseau" character, including an explanation of why he ended up hating the character so much.

As such, it really only touches the surface of his life story, but it does give you an intense understanding of the character. A character which, in the style of Greek tragedy, had a major flaw. For me, the flaw was Seller's total lack of confidence, perhaps due to his appearance, which he appears constantly to have overcompensated for.

Curiously enough, since Sellers is shown portraying great emotions, I was never actually moved myself, except perhaps for the occasion when he is violent towards Britt Ekland and in a particularly galling moment with his children.

The movie reaches its crescendo with Sellers' performance in "Being There" in which it's suggested the reason why Sellers so wanted to play the man without a personality was because he, himself, had no personality.

A few people at my workplace commented they thought the movie was far too stylized. Although I can see their point, and I agree I was never really touched by the movie, I thought Geoffrey Rush's performance more than made up for this. Rush plays not only Sellers, but several other characters in a Sellers-like "Dr Strangelove" kind of way, and achieves all of it with gusto. I also really enjoyed the performance of Miriam Margoyles as Sellers' mother, Peg, with whom he seems to have enjoyed an intense, almost Oedipal relationship.

I thought Geoffrey Rush's performance was fantastic and makes the movie totally worth watching.