Peter Sellers was often described as a "comic genius," and nearly as much a "difficult person." The biographies covering his problems as a married man and father have been many, and arguably reached its peak with the film THE LIFE AND DEATH OF PETER SELLERS (2004), in which Geoffrey Rush played the role of the comedian. Of course, I did watch the film and enjoyed parts of it; as a big fan of Sellers I cannot help being somewhat curious about the other aspects of his life. Even so, my interest in a stranger's marital problems is usually ephemeral at most (and I hope that's so to others as well). What I really want to know more about is the talent that initiated my interest in this person in the first place. In that regard, the Rush-film disappointed; it did acknowledge Sellers's talent (would be hard not to) but never tried much to trace its roots.
Thankfully, we do have this documentary, THE UNKNOWN PETER SELLERS. Here, we are provided with interviews with friends and colleagues such as Spike Milligan, Shirley MacLane, Michael Palin and David Frost, as well as excerpts from films throughout Sellers's career, many of which had not been seen in decades. The film takes us back to the early 50s, when Sellers first found fame on British radio as part of the Goon Show, and through his first fumbling attempts with film, before becoming an international star in the 60s after the success of THE PINK PANTHER and DR. STRANGELOVE. Then his shocking decline in the early 70s is covered, when he was suddenly forced to appear in commercials in order to make an income, until his triumphant comeback as Closeau a few years before his death. The interviews share a respectful tone, and are almost solely concerned with Sellers's extraordinary work as a comedian, which I find to be rather refreshing after the Rush-film. There are more than enough celebrity scandals to fill the papers every day. A talent like that of Peter Sellers, however, cannot be duplicated. (This review was later updated and revised, Dec. 2012)
Thankfully, we do have this documentary, THE UNKNOWN PETER SELLERS. Here, we are provided with interviews with friends and colleagues such as Spike Milligan, Shirley MacLane, Michael Palin and David Frost, as well as excerpts from films throughout Sellers's career, many of which had not been seen in decades. The film takes us back to the early 50s, when Sellers first found fame on British radio as part of the Goon Show, and through his first fumbling attempts with film, before becoming an international star in the 60s after the success of THE PINK PANTHER and DR. STRANGELOVE. Then his shocking decline in the early 70s is covered, when he was suddenly forced to appear in commercials in order to make an income, until his triumphant comeback as Closeau a few years before his death. The interviews share a respectful tone, and are almost solely concerned with Sellers's extraordinary work as a comedian, which I find to be rather refreshing after the Rush-film. There are more than enough celebrity scandals to fill the papers every day. A talent like that of Peter Sellers, however, cannot be duplicated. (This review was later updated and revised, Dec. 2012)