Blog

By Alex Purnell. The Ghost Of Peter Sellers: Review – There’s something gripping about a shipwreck. 

Ghost in the Noonday Sun is an uncomplete 1973 film directed by Hungarian film director Peter Medak, starring un-arguably the biggest name in comedy at that time, Pink Panther and Dr. Strangelove star Peter Sellers. The film, written by Spike Milligan and Evan Jones, had a disastrous production, ill-fated from the get-go. The slapstick pirate comedy was to be filmed partly at sea though it was poorly produced, under-funded, under-scheduled and with the notoriously difficult Sellers as the lead, it was a behemoth of a project headed for a rocky-outcrop.

43 years on, director Peter Medak gives us a retrospective view of the infamous film.

Following how Ghost in the Noonday Sun’s production spanned out, The Ghost of Peter Sellers feels more like a disaster movie, with Medak at the helm for the documentary, it’s a long-form meta explanation of the events that occurred upon and off the shore of Cyprus in 1973 from the perspective of the productions struggling director.

Peter Medak’s therapeutic look at one of the darkest points in his career is a fascinating watch, not only for a historical viewpoint from that era of film but also as an insider perspective of the relationship between Peter Sellers, Spike Milligan and Peter Medak. Sellers, who sabotaged and mentally switched off during the production, is seen through the eyes of Medak not with hate, though. Despite Sellers consistently attempting to seemingly undermine and remove Medak from the production, Medak now instead embraces the late Sellers with care and admiration, taking into account his physical and mental wellbeing.

The doc is both parts humorous and sorrowful, Medak’s approach to re-visiting the film that very nearly ruined his career seems to come from a very genuine desire to heal from the ordeal that still haunts him to this day. The process the cast and crew reportedly went through was nothing less than traumatic, and Medak shares his mixed bag of emotions.

The back and forth of Peter vs. Peter seemed to go on forever, from Sellers reportedly faking a heart attack and returning home mid-shoot to go out partying and even Sellers attempting a coup on the production in an attempt to replace Medak. The two sat down after the film was done and reconciled over booze, with Sellers telling Medak how much he admired and loved him. This was the last time the two spoke, as Sellers died of a heart attack in 1980. 

The Ghost of Peter Sellers is a look back upon Medak’s most torturous production, a moment of clarity and healing, though it manages to look back at this time not only in a negative light but manages to manifest memories of happiness and laughter, lots and lots of laughter.

By Nasu Nguyen.

From the opening shots of Josiah, we are immediately introduced to Brandon, an actor who is  about to audition for the titular role of Josiah, an indentured servant during the end of the Civil War. As he practiced his lines through an audio recording on headphones, a producer calls him over for the audition and misinterprets him practicing his lines to him reenacting a rap video. That moment sparks the beginning of an emotionally nuanced film that dissects the racial tensions of the Hollywood industry. 

Written and directed by Kyle Laursen, he makes bold choices in both the writing and the shot composition. One stylistic choice that stood out was his use of the long take, which is prevalent for a good chunk of the runtime until it chose to break the take around the third act. However, the moment it chose to cut could not have been more appropriate as it showcases an unhinged version of Brandon, who is expressing the sheer anger for the character that he’s playing, yet realizing the correlations between this character and himself. Laursen utilizes the long take to his advantage. On one hand, he guides the audience along with Brandon, on the other hand, he chooses to divert the attention away from him and focuses on the other characters, but every shot feels meticulously crafted to serve each character. I couldn’t help but be reminded of Alejandro G. Inarritu’s Birdman, with it’s similar aesthetic and premise.

The aspect of the long take never felt like a gimmick as it served to match with the overall tone.  Laursen’s direction is visceral. There is this underlying tension that bubbles up throughout the entire film, and part of that is due to the restraint that many of these characters feel. In an industry that is highly strict and competitive, people feel obligated to stay silent to avoid any repercussions. Laursen does a fantastic job of capturing the intense level of suppression in this work environment. Additionally, he fortifies an atmosphere of awkwardness and unease that lingers with you far beyond the credits.  

Laursen’s script in this film is one of the strongest parts of this film. The density of the writing evokes more through the subtext. Laursen offers social commentary on Hollywood’s obsession with telling black stories that focused on the past and their excuses for underscoring the more insensitive aspects of black history. The film relies on ambiguity to drive the narrative, which means that audiences who expect more answers and deeper dives into certain character motivations may be disappointed.

Nevertheless, there is a ton to unpack as it’s a richly layered script that is benefitted from multiple viewings. Laursen shines a light on an issue that is often overlooked in film and television, which is plausible considering how much Hollywood enjoys films that glorify them. During a time where we are having one of the most prolific civil rights movements in history, this film could not be more relevant in its themes.  

The performances in this film are exceptional. It can be easy for someone to tackle a serious subject like this and play it out as melodramatic. Fortunately, that wasn’t the case for this film. Each character knew when to be nuanced and subtle. Kevin Dunn plays the director of this new pilot series and knows when to show authenticity. His character epitomes the good intentions that “White Hollywood” thinks they are doing when telling black stories, but are ultimately blinded by their own ignorance and superiority.

As Dunn’s character provides a rationale for his use of derogatory language, he subconsciously speaks on behalf of every black individual who actually suffered during and before the Reconstruction era of the United States. Luke Forbes is the true star here, delivering a raw and unfeigned portrayal of a black actor and his ambivalence with this role. The sense of containment he must show for this titular character is parallel to his own containment in the acting industry, but even when he releases some of the anguish building up from inside, it’s only in the context of delivering a second take for the audition. Forbes’ is most profound when he is saying no words. Instead, it’s his own facial expressions and mannerisms that speak volumes to his turmoil. 

Laursen’s short film is a pensive examination of how the entertainment industry is fixated on retellings of black history that highlights the oppression and dehumanization of black individuals. Josiah demands the audience to question the motivations of white individuals who spearhead these stories and how it is inherently a form of racism. There was a point in the film where Kevin Dunn’s character talked about how the Civil War may have freed the slaves but they were far from being free men, and the irony in that statement is indicative through the lack of freedom when it comes to how his character wants this story to be told.

The problem resides with the disenfranchised feeling voiceless. As much as it is imperative to showcase the blatant horrors of the black community, there are enough stories that get the message across. Now it’s time to tell original stories of black individuals who are not at the epicenter of slavery, aparheid, or any other facets of racism. The representation of black people being treated as unequal is far too emphasized in film and television and the black community who consume these medias don’t deserve being riddled with reminders of their torture. They deserve to have valuable roles where they aren’t defined as the oppressed. Unless we change these paradigms within society, they will never truly be free. 

Theo Conroy (Kevin Bacon) is a successful middle-aged man whose marriage to his much younger actress wife, Susanna (Amanda Seyfried) is shredding at the seams, frayed by her secretiveness, his jealousy, and the shadow of his past. In an effort to repair their relationship, Theo and Susanna book a vacation at a stunning, remote modern home in the Welsh countryside for themselves and their six-year-old daughter, Ella (Avery Essex). What at first seems like a perfect retreat distorts into a perfect nightmare when Theo’s grasp on reality begins to unravel and he suspects that a sinister force within the house knows more than he or Susanna have revealed, even to each other.

A friend of mine sent me the trailer for You Should Have Left and said to watch it and tell him what I thought about it. Usually, I don’t like to watch trailers for movies too much anymore, as I find that they can give away a lot of details about the plot and show some of the best scenes in the film, lessening the impact and surprise of the actual film. But, I figured I would give it a watch and see what I thought.

After watching it, I had to admit that I found it to be genuinely intriguing and looked like a return to form for Koepp. Best known for his script work on excellent movies such as Jurassic Park, Spider-Man, and Panic Room, I was hoping that this latest film of his, which he also directed, would be a return to form for him after the less than stellar Tom Cruise-lead The Mummy film back in 2017. Well, in a massively disappointing twist, You Should Have Left was awful. It’s without a doubt his worst film in many years.

It starts off decent enough with a creepy atmosphere that is built up right off the bat as we watch a young girl seeing weird things happening in her bedroom, with the ominous title card popping up shortly afterward. Long, dark hallways and the cold of the night is captured beautifully by cinematographer Angus Hudson, making for a chilling feel.

Where the movie falters mainly, however, is its screenplay. It’s a film with a running time of just ninety-three minutes including credits, and forty minutes of that running time is wasted. We see many scenes of Kevin Bacon’s character Theo and Amanda Seyfried’s character Susanna settling into their massive new home and getting accustomed to things.

Susanna will take their young daughter Ella out for walks while Theo stays back in the house and writes journal entries. Theo eventually suspects Susanna of cheating on him after he discovers that she has two cellphones, which leads him to discreetly look at her messages while she is in the bath. Scenes like this happen back to back with no story progression. After a while, it became incredibly frustrating when I realized that the entire film was essentially building to nothing.

After the forty minute mark, it felt as if Koepp finally realized that he had to do something of interest with this story before it was over, so he made the third act feature Kevin Bacon hallucinating and walking around seemingly never-ending corridors. It’s not only headache-inducing, but it’s just boring to watch. Not to mention the actual ending itself barely makes any sense. It’s one of those endings where you can tell the filmmaker’s thought it was much deeper and thought-provoking than it actually is.

This is not a wholly terrible movie though. The performances are actually quite strong, namely from Bacon and Seyfried. I personally found Seyfried to have the strongest performance in the film. She is asked to act with just her facial expressions at times and pulls it off greatly. She almost makes it look easy. It was great to see her deliver her all here, but I just wished that this great performance was in a movie deserving of her talent.

Plus, as I mentioned earlier, the opening few scenes were a little bit interesting and started out promising enough. It has some atmospheric and clever cinematography at times, but when you boil it all down, those two positives aren’t nearly enough to form a great movie. At the end of the day, all movies need to tell great stories, and this one simply didn’t.

You Should Have Left is a boring and convoluted mess due to its bland and uneventful screenplay that wastes its strong cast and ultimately leads nowhere.