The Life and Death of Peter Sellers | 
| Director: Stephen Hopkins
Actors: Geoffrey Rush, Charlize Theron, Emily Watson, John Lithgow, Miriam Margolyes
Studio: Hbo Home Video
Category: DVD
List Price: $14.98
Buy Used: $0.88
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Rating:  42 reviews
Sales Rank: 33157
Format: Ac-3, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, Dvd, Subtitled, Widescreen, Ntsc
Languages: English (Original Language), English (Subtitled), Spanish (Subtitled), French (Subtitled)
Rating: Unrated
Region: 1
Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
Number Of Discs: 1
Running Time: 122 Minutes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.3
Dimensions (in): 7.1 x 5.4 x 0.6
MPN: HBOD92368D
ISBN: 0783130414
UPC: 026359236822
EAN: 9780783130415
ASIN: B0007R4SX6
Theatrical Release Date: 2004
Release Date: May 10, 2005
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
(Drama) HBO Films presents The Life and Death of Peter Sellers a kaleidoscopic look inside the unquiet mind of Peter Sellers. Despite his Hollywood success his comic virtuosity belied a troubled private life plagued by self-loathing insecurity and abusive behavior. The film peers behind the many faces of Peter Sellers to reveal how this comic genius teetered on the edge of madness.Running Time: 120 min.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: DRAMA UPC: 026359236822 Manufacturer No: 92368
Amazon.com
Geoffrey Rush is in bravura form in his shape-shifting performance as one of the cinema's great chameleons: Peter Sellers. This higgledy-piggledy biopic races across the high and low points of Sellers's adult life, pretty much sticking to the standard explanation (endorsed by Sellers himself) that his genius for mimickry and impersonation was the result of lacking a personality of his own. Sellers's monstrous treatment of wives and colleagues is balanced by his childlike enthusiasms, all nicely captured by Rush. As for the re-creations of Sellers routines from The Goon Show or Dr. Strangelove, Rush gives it a game and sometimes inspired go. Other characters are as incidental as they seem to have been to Sellers himself, with Miriam Margolyes (as Peter's grasping, goading mother) and Emily Watson (patient first wife) especially good. Charlize Theron is Britt Ekland, with little more to do than adopt a Swedish accent. The events chosen to illustrate Sellers's neuroses seem random--from a drawn-out infatuation with Sophia Loren to his feud with Blake Edwards--and the film piles up until Sellers's heart finally gives out. This middling life story could have made, and deserves, a great documentary. --Robert Horton
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| Customer Reviews: Read 37 more reviews...
Memorable Bio Thanks To Rush & Margoyles March 12, 2009
Craig Connell (Lockport, NY USA)
I didn't expect this biography to be so interesting but, then, I didn't know a lot about Peter Sellers' private life except for his marriage to Swedish beauty Britt Ekland. One thing that helped make this more interesting to me was that I grew up in Sellers' era in the '50s through the '70s and was familiar with all his films.
Sellers obviously led a strange life or they wouldn't have made a movie about it. I expected what I got: a look at a great film comedian but also a disturbed person underneath the comic image, one that wasn't so funny. Modern films (those since the late '60s) seem to almost sadistically delight in showing a famous person's bad points, more than his or her good. Thus, for many people, this probably wasn't a pleasant film to watch.
However, I didn't mind because I found Geoffrey Rush's acting so good, his portrayal of Sellers so credible and fascinating, that I could put up with some of the not-so-much fun to watch scenes. I don't think the latter was overemphasized, anyway.
Watching this film, I thought what a tragic figure was Sellers' mother "Peg," played memorably by Miriam Margolyes. This actress gets almost no billing because she's isn't well-known and that's a pity because she is very good in here. In fact, she's the second "star" of this film. After that comes Charlize Theron as the aforementioned Ekland, Emily Watson as Sellers' first wife "Anne;" John Lithgow as "Blake Edwards," Stanley Tucci as "Stanley Kubrick," and other fine actors.
All the actors were excellent but this is still Rush's film. He dominates almost every scene, reminding me of his first big hit, "Shine." Kudos also goe to director Stephen Hopkins for a job well done.
Being Me:The Lost Peter Sellers December 24, 2008
T. Charles (Middle East)
Director Stephen Hopkins and writers, Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely have come up with a marvelous theatrical conceit, (although it would never work on stage with all the drastic costume and make up changes) which has formed the basis of their screen adaption of Roger Lewis' labor of love, 'The Life & Death of Peter Sellers'.
Their idea is that Peter Sellers should play all the characters in the film that is about his life, which given his extraordinary ability to play multiple parts in a single film, is a logical extension of the man's ability and a valid approach. After each scene when Geoffrey Rush (Sellers)appears, the camera cuts, and the illusion that we are watching a film is peeled away to be replaced by the illusion that we are watching Peter Sellers become each of the other characters in his life,such as his parents and his first wife as he impersonates them. For a short while it's deceptively believable, until you realize the characters have been replaced by Sellers (Rush) speaking as he wished the other characters had spoken. The rationale for this is based on the premise that Sellers was completely egocentric, the center of his own universe who was dictatorial and attempted to manipulate everyone in his own life, not least his own wives and children.
It's an ingenious idea, but limited because Sellers didn't play unsympathetic characters on film, apart from the psychopathic, gangland boss in 'Never Let Go' (1959). Thereafter his characters were likable, but flawed individuals, invested with his own sense of humor and usually adorned with his vocal gifts, although 'Being There' is the obvious exception, when, stripped of voices and the characters of others, he played himself. While the effect of having Sellers impersonate other characters does reveal the extent of his flawed nature, it does lend a somewhat stuttering pace to the film, hampered by the technique of Sellers 'complete' the thoughts of the other characters, if he were capable of controlling them.
Nevertheless, there is much to admire in Roger Levy's camerawork, full of dark interiors, the virtuoso performance of Geoffrey Rush, who gives more than a glimpse of Sellers' emptiness and insecurity. Emily Watson as his first wife Anne gives and understated, authoritative performance and Miriam Margoles as Peg exudes the smothering embrace, which Sellers struggled to escape from. Her portrayal sheds some light on why Sellers got away with such appalling behavior for so long; he was dominated and completely above reproach in his critical, formative years.
One consequence of watching the film is that it makes me want to seek out and reassess Sellers' forgotten movies, which sank without trace at the box office. I'm thinking of; 'Blockhouse', 'Hoffman', 'Where Does It Hurt?', 'After The Fox' and even 'A Day At The Beach' although he only played a brief cameo in that. For a more complete picture, Roger Lewis' book is worth reading.
Inevitably the final verdict on Sellers may elude easy categorization. He remains even more of an enigma, but there is also a sense of disappointment that his legacy isn't greater. Outrageously gifted, he lacked discipline, preferring to settle for easy laughs rather than having the patience to develop material fully and often losing interest in projects before their completion, which must also place a question mark over his judgment of film material.
 Cinematic masterpiece (really!) December 20, 2008
bobh
Geoffrey Rush is a brilliant acting genius. And this movie is a personal masterpiece for him. The depth of each scene is fascinating. Rush takes chances, using different film angles, breaking down the 4th wall, adopting new characters. All this busyness could have killed a last talented actor/director. But Rush stitches it all together brilliantly.
I compare this movie to Citizen Kane. Each scene is a discussion in itself, and the scenes together create a something new again.
I was completely engaged during the whole movie, unexpectedly so. I started watching the movie as a biography of Peter Sellers. But 40 minutes into the movie, i realized i was watching something so much more.
This movie would be a great film-club movie, with friends watching and sharing different insights. The discussion would go on and on.
After i was done watching, i watched it again, because i couldn't believe what had just happened. And the 2nd viewing was just as fascinating, as i picked up things i missed the 1st time around.
All the actors in this movie contribute to it's overall success.
I've never seen a poor performance by Geoff Rush. He shined in Pirates of the Caribbean, and in Munich as well. He puts a lot into his craft.
This movie enters my all-time cinematic favorites:
Here's my list:
Citizen Kane
The Thin Red Line
Life & Death of Peter Sellers
 Unhappy Sellers April 10, 2008
Kirk Alex
This flick was depressing. Theron and Rush are quite good here, but the story just might pull you down. Sellers had it all, it seems to me, and yet failed to be happy about any of it.
How? Why?
Born unhappy and died unhappy.
Some folks are never satisfied, no matter what. Guy was married to a beautiful woman, had nice kids, terrific
career...yet, none of it made any difference.
Maybe he's finally found his peace of mind: six feet under.
Who knows?
Who cares?
You get one shot at this thing called life, and you gotta do what you can to find some happiness, some joy...because, really, it can't all be bad. What irks, what makes it frustrating, is just this: as stated above, the guy had every reason to be happy...but wasn't.
There are people out there in this big world who have a lot less, who may even have less than that...but are able to be happy about something, at least.
Am almost tempted to go back and give this flick less than the three stars I gave it already. That would be short-changing Charlize Theron and Goeffrey Rush, so I can't bring myself to do it.
 love peter sellers, hate this film January 22, 2008
Robert J. Quigley (Mesa, az.)
Peter Sellers next to Chaplin, Keaton, and Lloyd is the best example of comedic talent in the world. This film however paints him as a sad sex induced loser. A role he is not. If so, he should be portrayed in a more sympathetic way.
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