The Ghost of Peter Sellers

Director Peter Medak tells the story of his ill-fated pirate comedy shot in Cyprus in 1973, plagued by the egos of its headliners Peter Sellers and Spike Milligan.

The director has been haunted by his failure of decades ago, and with the main players no longer in this world, he seeks to exorcise himself of their ghosts. We get to view a one-sided forensic exploration of all that went wrong (everything), and it becomes a comprehensive lesson in filmmaking. Short splices when shown now look fun, but apparently not for anyone who was there, not even the extras. That sinking feeling.

Melbourne Documentary Film Festival 2019
93 mins