The Unknown Peter Sellers

Rating:
Summary: A Good Documentary On A Genuine Comic Genius
Review: I disagree with some viewers who believe that this biography is a waste of time. Although I would have liked more rare footage and particularly more special features devoted to relatively unknown works like "A Show Called Fred", I still thought that the picture painted of Sellers was accurate and interesting.

The documentary is an hour long and traces Sellers life and career without succumbing to the temptation of focusing excessively on the "Pink Panther" series and the Clouseau character. Don't get me wrong, I adore the "Panthers", but there is so much more to know about this extraordinary man.

The special features are a bit weak. There is an interview from 1971 that is unedited and frequently a bit boring, although there are several brilliant witticisms included that make it worthwhile. Also included are TV ads Sellers made for a bank and an airline. Unfortunately the bank spots, which I thought were flimsy, were his last work ever on film, which makes them worth watching, but are sad, nonetheless.

This is an interesting documentary and I think any fan of Sellers would enjoy watching it; I know that I did.


Rating:
Summary: Looking for the Unknown Peter Sellers
Review: Peter Sellers was a man of great talents and an extensive filmography. He won the hearts of millions and his name will be remembered forever. Yet, a great proportion of his work has remained unknown, mostly from his "early years". This documentary succeeded in revealing a lot of this material and make us familiar with forgotten parts of Sellers' career. One can find here segments of the very first films of Sellers, the short "Let's Go Crazy" and the "Penny Points Of Paradise". Also, other short films, considered as lost until now, as "The Super Secret Service" and "Cold Comfort" appear. Sellers' participation in the 1964 Christmas special "A Carol For Another Christmas" is presented, along with the-possibly-rarest Sellers' film "A Day At The Beach". What's more, Sellers' reclames for TWA and Barclays are also presented. Match this with interviews of personalities such as David Lodge, Harry Secombe, Shirley MacLaine and others and you get a clear picture of the importance of this documentary for Sellers' fans and not only! A great deal of space is also given to Sellers' greatest film "Being There". I hope that this DVD (or VHS) will be the beginning of a series of new Peter Sellers releases, including the films (which we saw here)in their entirety! A big "BRAVO" for the producers !!!

Rating:
Summary: Looking for the Unknown Peter Sellers
Review: Peter Sellers was a man of great talents and an extensive filmography. He won the hearts of millions and his name will be remembered forever. Yet, a great proportion of his work has remained unknown, mostly from his "early years". This documentary succeeded in revealing a lot of this material and make us familiar with forgotten parts of Sellers' career. One can find here segments of the very first films of Sellers, the short "Let's Go Crazy" and the "Penny Points Of Paradise". Also, other short films, considered as lost until now, as "The Super Secret Service" and "Cold Comfort" appear. Sellers' participation in the 1964 Christmas special "A Carol For Another Christmas" is presented, along with the-possibly-rarest Sellers' film "A Day At The Beach". What's more, Sellers' reclames for TWA and Barclays are also presented. Match this with interviews of personalities such as David Lodge, Harry Secombe, Shirley MacLaine and others and you get a clear picture of the importance of this documentary for Sellers' fans and not only! A great deal of space is also given to Sellers' greatest film "Being There". I hope that this DVD (or VHS) will be the beginning of a series of new Peter Sellers releases, including the films (which we saw here)in their entirety! A big "BRAVO" for the producers !!!

Rating:
Summary: Still Waiting For The Rerelease Of Sellers On Sellers
Review: The DVD release of Sellers On Sellers (for $34 yet) has been halted due to court actions by the Sellers estate against the BBC. According to most sources, this is the Sellers "inside bio" to get.

It supposedly has at least 90 minutes of great stuff featuring lots of Sellers home movies. Hopefully the BBC will pay off the Sellers estate so they can get this great DVD back on the market again.

And when and if it does get rereleased, hopefully it'll also be less than $34 - but hey, maybe it won't be, because the BBC will understandably be passing along their payoff to the Sellers estate to their customers. The thing is, though, because it's Sellers, it just might be worth the extra price for a change.





Rating:
Summary: A Waste of Time and Money
Review: There is very little point in seeing this DVD. We are told "Also included are snippets" [of some of Sellers' rarely seen works]. Snippets is the right word, they are tiny. His unknown works will still be unknown to you after seeing this. The only things we really see are his TV ads. The script is dull and uninformative. It didn't cost much, but still wasn't worth the price.

Rating:
Summary: A Waste of Time and Money
Review: There is very little point in seeing this DVD. We are told "Also included are snippets" [of some of Sellers' rarely seen works]. Snippets is the right word, they are tiny. His unknown works will still be unknown to you after seeing this. The only things we really see are his TV ads. The script is dull and uninformative. It didn't cost much, but still wasn't worth the price.

Rating:
Summary: Peter Deserves Better
Review: This is largely a cheesy 50 minute American documentary in the A+E Channel mode with plenty of Peter Sellers left unknown by the end for a sequel (no mention of two of the wives and no mention at all of the three kids). The comments from Shirley MacLaine and Sir David Frost are especially banal. Why interview the great David Lodge but never mention the film Two-Way Stretch? Harry Seacombe speaks at length but Spike Milligan isn't interviewed. Forget it. The BBC did a documentary a few years back on Sellers that was infinitely better (though it was biting). "The Unknown" clips shown are mostly, with one or two exceptions, perversely short, all while exclaiming how exciting it is to see these films that were long thought lost. A DVD of just A SHOW CALLED FRED would have been better appreciated. Note: It is the special features that almost save the day. The full commercials for Barclay and TWA are included (very funny) and there is a hacked-up television interview. Go out to Amazon.co.uk and buy the Goon show CDs first.

Rating:
Summary: A Waste of Time and Money
Review: This release of this VHS/DVD is a true gift for Sellers' fans! We all know and love Peter Sellers from his biggest hits, like the Panthers, The Party, Dr.Strangelove and others, but this documentary brings to light a different, also fascinating work of the great actor and proves his influence in the world of comedy. So, this VHS/DVD succeeds in presenting some never seen before material or rarely seen or considered as "lost" stuff. One can see Sellers' first film days in segments from short films like "Let's Go Crazy"(1951), "The Super Secret Service"(1953), "Cold Comfort"(1957), all of them as rare as can be! What's more, there are segments from "A Carol For Another Christmas", the very first (TV)film Peter did after his dreadful health problem, in 1964: This film was also considered as lost! Also, it features his perfomances in "A Day At The Beach", "The Running, Jumping, Standing Still Film" and some extraordinary commercials he did for TWA and Barclays! Yet, there are many photos from his life, from his childhood to his very last months and photos from the alternative, "lost" ending of "Dr.Strangelove". Apart from some famous Clouseau scenes, there are also a few outtakes(hilarious!) and some recorded material from radio days(like the Goons and his first radio job ever, "New To you"!). The documentary also features interviews with Peter's friends, famous fans and colleagues such as David Lodge, Shirley MacLaine, Michael Palin, Harry Secombe, Richard Lester and others. Beautifully shot and edited, one screening of this nice documentary is never enough! I, myself, was delighted as a fan and very satisfied as a viewer! Let's hope this very ambitious documentary will lead to more Peter Sellers' films and rare material releases! Highly recommended!

Rating:
Summary: Peter Sellers reigns on!
Review: This release of this VHS/DVD is a true gift for Sellers' fans! We all know and love Peter Sellers from his biggest hits, like the Panthers, The Party, Dr.Strangelove and others, but this documentary brings to light a different, also fascinating work of the great actor and proves his influence in the world of comedy. So, this VHS/DVD succeeds in presenting some never seen before material or rarely seen or considered as "lost" stuff. One can see Sellers' first film days in segments from short films like "Let's Go Crazy"(1951), "The Super Secret Service"(1953), "Cold Comfort"(1957), all of them as rare as can be! What's more, there are segments from "A Carol For Another Christmas", the very first (TV)film Peter did after his dreadful health problem, in 1964: This film was also considered as lost! Also, it features his perfomances in "A Day At The Beach", "The Running, Jumping, Standing Still Film" and some extraordinary commercials he did for TWA and Barclays! Yet, there are many photos from his life, from his childhood to his very last months and photos from the alternative, "lost" ending of "Dr.Strangelove". Apart from some famous Clouseau scenes, there are also a few outtakes(hilarious!) and some recorded material from radio days(like the Goons and his first radio job ever, "New To you"!). The documentary also features interviews with Peter's friends, famous fans and colleagues such as David Lodge, Shirley MacLaine, Michael Palin, Harry Secombe, Richard Lester and others. Beautifully shot and edited, one screening of this nice documentary is never enough! I, myself, was delighted as a fan and very satisfied as a viewer! Let's hope this very ambitious documentary will lead to more Peter Sellers' films and rare material releases! Highly recommended!