The Ghost of Peter Sellers

Director - Peter Medak (Masters of Horror, The Changeling)

Starring - Peter Medak, Joe Dunne (Superman II, Space: 1999), and Simon van der Borgh (These Final Hours, In Tranzit)

Release Date - 2018

Genre - Documentary

Tagline - "A comedy legend, a hot new director and a 17th century pirate movie.  What could possibly go wrong?"

Format - Bluray (Personal Collection) (Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

     Severin and Intervision is a company that has been at the forefront of releasing horror, cult, and exploitation films.  While they are not the only company focused on preserving cinema, they are one of the handful of the boutique labels that I greatly admire.  Severin, and their partner label Intervision, has released some fantastic horror and exploitation flicks that many would have slept on.  With that being said, they branch out on occasion to release something that many would not associate with them.  Case in point, a few weeks ago Severin sent over a blu release of the 2018 documentary The Ghost of Peter Sellers from legendary filmmaker Peter Medak.  I'm always up to watch a documentary and this was a new one to me.  I want to thank the folks over at Severin for sending this one over!

     The documentary follows director Peter Medak as he recalls the saga behind the biggest blunder of his career when he was tasked with director international comedian Peter Sellers in a 1973 pirate film.  Through interviews with various cast, fans, and friends of those still alive from the production, we see that actor Peter Sellers, along with some of Peter Medak's insecurities, made the filming damn near impossible resulting in a film that never received an official release. 

     I looks like it has been over a years since my last documentary review and that was the Florida based horror doc Blood, Guts, and Sunshine 2.  While The Ghost of Peter Sellers was not a horror doc, it was still interesting for what it was.  I may not be the ideal demographic for the film, it was still enjoyable for a first time viewing.  The interviews for this one are a bit one sided.  We follow Peter Medak and others as they discuss what it was like filming, the process behind preparing for the film, and what it was like working with Peter Sellers.  While Sellers had been gone for sometime by the time this was made, he is obviously unable to verify or take up for his actions which leaves most of this up to speculation.  With that being said, it was interesting hearing some of the stories from filming and what it was like, though one sided, to work with Sellers during this time.  The topics discussed range from preparing for filming, to filming, and what it was like working with Sellers.  While the title implies that most of the film would be based on Sellers, that was only a fraction of what it was about.  With that being said, a lot of the interviews felt like they were whining and blaming others for their shortcomings.  There wasn't a lot of people holding themselves accountable and a lot of finger pointing.  Finally, the editing and videography on this one is great.  We have smooth transitions, great camera work, and some gorgeous shots.  Overall, The Ghost of Peter Sellers is an odd yet interesting look into a film that I never knew existed.  While this made me want to see the actual train wreck that they filmed, this doc about it is pretty damn good.  Sure, it's one sided but what documentary isn't completely unbiased?  Check it out.