A new film
depicting the life of comedy legend, Peter Sellers, was recently screened in
Cannes to critical acclaim.
The Life and Death of Peter Sellers,
directed by Stephen Hopkins (Traffic the TV
series), is based on the biography of the same name by Roger Lewis and depicts
Sellers’ tumultuous rise to be one of the world’s best and most loved comic
character actors. Behind the façade of acclaim, success and humour laid an
unconfident, self-conscious and unhappy man.
The film has a varied cast with
Sellers being played by Geoffrey Rush, Spike Milligan by Edward Tudor Pole and
Harry Secombe by League of
Gentlemen’s Steve Pemberton.
The most surprising positive
critique came from Sellers’ ex-wife Britt Ekland who had previously threatened
to sue the film makers. She stated that “the movie was completely original and I
found watching it an incredibly emotional and moving experience.”
The Life and Death of Peter Sellers is
an HBO production and to be released later this year.
