The Life and Death of Peter Sellers (2004)

User Rating:

6.9/10   

Director:

Stephen Hopkins

Writers (WGA):

Roger Lewis (book)
Christopher Markus (teleplay) ...
(more)

Release Date:

26 August 2004 (Australia)

Genre:

Biography | Drama

Tagline:

Never judge a man by his cover.

Plot:

The feature adaptation of Roger Lewis' book about the actor best remembered as Inspector Clouseau in the Pink Panther movies.

Plot Keywords:

Actor | Clouseau | Show Business | Personality | Bumbling

Awards:

Won 2 Golden Globes. Another 17 wins & 23 nominations

Cast

Geoffrey Rush	...	Peter Sellers
Charlize Theron	...	Britt Ekland
Emily Watson	...	Anne Sellers
John Lithgow	...	Blake Edwards
Miriam Margolyes	...	Peg Sellers
Peter Vaughan	...	Bill Sellers
Sonia Aquino	...	Sophia Loren
Stanley Tucci	...	Stanley Kubrick
Stephen Fry	...	Maurice Woodruff
Henry Goodman	...	Dennis Selinger
Alison Steadman	...	Casting Agent
Peter Gevisser	...	Ted Levy
David Robb	...	Dr. Lyle Wexler
Edward Tudor-Pole	...	Spike Milligan (as Edward Tudor Pole)
Steve Pemberton	...	Harry Secombe
Nigel Havers	...	David Niven
Mackenzie Crook	...	Car Salesman
George Cicco	...	Michael Sellers, 3 Yrs.
James Bentley	...	Michael Sellers, 7-10 Yrs.
Eliza Darby	...	Sarah Sellers
Lance Ellington	...	Singer / Ray Ellington
Lucy Punch	...	Lead Stewardess
Heidi Klum	...	Ursula Andress
Nick Maloney	...	Interviewer - Switzerland
Jane Milligan	...	Reporter - Pink Panther Premiere
Joseph Long	...	Carlo Ponti
Bob Sherman	...	Movie Executive
Sam Dastor	...	Hal Ashby
Mona Hammond	...	Louise the Maid
Alan Williams	...	'Casino Royale' Director
Grant Russell	...	Plastic Surgeon
Julian Littman	...	Businessman on Plane
Tope Oluwole	...	Beautiful Black Woman
Kate Burrell	...	Sophia's stand-in
Rosie Fellner	...	Emma - Selinger's secretary
In-Sook Chappell	...	So Mi - Girl at Screening
Tom Wu	...	Burt Kwouk / Cato
Kenneth Hadley	...	Limo Driver
Robert Wilfort	...	Motorcycle Delivery Man
Ty Glaser	...	'Millionairess' Girl with Phone
Molly Hallam	...	Hilary - 'Strangelove' Assistant
Richard Ayoade	...	Photographer at Wedding
Simon Markey	...	Reporter - Sophia Loren Arrives
Bruce Mackinnon	...	Reporter #1 - Britt at Hospital
Josh Cole	...	Reporter #2 - Britt at Hospital
Richard Syms	...	Newscaster #1
Osmund Bullock	...	Newscaster #2
Markus Napier	...	Maitre D' - Switzerland
Kennie Andrews	...	Maintenance Man
Vera Zaal	...	Car Showroom 60's Sci-Fi Girl
Tiara Tian	...	Car Showroom Asian Beauty
Charlotte Connoley	...	Car Showroom Blonde Bombshell
Stephanie Jacob	...	Nurse with Wheelchair
Gerrard McArthur	...	Wayne - Studio Engineer
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Ray Donn	...	Studio Cameraman (uncredited)
Andrew Houghton	...	Pink Panther 1st Assistant Director (uncredited)
Polly Kemp	...	Doctor (uncredited)
John Perkins	...	Hospital Porter (uncredited)
Mike Savva	...	Italian Film Crewmember (uncredited)
Chuen Tsou	...	Oddjob Chauffeur (uncredited)

Directed by
Stephen Hopkins

Writing credits (WGA)
Roger Lewis		(book)
Christopher Markus		(teleplay) &
Stephen McFeely		(teleplay)

Produced by
Ben Baker	....	on-line video producer
Simon Bosanquet	....	producer
Freddy De Mann	....	executive producer
Pilar DeMann	....	associate producer
Juanita F. Diana	....	associate producer (as Juanita Diana Feeney)
George Faber	....	executive producer
David Z. Obadiah	....	producer: title sequence
Charles Pattinson	....	executive producer
David M. Thompson	....	executive producer

Original Music by
Richard Hartley

Cinematography by
Peter Levy

Film Editing by
John Smith

Casting by
Nina Gold

Production Design by
Norman Garwood

Art Direction by
Chris Lowe		(supervising art director)
John Ralph
Lucy Richardson

Set Decoration by
Maggie Gray

Costume Design by
Jill Taylor

Makeup Department
Enzo Angileri	....	hair stylist: Ms. Theron
Greg Cannom	....	special makeup effects artist
Ashley Johnson	....	hair stylist
Ashley Johnson	....	makeup artist
Davy Jones	....	prosthetic makeup artist
John Kim	....	makeup effects technician
Mary Kim	....	makeup effects production supervisor: Captive Audience Productions Inc.
Ameneh Mahloudji	....	makeup artist
Veronica McAleer	....	chief hair designer (as Veronica Brebner)
Veronica McAleer	....	chief makeup designer (as Veronica Brebner)
Mark Nieman	....	silicone prosthetic department supervisor: Captive Audience Productions
Tapio Salmi	....	hair stylist
Tapio Salmi	....	makeup artist
Rupert Simon	....	additional hair stylist
Rupert Simon	....	additional makeup artist
Barbara Taylor	....	crowd hair
Keith VanderLaan	....	makeup effects creator: Captive Audience Productions
Wesley Wofford	....	special makeup effects artist
Elizabeth Yianni-Georgiou	....	make-up and hair (uncredited)

Production Management
Michael Harm	....	unit manager
Joseph Jayawardena	....	unit manager
Rachel Neale	....	unit production manager
Keri Putnam	....	executive in charge of production
Greg Spence	....	post-production supervisor
Janet Fries Eckholm	....	additional post-production supervisor (uncredited)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Mike Brewster	....	second unit director
Rob Burgess	....	third assistant director: crowd
Ben Lanning	....	third assistant director
Cliff Lanning	....	first assistant director
Gary Powell	....	second unit director
Matthew Sharp	....	second assistant director
Nick Simmonds	....	additional third assistant crowd director
Kevin Westley	....	first assistant director: second unit

Art Department
David Balfour	....	property master
John Bohan	....	construction manager
Graham Caulfield	....	drapesmaster
Dean Clegg	....	stand-by art director
Stephen Daly	....	storyboard artist
Robert J. Dugdale	....	scenic artist
Robert Hill	....	chargehand stand-by
Paul Kirby	....	draughtsman
Cathal MacIlwaine	....	stand-by carpenter
Thomas Martin	....	assistant construction manager
Nina Ross	....	graphics
Kate Venner	....	prop buyer/assistant decorator
Clive Ward	....	head scenic painter
John Wells	....	assistant propmaster
Jack Garwood	....	stand-by props (uncredited)

Sound Department
Rick Ash	....	sound re-recording mixer
Paula Boram	....	foley artist
Victoria Brazier	....	sound editor
Felicity Cottrell	....	foley artist
Colette Dahanne	....	adr mixer
Zack Davis	....	dialogue editor
Tim Hands	....	supervising sound editor
Adam Jenkins	....	sound re-recording mixer
Robin Johnson	....	boom operator
Simon Kaye	....	production sound mixer
Laura Lovejoy	....	dialogue editor
Anna MacKenzie	....	sound editor
Claire Mahoney	....	foley artist
James Mather	....	foley editor
Doug Mountain	....	supervising sound engineer (as Douglas Mountain)
Ryan Murphy	....	sound recordist
Andrew Neil	....	adr mixer
Geoffrey G. Rubay	....	sound effects editor
Ruth Sullivan	....	foley artist
David Sutton	....	boom operator
David Sutton	....	sound maintenance
Tami Treadwell	....	adr recordist
Karen Vassar	....	sound editorial assistant
Alexander Beddow	....	adr assistant (uncredited)
Bob Bowman	....	first assistant sound editor (uncredited)
Jennie Evans	....	additional sound editor (uncredited)

Special Effects by
Stuart Brisdon	....	special effects supervisor
Jack Firman	....	special effects technician: Captive Audience Productions
Jonathan Edward Graham	....	digital animation
Mark Haddenham	....	special effects senior technician
David Johns	....	snow effects technician
Kristen Lobstein	....	special effects technician
Brian Van Dorn	....	special effects technician

Visual Effects by
Adrian Banton	....	digital artist
Adrian Banton	....	digital compositor
Angus Bickerton	....	visual effects designer
Jim Bowers	....	digital matte painter
Camille Cellucci	....	visual effects producer
Patrick Clancey	....	digital opticals
James Clarke	....	visual effects
Mike Connolly	....	digital compositor: Baseblack
Neil Culley	....	digital artist
Stephen Elson	....	visual effects producer: Baseblack
Sean Farrow	....	digital artist
Sean Farrow	....	senior visual effects compositor
Andy Fowler	....	visual effects producer
David Gibbons	....	matte artist
Jon Graham	....	digital artist
Mick Harper	....	digital artist
Tiana Harper	....	visual effects coordinator
David Haslop	....	digital artist
Barrie Hemsley	....	visual effects producer
Sarah Hemsley	....	production and operations
Tim Hey	....	digital artist
Richard Higham	....	digital artist
Robin Huffer	....	digital artist
Mark Intravartolo	....	digital effects artist
Tim Jones	....	digital artist
Ntana Key	....	second digital colorist: EFILM
Duncan Kinnaird	....	digital artist
Duncan Kinnaird	....	senior visual effects compositor
Mark Kolpack	....	visual effects producer: The Post Group
Robin Kurz	....	digital compositor
Simon Leech	....	digital artist
Kevin Lin	....	digital cleanup artist
Natalie MacDonald	....	digital compositor
Andrew MacLeod	....	digital artist
Dan McRae	....	scanning and recording
Warren J. Mills	....	digital I/O
Steve Mitchell	....	matte artist
Nick New	....	digital artist
Jeff North	....	digital artist
Roma O'Connor	....	visual effects coordinator
Chris Panton	....	digital artist
Joe Pavlo	....	visual effects supervisor
Dylan Penhale	....	digital systems manager
Paul Poetsch	....	digital compositor: Baseblack
Glen Pratt	....	digital artist
Petra Schwane	....	digital compositor: Baseblack
Steven J. Scott	....	digital intermediate colorist: EFilm
Foad Shah	....	digital artist
Catherine M. Shaw	....	visual effects coordinator
Matina Skouteri	....	scanning and recording: Framestore CFC
Rupert Smith	....	production and operations
Maria Stroka	....	film recording producer
Marios Theodosi	....	digital compositor
Paul Tuersley	....	digital artist
Paola Varvaro	....	digital cleanup artist
Victor Wade	....	digital artist
Tim Walton	....	digital artist
Val Wardlaw	....	visual effects supervisor: Baseblack
Sharon Warmington	....	digital artist
Andrew White	....	CGI artist
Aubrey Woodiwiss	....	film scanning recording
Peter 'Beak' Cvijanovic	....	Inferno artist: Post Group (uncredited)
Thomas Mathai	....	data manager (uncredited)

Stunts
Nicola Berwick	....	stunt performer (as Nicky Berwick)
George Cottle	....	stunt performer
Carly Harrup	....	stunt performer (as Carly Harrop)
Gary Powell	....	stunt coordinator
David Ware	....	stunt performer
Rowley Irlam	....	stunt driver (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Simon Baker	....	camera operator: "b" camera
Mike Brewster	....	director of photography: second unit
Stuart Bunting	....	grip camera
Adam Dale	....	aerial director of photography
Barney Davis	....	second assistant camera
Mark Evans	....	gaffer
Alex Griffiths	....	camera loader
Eugene Grobler	....	balloon light operator
Rodrigo Gutierrez	....	camera operator: "b" camera
Luke Andrew Haddock	....	video assistant trainee
Rawdon Hayne	....	first assistant camera
Nikos Kalimerakis	....	best boy
Iain Mackay	....	second assistant camera: "b" camera
Nick Ray	....	grip
Peter Robertson	....	camera operator: "a" camera
Oliver Upton	....	additional still photographer
Martyn Welland	....	electrician
Charlie Woodburn	....	first assistant camera: aerial unit
Adam Dale	....	aerial camera operator (uncredited)

Animation Department
Paul Donnellon	....	animator
Paul Donnellon	....	character designer
John Sunter	....	assistant animator: title sequence

Casting Department
Vanessa Baker	....	adr voice casting
Rosalie Clayton	....	casting assistant
Brendan Donnison	....	adr voice casting
Tamara Gillon	....	casting assistant

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Sally Crees	....	costume assistant
Sally Davis	....	costume assistant
Steve O'Sullivan	....	costume assistant
Charlotte Sewell	....	assistant costume designer
Marion Weise	....	costume supervisor

Editorial Department
Matthew Crocker	....	post-production assistant
Christina Kim	....	post-production coordinator
Curtis Lindersmith	....	digital intermediate editor
Andrew Morgado	....	post-production assistant
Jeff Schweikart	....	post-production assistant
Hereward Selby	....	first assistant editor
Lori Taffet	....	post-production coordinator
Paul C. Warschilka	....	assistant editor
Mark Wright	....	negative cutter
Michael Moran	....	post-production assistant (uncredited)

Music Department
P.J. Bloom	....	music consultant
P.J. Bloom	....	music supervisor
James Seymour Brett	....	music arranger
James Seymour Brett	....	orchestrator
David Crofts	....	musician: ukulele
Karen Elliott	....	music supervisor
Richard Ford	....	music editor
Oliver Hug	....	assistant music editor
Evyen Klean	....	music consultant
Gerard McCann	....	music editor: pre-view
Yann McCullough	....	assistant music engineer
Emily Rogers	....	music editor
Lee Scott	....	music editor

Transportation Department
Gary Birmingham	....	unit transport manager
Guy Bostock	....	action vehicle coordinator
Ian Clarke	....	vehicle technician
Lee Isgar	....	driver: Geoffrey Rush
Sean Thornton	....	picture vehicle technician

Other crew
Carolyn Allen	....	set tutor
Guy Barker	....	post-production accountant
Francesca Castellano	....	production coordinator
Gavin Charlton	....	chef
Nikki Clapp	....	script supervisor
Paul Donnellon	....	title designer: main titles
Lucy Foulds	....	location assistant
Kate Garwood	....	assistant: Stephen Hopkins
Rob Grundy	....	supervising armorer
Andrew Haddock	....	video coordinator
Liam Hearne	....	assistant post-production accountant
Sarah Hunt	....	assistant production accountant
Nikki Inwood	....	utility stand-in
Lee Isgar	....	assistant: Geoffrey Rush
Carlton Jarvis	....	set medical advisor
Martin Joy	....	assistant location manager
Aghi D. Koh	....	executive in charge of development
Harvey Lowry	....	operations manager: Captive Audience Productions
Duncan Manning	....	chef
Zoe Margolis	....	floor runner
Franka Mavrides	....	production assistant
James McLaren	....	production dailies
Neil Morphew	....	stand-in
Steve Morphew	....	stand-in: Geoffrey Rush
Heather Noble	....	assistant coordinator
Joe Oppenheimer	....	development executive
Geraldine Patten	....	production secretary
Sue Quinn	....	location manager
Justine Redfern	....	assistant to producer
Emily Rice	....	post-production accountant
Deborah Ross	....	additional title designer
Richard Senior	....	production runner
Emily Ann Sonnet	....	production runner
Rebecca Thornell	....	clearance
Andrew White	....	title designer
Jack Yiokoumi	....	chef
Christopher Xavier Lozano	....	stills photography (uncredited)
Paul Sacks	....	additional set production assistant (uncredited)

Production Companies

• HD Vision Studios
• Home Box Office (HBO)
• BBC Films
• Company Pictures
• De Mann Entertainment Company, The
• Labrador Films

Distributors

• Home Box Office (HBO)
• Bontonfilm (2005) (Czech Republic) (theatrical)
• Frenetic Films (2004-2005) (Switzerland) (theatrical)
• Lucky Red (2005) (Italy) (theatrical)
• Océan Films (2004) (France) (theatrical)
• Spentzos Films (2004) (Greece) (theatrical)
• Toshiba Entertainment (2005) (Japan) (theatrical)
• Vértigo Films (2005) (Spain) (theatrical)
• Warner Bros. (2005) (Germany) (theatrical)
• A-Film Distribution (Netherlands)
• Argentina Video Home (2005) (Argentina) (DVD)
• Argentina Video Home (2005) (Argentina) (VHS)
• Scanbox Entertainment (2005) (Finland) (DVD)
• Scanbox Entertainment (2005) (Sweden) (DVD)
• Warner Bros. (2005) (Argentina) (all media)
• Warner Home Video (2005) (Switzerland) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2005) (Germany) (DVD)
• Warner Home Vídeo (2005) (Brazil) (all media)
• Yleisradio (YLE) (2007) (Finland) (TV) (TV2)

Special Effects

• Baseblack (additional visual effects)
• Keith Vanderlaan's Captive Audience Productions (makeup effects)
• Post Group, The
• Senate Visual Effects, The (visual effects by)
• Snow Business International (snow effects)

Other Companies

• Shepperton Studios  movie studio
• VooDooDog  animated title
• Casting Collective  extras casting
• Chapman/Leonard Studio Equipment  cranes and dollies
• Cutting Edge  negative cutting
• EFilm  digital intermediate (as EFilm Digital Laboratories)
• Flying Pictures  aerial filming services provided by
• Gearbox Sound and Vision  avid systems supplied by
• Lee Lighting  lighting
• Mobile Mouthful  catering
• Panavision UK  cameras equipment provided by
• Post Logic Studios  digital film mastering
• Useful Company  video assist equipment
• VooDooDog  character design

Runtime:

122 min

Country:

USA | UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Argentina:13 | Germany:12 | Switzerland:14 (canton of Zurich) | Iceland:L | Portugal:M/12 | Spain:13 | Australia:M | Canada:14A | Czech Republic:12 | Finland:K-11 | Netherlands:12 | Switzerland:14 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Vaud) | UK:15 | Singapore:M18

Filming Locations:

Biltmore Estate - 1 Approach Road, Asheville, North Carolina, USA

Company:

HD Vision Studios

Trivia:

Geoffrey Rush initially turned down the film, feeling he didn't possess the mental capacity to play Peter Sellers. But after finishing _Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl (2003)_, Rush changed his mind and decided to do the film, feeling that the previous film had put him in the right mindset.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Sellers' father is in the hospital, his oxygen mask is initially on upside down. In subsequent shots, the mask is right side up.

Quotes:

Peter Sellers: People ask me why do I keep compromising my artistic integrity by walking in front of Blake's cameras. Do you know what I tell them? Money.

Movie Connections:

Features Being There (1979)

Soundtrack:

Riding on a Crest of a Wave

Rush is mind-blowing... but which Rush?

Let there be no doubt that Peter Sellers would be an enormously difficult part to play. He has to be one of the few actors in film history who is more complex than the characters he played. (unless one considers actors such as Paul Walker... let me rephrase that, one of the few TALENTED actors) And it would be hard to imagine the man who is still infamously remembered as Inspector Clouseau from the Pink Panther series being played in as flawless a manor as by Geoffrey Rush here. He wasn't the most obvious choice to play Peter Sellers, but he proved to be the wisest one. The man deserves countless praises, not only for playing Sellers himself to perfection, but also for flawlessly re-creating pretty much every film and radio role Sellers ever played, from Dr. Strangelove to Chance the gardener to Clouseau himself. (beginning in a hilarious sequence on an airplane when Sellers hassles an airline stewardess in Clouseau character) But it doesn't stop there - all throughout his life (or at least so shown here) Sellers struggled with the notion that despite the rampant personalities of his screen personas, Peter the man never really had much of a personality himself. To show this, Sellers reenacts sequences of his real life with himself playing different characters. It is in these delusional sequences that Rush shows his true mastery - he doesn't give us "Geoffrey Rush as Peter Sellers' mother", he gives us "Geoffrey Rush as Peter Sellers as Peter Sellers' mother". Words can't describe the amount of recognition Geoffrey Rush deserves, and a solitary Golden Globe simply doesn't do him justice.

Despite the fact that virtually the whole show centers around Rush and his masterful performance, he is backed up by a strong supporting cast and crew. Director Stephen Hopkins was also an odd choice for the project, given his past credentials ("Lost in Space"? "Predator 2"?)but he proves to have the cheeky sense of humour the film needed to be taken seriously, starting off with a surreal 60's style animation sequence with Sellers showing clips from his own life. And it's nice to see some higher profile actors taking the back seat here, such as Charlize Theron, delightfully ditzy and yet not quite a parody as Sellers' airheaded second wife Britt Eckland. Emily Watson brings class and understated strength to her role as Ann, Sellers' first wife, and, as we are led to believe, the only woman he ever truly loved. (despite the fact he left her and their children to pursue a relationship with Sophia Loren which never happened) Stanley Tucci plays Stanley Kubrick in a brief yet important role during the filming of Dr. Strangelove - his eyes showed what his words could not: how irresponsible and hazardous to he production he perceived Sellers to be. Miriam Margoyles, better known as Professor Sprout in the Harry Potter series is formidable as Peter's domineering, manipulative mother, portrayed as the main reason for Sellers' fractured state of reality. And John Lithgow is an excellent Blake Edwards, blending his eternal optimism and energy with a sense of self pride, which he is forced to swallow, asking Sellers to return for numerous Pink Panther sequels. Lithgow, with his obnoxious laugh, is a constant high point throughout the film.

Yet, after the viewing is finished, the watcher feels strangely empty. Sure it looked classy, and it felt classy to watch, so why shouldn't it be classified as a great movie? Perhaps it's because 'The Life and Death of Peter Sellers' feels more like a series of snapshots, and not like a proper biography. We are presented with WHAT Sellers did in his lifetime, but never really shown WHY. There's an irritating lack of depth, which the viewer fails to notice during the movie, so captivated are we with Rush's wonderful acting. But when we reflect on the film afterwards, we realize that we still don't really know who Peter Sellers is. We know what he did, but not why he did it. This may be an intentional decision on Hopkins' part, because, as we are led to believe, Sellers didn't really understand himself that well. So no one really knew who Peter Sellers was... not even himself. And we should be content with that.

-8/10