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The Ghost of Peter Sellers (documentary)

Started by St_Eddie, September 05, 2018, 06:04:43 AM

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St_Eddie

A documentary about Peter Medak, the director of Ghost in the Noonday Sun, is currently doing the rounds at film festivals.  Ghost in the Noonday Sun was shot in 1973 but deemed unworthy of a theatrical release by the studio, eventually finding a release on home video in 1985.  In the documentary, Medak revisits the making of the film, his highly stressful experiences of the shoot and in particular, his complicated relationship with renowned comedic actor (and renowned arsehole), Peter Sellers.

The Ghost of Peter Sellers is currently seeking a distributor but it's a documentary to keep an eye on, I feel.


On the topic of films about Peter Sellers, I can recommend The Life and Death of Peter Sellers, starring Geoffrey Rush.  It's a beautiful and haunting film, offering a fascinating insight into the man, the myth and the legend.

mothman

I didn't like TLaDoPS. Too disjointed. Maybe I need to give it another try.

marquis_de_sad

The trailer took an unwelcome turn into a Who Do You Think You Are style, but maybe that's just in the trailer. Looks intriguing, will have to give this a watch.

Never saw Ghost in the Noonday Sun, but it looks like a fascinating failure in and of itself.  Apparently, Sellers roped Spike Milligan into directing some of it, despite the later protesting that he knew jack shit about directing a movie.  It's better than Yellowbeard, surely?

Chriddof

This Sellers-starring advert for Benson & Hedges was shot during the making of the film, in the same location:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7QKwRTGm22A

Also includes Spike.

St_Eddie

Quote from: goinggoinggone on September 06, 2018, 12:21:58 AM
Never saw Ghost in the Noonday Sun, but it looks like a fascinating failure in and of itself.  Apparently, Sellers roped Spike Milligan into directing some of it, despite the later protesting that he knew jack shit about directing a movie.  It's better than Yellowbeard, surely?


There's an awful lot of emphasis on that sentence.  Know what I mean?

Shaky

Quote from: mothman on September 05, 2018, 08:41:26 PM
I didn't like TLaDoPS. Too disjointed. Maybe I need to give it another try.

I enjoyed it first time round but it completely falls apart on repeated viewings. All flash and no substance, sadly. Rush does a good surface approximation of Sellers but both he and the film are waaaay too broad to hold up to any scrutiny.  There are lots of very on-the-nose lines, scenes and performances too. I remember thinking it would've been far more worthwhile to focus on one point of Sellers' life so maybe this new doc will be worth a spin.

Maurice Yeatman

That 3-second clip of 1973 actuality at the beginning is great - so clear. Wonder where it's from. Probably not from Sellers' home movie footage, but I doubt the appearance of the Rolls is a coincidence.