In today’s installment of this blog, we find out if The Life and Death of Peter Sellers (2004) is worth the effort of watching, considering that it isn’t streaming anywhere currently, other than two versions that are on YouTube — one that’s overdubbed in German, and the other that’s an extremely low-quality upload in English. Obviously, I opted for the English version.
As the title suggests, this is a biopic of comedian Peter Sellers’ life from about the mid-1950s until his death in 1980. It’s filmed as though it’s taking place on a soundstage, with the characters breaking the fourth wall to talk to the audience about their memories of Sellers and moving between sets as each scene of Sellers’ life is set up, with the audience dropped into the scenes as they happen. The biographical parts are interspersed with recreations of some of Sellers’ most famous roles, and I have to say, Geoffrey Rush is a dead ringer for him. The costumes were designed by Jill Taylor who did My Week With Marilyn (2011), which was set in a similar era and is similarly excellently costumed.
Charlize Theron is also a virtual doppelgänger for Sellers’ second wife, Britt Eklund.
And Sonia Aquino isn’t all that off from looking like Sophia Loren.
Emily Watson plays Anne, who is almost universally referred to as Sellers’ “long-suffering” first wife. And with how petty and shitty Sellers was to his family, it’s no wonder.
Why are famous men all so fucking predictable? They achieve increasing levels of fame and have to upgrade the wife at each stage, all while chasing other women in between. Like … Where’s the originality? I keep watching these biopics, and they never change from that formula. Maybe with the exception of Fosse/Verdon (2019), even though Fosse sure as hell cheated on Gwen Verdon left, right, and center. It’s just so boring at this point. Ugh, anyway, back to the costume content.
Have you watched The Life and Death of Peter Sellers (2004)? Tell us about it in the comments!
I remember watching this when it came out and enjoying it the same way I enjoyed “All That Jazz,” mainly because of the star power of the cast. Wish I could see it again to decide if it was actually good.
I agree, I really enjoyed it when it first aired, but that was 22 years ago! I remember thinking how F*#ked up he was. Would like to see it again.
Looks like the dvd is cheap enough, so I think I might have to pick it up. I remember liking this one a lot, when it first came out.
Haven’t seen this, but when Stanley Tucci is completely unrecognizable, my interest is piqued. The doppleganger factor is strong here, although IMO Sonia Aquino resembles Monica Bellucci more than Sophia Loren. Will have to check it out – I was raised on Pink Panther films, so have a slight soft spot for Sellers, despite his douchebaggery.
In all fairness, famous men whose personal lives are NOT a merry whirl of infidelities, midlife crises and other personal dramas are much less likely to get biopics (At least in cinema) because it’s harder to pack what makes them famous/infamous into a single two hour+ package.
If you don’t believe me, think of how much less interesting JOHN ADAMS would be if it were a mere two-hour movie.