The Life And Death Of Peter Sellers

[poliphilo]

Peter Sellers never grew a shell. He was so much stingingly exposed baby-flesh. His tantrums, his cruelty, his greed were all babyish. That's why it's so hard not to love him.

His profession had something to do with it. He was continually creating and discarding shells. That was his work. Lots of actors have a problem with knowing who they are between jobs. Sellers had it to the max.

We mistake the shell for the self. Sellers exposes that mistake. This is why his life is so interesting- and troubling. What is a man without a shell? Nothing but a chaotic tumble of infantile emotions.

Sellers was a naked, squalling infant- but also a genius. He was nothing. Out of nothing he created a multiplicity of extraordinary people.

He was no-one and he was any-one and everyone.

P.S. Geoffrey Rush doesn't look in the least bit like Sellers- Sellers had a smooth baby-face, Rush is haggard and acne-scarred- but he has the body language so right that it's spooky.

Comments

[cybersofa.livejournal.com]

You've seen the film then? I saw an excerpt on TV. As you say, spookily Sellers-like, without looking like him in the slightest. The CGI re-creation of Swinging London looked brilliant too.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

Oh yeah. You've gotta see it. The recreation of post-war Britain is understated but brilliantly well done.

Rush ought to get the Oscar. I can't believe there'll be a better performance this year. And the support cast- Emily Watson, Mirian Margolyes, Peter Vaughan, Stephen Fry, Charlize Theron- is brilliant too.

My single regret is that we didn't get to see more of Harry and Spike.