The Life and Death of Peter Sellers | Geoffrey Rush, Charlize Theron

The Life and Death of Peter Sellers | Geoffrey Rush, Charlize Theron | Geoffrey Rush's name alone is enough of a recommendation.

vhs video:

The Life and Death...

	The Life and Death of Peter Sellers Geoffrey Rush, Charlize Theron Hbo Home Video, 2005 average customer review:based on 39 reviews view larger image
	for more information click here

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

for more information click here

A movie in need of a villain--and mother fits the bill

This is an extraordinary film. It deals with a compelling subject. It betrays juicy gossip about fascinating, famous people. The exquisite design and art direction makes it a superb period piece. And several of the performances--especially that of Geoffrey Rush--are nothing short of brilliant.

But in the end, the story lets it down. It comes across as a rivetingly-acted documentary rather than a tale with a beginning, middle and an end.

Frankly, I think it starts too late.

Sellers relationship with his mother was truly creepy, and is rightly credited with his later craziness (which, today, we would probably call a borderline personality disorder). There are two scenes whioch depict it--including one where his mother sleeps with her son to symbolically usurp the role of his recently divorced wife. But neither of those scenes integrate well into the plot, and miss the opportunity to shed light on Sellers character.

As a result, Sellers just comes across as a serial abuser of women, rather than a tortured soul descending into madness, paralysed by grief and emptiness, infecting everyone he touches with his misery.

Further, though the movie starts with a Goon Show episode, it soon moves on to Sellers' later movie years. My understanding is that the three Goons were lifelong frinds, and that radio comedy was his spiritual home. Though of lower marquee value, this may have been more fruitful material to mine his character.

That said, the movie is redeemed by its performances--redeemed handsomely, in fact. It bumps my rating from a three to a four.

Miriam Margoyles too-short exposure as Sellers' mother is excruciating to watch--in a good way. Emily Watson delivers a poised performance as Sellers' first wife--we can sense the complex mixture of love and misgivings that her relationship with Sellers involved.

Many criticise Charlize Theron's performance as Britt Ekland. Fair, I think, up to a point. The Ekland character needed to be innocent--shallow, even--to have been so thoroughly infatuated with Sellers' superficial charm. But to play her as a brainless blonde (which would make sense of the story) would no doubt insult a living actress, as well as giving her less room to show Ekland's developing emotional maturity as she began to realise the gravity of her situation. Even so, Ekland has criticised the depiction of her marriage in the movie...and no wonder. I would be surprised if it were possible to show it in a sympathetic light to all parties.

Rush, of course, is brilliant. An actor of equal claibre, if not better, than his subject.

And a small plug for Stephen Fry as the closest thing to a villain you'll see. Delicious, smarmy, evil.

for more information click here

Geoffrey Rush's name alone is enough of a recommendation.

Intelligent, imaginitive, gripping and bend-you-over double laughing effort by HBO Films. Geoffrey Rush proves why he is a master craftsman, playing yet another mad genius...the brilliant comic and despicable human being that was Peter Sellers. From BBC Radio days (The Goon Show) to fame and fortune as Inspector Clouseau (Pink Panther), Sellers delighted audiences around the globe. In private, Sellers was a self-deluded, mama's boy,an enfant terrible to his various wives (and children),and directors (Stanley Kubrick and Blake Edwards). Sellers' insecurities and selfishness, had him running to charlatan fortune tellers for business advice and telling his small children he was leaving them for Sophia Loren (apparently a one-sided fantasy that Ms. Loren did not share).

John Lithgow, as Blake Edwards and Rush as Sellers share some of the best scenes in the film. The wonderful banter between the two (ex. Welcoming Rush to Cinecitta Film studios in Rome for the shooting of the "Pink Panther") Lithgow/Edwards: Welcome to Hollywood. Rush/Sellers: But this is Rome. Lithgow/Edwards: Hollywood is a state of mind.

Charlize Theron is beyond beautiful as the fresh faced Swedish beauty Britt Eklund ("The Second Mrs. Peter Sellers"), and has next to no dialogue yet lends authenticity to swinging 1960's London. Emily Watson as Ann Sellers, (1st wife) does not quite seem up to her usual affecting portrayals. Miriam Margolies was spectacular as Peg Sellers, Peter's mother, whose life-long machinations, we are led to believe, created the meglomania that made Sellers a star and then destroyed him.

The deleted scenes in the DVD extras was marvelous because it included Emilia Fox's scenes. Ms. Fox gives a splendid peformance as Sellers' fourth wife Lynne, who played a instrumental role in his last years. That her scenes were relegated to the cutting room floor in final edits is really a shame.

for more information click here

Too many errors

"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

for more information click here

Unhappy Sellers

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.

for more information click here

reviews: page 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8

products you might be interested in