Line #36 Film/TheLifeAndDeathOfPeterSellers


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3	A 2004 {{Biopic}} of British comic actor Creator/PeterSellers co-produced by Creator/{{HBO}} and Creator/{{BBC}} Films, released theatrically in most of the world but presented as a MadeForTVMovie in North America.
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5	The film, adapted from a biography by Roger Lewis of the same title, chronicles Sellers' life and career from TheFifties and his breakout success on ''Radio/TheGoonShow'' up through the production and release of his pet project ''Film/BeingThere'' at the turn of TheEighties (his death came soon after that). However, it focuses mostly on TheSixties: He lets an obsession with Creator/SophiaLoren destroy his first marriage, finds international critical and commercial success with his collaborations with Creator/StanleyKubrick and Creator/BlakeEdwards but not without on-set turmoil, experiences an octuple heart attack shortly after marrying starlet Creator/BrittEkland, and proceeds to let that marriage disintegrate as well.
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7	This film is also a tricky example of PostModernism. It is actually presented as a ShowWithinAShow that Sellers himself (as played by Creator/GeoffreyRush) is directing and playing all the roles in. Most of the time, the other people "appear" to be played by an AllStarCast, but from time to time the framework is returned to and said person is revealed to "actually" be played by Sellers...who, remaining in character, lets the viewer in on "their" opinion of him. The viewer is left to wonder if he's trying to draw us into the truth, distance us from it, or both.
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9	This was the first produced screenplay for writers Christopher Markus and Stephen [=McFeely=], who have since co-written ''Literature/TheChroniclesOfNarnia'' film adaptations and several entries in the Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse (the ''ComicBook/CaptainAmerica'' films and ''Film/ThorTheDarkWorld'', to be specific).
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13	!! This film contains examples of:
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15	* AdaptedOut: The film makes no mention of Sellers' third wife Miranda Quarry. Scenes were filmed with Creator/EmiliaFox as his fourth wife Creator/LynneFrederick but later removed after her estate refused permission for her to be depicted in the film.
16	* AngerMontage: Intercut with the CostumeTestMontage, Peter destroys most of his old home movies and film memorabilia near the end of the film.
17	* AnimatedCreditsOpening: As per many of Sellers' actual films, the first stretch of the opening credits is one of these, set to "What's New Pussycat?" and featuring loads and loads of animated Peter Sellers gadding about. Also an example of...
18	* BaitAndSwitchCredits: It's light and funny to deliberately contrast with the mostly-miserable story of a mostly-miserable person that follows.
19	* ByronicHero: The portrayal of Peter Sellers in this film is firmly in passionate-but-troubled-and-troubling territory, ultimately presenting him as a VillainProtagonist in his own life.
20	* TheCameo: Creator/HeidiKlum as Creator/UrsulaAndress in the ''[[Film/CasinoRoyale1967 Casino Royale]]'' sequence.
21	** Mackenzie Crook has a small role as a car salesman whilst Nigel Havers has a one line cameo as Creator/DavidNiven.
22	* CelebrityParadox: Peter Vaughn (Bill Sellers) had costarred with the real Peter Sellers in the 1973 film ''The Blockhouse''.
23	* CostumeTestMontage: As Peter prepares to shoot ''Film/BeingThere''; also a WritersBlockMontage of sorts as he's alone in his Swiss home at the time, isn't happy with any of them, and it reflects his larger problem of how to approach the character of Chance.
24	* DomesticAbuse: After Peg dies, Peter and Britt wind up in a physical fight that he starts. Even before that, he's tough on his first wife and children, i.e. smashing up his son Michael's toy cars after he accidentally ruins a new sports car with touch-up paint.
25	* DownerEnding: Peter gets his dream project made and it is a huge success, but he's alienated so many people close to him that he's virtually alone in the world and dies less than a year after the film's release. The text epilogue notes that his children didn't get much in his will, and that the only thing found in his wallet when he died was a picture of his first wife.
26	* ExecutiveMeddling: In-universe in a DeletedScene that appears on the DVD: the film's producer and director argue about whether Peter can be made sympathetic and whether they need to go into detail on his third marriage and/or his career downturn in TheSeventies. The answer to all three turns out to be no. Keep in mind that they're both being played by (Rush-as-)Sellers.
27	* FallingInLoveMontage: For Peter and Britt.
28	* HappierHomeMovie: Near the end, Peter is alone in Switzerland watching home movies of him with his fellow Goons and his first wife and their children, and is so absorbed in this that he lets a phone call from his now-adult son go to the answering machine.
29	* HistoricalVillainUpgrade: Both Peter Sellers and his mother get this, hitting a low point with the latter by having her hide the fact that his father is dying from him so that he only gets to see him briefly before he expires. In real life, Sellers was quite aware of the illness and was not with him when he actually died -- he was at a Creator/JudyGarland concert, and regretted going when he found out what happened.
30	* JustHereForGodzilla: In-universe. At the premiere of ''Film/ThePinkPantherStrikesAgain'', Peter claims to the crowd that people only go to see the ''Pink Panther'' films to watch him, as their director/producer/writer is a hack. (This incident is completely fictional.)
31	* LonelyAtTheTop: Peter, at the end.
32	* MadnessMontage: After Britt leaves him, Peter has a (partially animated) one that doubles as a TimeCompressionMontage for the next several years, as he falls into substance abuse and his career goes into decline.
33	* ManChild: Deconstructed with Peter -- due to his mother indulging him all of his life and encouraging him to look out for number one, he's grown up to be incredibly selfish and demanding, and prone to throwing violent tantrums.
34	* PhonyPsychic: Creator/StephenFry shows up as one of these; the first thing he tells Peter Sellers is nobody should wear green because it's bad luck. Later we see him on the phone wearing the exact same green sweater he advised Peter Sellers not to wear.
35	* PlayingSick: Peter doesn't want to play his planned fourth role (Major Kong) in ''Film/DrStrangelove'', and his son suggests he do this to get out of it. Peter proceeds to arrive on set in a leg cast, walking on crutches... (In truth, he got out of the role by playing up an actual ankle injury he sustained on the set when he fell out of the prop cockpit.)
36	* PositiveFriendInfluence: The film opens with a riotously joyful recording of ''Radio/TheGoonShow'', which is one of the few times in the film we see Peter appearing to truly enjoy himself and be happy. Following this, while they don't really form a big part of the narrative, Sellers' fellow Goons Spike Milligan and Harry Secombe pop up every so often, usually while Peter is going through something of a rough patch in his personal life (such as the death of his mother and the breakdown of his marriages), and are clearly used to symbolise his happier days and how far he's getting away from them.
37	* TakeOurWordForIt: Audiences in-story react with glee to Sellers' film performances, but the viewer usually doesn't get to see exactly ''why''. There are quick clips of Rush-as-Sellers in films like ''I'm All Right, Jack'' and ''Film/TheMouseThatRoared'', but he isn't doing anything particularly funny in them. The filmmakers apparently assumed the viewer was familiar with Sellers' work going in and would be able to fill in the blanks.
38	* TimeCompressionMontage: One charts his rise to U.K. film stardom (and has the TakeOurWordForIt clips mentioned above) and his family moving from an apartment to a mansion.
39	* UnreliableNarrator: The movie often switches to many of the other people in Sellers' life as being played by Sellers himself, where they will offer commentary on Sellers as they saw him. It is left to the viewer to determine whether these are accurate depictions of what they thought about Sellers or simply what Sellers believed / wanted them to think about him.
40	* VillainProtagonist: Peter Sellers ends up coming off as this between the ByronicHero portrayal, the HistoricalVillainUpgrade exaggerating some of his worse tendencies, and the fact that the healthier relationships he had in his life (in particular with his fellow Goons) are neglected/downplayed. Arguably justified in that he ''was'' a domestic abuser among other things, so a portrayal that put more/equal emphasis on his positive aspects would have run the risk of downplaying the damage he did to himself and especially others, and as society changes, it is much less forgiving of such portrayals of real-life figures.

Context Film / TheLifeAndDeathOfPeterSellers