Educational Media Reviews Online

Driven by the need for emotional closure, Peter Medak produced and directed a movie in 2018, about the making of a movie he directed in 1973.

The story of the first film began in 1972 when renowned actor Peter Sellers personally implored the up-and-coming Hungarian director to helm his next feature-length project, a 17th century pirate comedy, Ghost in the Noonday Sun. On the basis of Sellers’ box office appeal the financial backing came together quickly, but many crucial pre-production considerations were overlooked. Once production finally began in Cyprus, it descended immediately into months of a nightmarish blend of technical challenges mixed with increasingly intense interpersonal conflicts – between Sellers and everyone else. As the weeks passed, Medak had less and less authority over the cast and crew, yet as the director he feared the responsibility for the film’s success or failure still fell to him alone. When the film inevitably failed to be fully completed and released, the harrowing endeavor continued to torment Medak for the next four decades. Thus the second film, the documentary The Ghost of Peter Sellers.

Armed with a personal archive – a scrapbook, correspondences, reports, memos, schedules and budgets – Medak revisits shooting locations and reunites with a wide range of professionals who had been involved with Ghost in the Noonday Sun - from agents and personal assistants, to producers and financiers, to stuntmen and actors. He also speaks with others traumatized by their proximity to the notoriously destructive comedian, including fellow directors and Sellers’ own daughter. Substantial footage from the final film (eventually released in 1984), as well as photos and home movies, round out the content which transports the viewer into the chaos of the film shoot and Medak’s vulnerability.

The educational applications of The Ghost of Peter Sellers may be narrow, but in two fields in particular, is highly recommended viewing.

Students of film history and/or film production will find this a compelling cautionary tale. It is a rare opportunity to see so many different players in the world of filmmaking brought together to discuss their professions, and in doing so, this documentary demonstrates just how complex and precarious the job of making a film for theatrical release truly is, not to mention the weight of being its director. Medak’s guilt is the poignant counterbalance to his passion for film and devotion to it as his life’s work. His deep personal admiration for Sellers and eagerness to work with him, is the tragic setup to the disastrous punchline of their unraveling partnership.

Likewise, students of psychology will find this to be a fascinating case study in grief and social psychology. As each individual’s story and response to this shared experience compounds to try to make sense of the past, Medak is confronted with a range of perspectives. And as for the ghost, it explores how Sellers’ own solitude fortified his eccentricity, and the many ways his extravagance, jealousy, and fickleness impacted everyone in his wake, long after his death in 1980 at age 54.

Awards:

Winner of Golden Palm Award for Best Picture and Winner of Special Jury Award for Best Documentary (Beverly Hills Film Festival, 2019)