Film: The Life and Death of Peter Sellers
Genre: Fact-based Drama
Year: 2004
The Life and Death of Peter Sellers is an innovative and entertaining feature film which sets out to tell the story, figuratively if rather than factually, about the life of one of Britain's most famous actors. Filled with intricately designed set-pieces, and a dazzling array of famous figures, the movie attempts to convey the bitterness and tragedy of Sellers' life through a series of snapshots, in which we see various significant portions of his life and career played out.
Geoffrey takes on what is perhaps his biggest role to date as Peter Sellers, carrying the weight of the entire project on his shoulders as he plays, not only Peter Sellers, but Peter Sellers playing many of the other characters, too! Fortunately, Geoffrey is more than capable of accomplishing the task set before him, and manages to convey the complete and utter complexity of Sellers' person through scenes of anger, loss, bitterness, and sheer insanity.
Though the movie is generally told from an outside perspective, it switches at intervals to short pieces where Peter-Sellers-plays-another-character (as if he is directing the film of his life himself). Though this may at times prove to be more than a bit confusing -- and one is often left wondering what on earth is going on! -- the film manages to leave one with a very strong impression of who the "real" Peter Sellers might have been, and, as has often been the case with high-profile actors, it would seem that the man onscreen was rarely akin to the man off the camera. Geoffrey's intricately detailed and masterful performance as Sellers proved that he was certainly the best actor to be given the job, and it is hard to believe that there was a point where he actually turned this role down.
Screen Caps:
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