2004 • Directed by Stephen Hopkins
Screenplay by Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely
With Geoffrey Rush, Charlize Theron, Emily Watson, John Lithgow, and Miriam Margolyes
Co-produced by HBO Films and BBC Films
For people who watched 'The Pink Panther' series during childhood, the realities of Peter Sellers' life may bring a great deal of surprise. In truth, the numerous characters that Sellers played in his lifetime were slats of a facade that covered huge, gaping holes in his identity. This is a starting point for the HBO/BBC co-production directed by Stephen Hopkins, which loosely tracks the roller-coaster life that Sellers experienced until his death in 1980.
'The Life and Death of Peter Sellers' was designed by screenwriters Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, who focus on a recent biography by Roger Lewis. Running exactly two hours long, it is a cartoonish, often surreal rendering of Sellers' climb from a BBC radio voice to the man who enthralled audiences in 'I'm All Right, Jack,' 'The Pink Panther,' 'Dr. Strangelove,' and 'Being There.' Sellers is brilliantly portrayed by Geoffrey Rush ('Shine'), who received a Golden Globe in 2005 for not only embodying the actor, but the characters that Sellers portrayed and the people who held key roles in his life.
'Life and Death' gives wide scope to his relationship with mother Peg, superbly played by Miriam Margolyes. Peg spent her working life as an actress in cheap stage productions and was determined to raise her son for a better career. Peter was primed to become an immortal, a man whom everyone would know and love; the one hitch, however, is that Peg believed in the infallibility of great minds - she coddled Peter throughout his childhood and raised him to believe that only his art mattered and nothing else. We see in his behavior that Sellers' emotional depth wasn't all there, sporting childish fantasies of actresses (one with Sophia Loren is particularly famous) and terrifying his wives and children when the mood suited him.
Geoffrey Rush shows particular excellence when he takes on the appearance of Sellers' father Bill (played by Peter Vaughan), his wife Anne (Emily Watson), director Stanley Kubrick (Stanley Tucci), and 'Panther' director Blake Edwards (John Lithgow). These monologues comment on Sellers' relationships and the often pulverizing effect on those he knew. As Kubrick, Rush remarks that he was a 'vessel' that temporarily stored his characters, because there was simply no core or inside to Sellers' presence; he was simply a vehicle for the many impressive figures that he portrayed.
Sellers' personal life came to a head in his relationship with Britt Ekland, played competently by Charlize Theron. By this point, Sellers felt that he can do nothing wrong against anyone, using his fame to justify the havoc he created. Unhappy with Ekland's pregnancy, he 'dropped her off' at a local hospital to deliver their child, was openly hostile towards her on film sets, and was physically abusive at home. Sellers was also looking for excuses to unload his responsibility, often snuggling up with tarot readers and psychics like the well-known Maurice Woodruff (played by Stephen Fry) for otherworldly guidance.
However, 'Life and Death' does not have total antipathy for Sellers, as shown in its final half-hour. This 'coda' focuses on Sellers' most personal effort, the making of 'Being There,' in which he earned an Oscar nomination as Chance the Gardener. Years passed before Sellers could get the needed funds for this project and it showed his dedication as an artist when the shoe truly fit. The closing scenes pay homage to his genius and while not asking viewers to forgive his awful behavior, it does suggest that brilliant minds seem to exist outside of time and space, leaving them in a bizarre position.
Fans who knew Sellers during his lifetime will be unhappy with the poetic license that was taken in this film. But it is helpful to keep in mind that the film is more so a collage of his experiences than a verbatim biopic. The director and screenwriters have made clear that the film was treated as if Peter Sellers himself were making it, so naturally there would be facts distorted by such a volatile, self-centered man. Sellers' life was a jumble of images and concepts rather than a concrete thing, which the film expresses to a large degree.
'The Life and Death of Peter Sellers' is a bit too clever for its own good, at times examining the Sellers psyche too much. But it is highly professional, with excellent acting and solid direction; fans of Peter Sellers will probably itch to see it and no doubt cringe at what they're seeing. The Peter Sellers of this film is a man who is neither fully likable nor fully repugnant; he is one of those great minds who walk a balance beam with chaos all around them. For the acting achievement of Geoffrey Rush alone, 'Life and Death' is worth checking out.
Sellers' bio will probably get an occasional rerun on HBO and is still available on DVD. The disc has a cheerful appearance with calico design and goofy music. The film itself is given widescreen presentation in a 16:9 aspect ratio with optional Dolby 2.0 or 5.1 audio; subtitles are also provided in English, French, and Spanish. As special features are commentary tracks with Rush-Hopkins and the Christopher Markus-Stephen McFeely writing team. Also included are scenes that did not make the final cut (including Sellers' marriage to Lynne Frederick) and a short program on the film's creation. While expensive ($25), the disc is more than worth it.
