Mr. Strangelove : A Biography of Peter Sellers

Rating:
Summary: Comic madman well-explored
Review: I had a great time reading of Sellers's life and his madness. It is a wonderfully absorbing story, well-presented. Years ago, I read Micheal Sellers's memoir of his father. This book paints a similar portrait with deeper insights and captivating prose. A great companion to Sikov's book on Billy Wilder. Ultimately, the story is deeply tragic. How could a man who was so troubled, who brought so much unhappiness to those closest to him, make so many millions laugh?

Rating:
Summary: Finally, someone got it right
Review: I'm a HUGE fan of Peter Sellers, so I've read everything I could find on him over the years. But this is the first biography that really captures the comedic genius of Sellers' legendary radio broadcasts and classic film work while delving equally deeply into the actor's tragic personal life. The author unearthed all sorts of tidbits that were new to this fan, too. What really surprised me, though, was how much information was transmitted without bogging down in the usual mire of biographical facts and dates. It's really a lively read that's true to Sellers' spirit. Sikov is a new name to me, but once I finish buying all of Seller's movies on DVD, I'm going to check out his book on Billy Wilder.

Rating:
Summary: Lunatic Genius
Review: I've always been a big Peter Sellers fan. His work in DR. STRANGELOVE is beyond comic: it's still one of the great comedy performances of all time. And his work in the PINK PANTHER films still scares away every comic actor from ever reviving that successful series.
But I've also always had a deep curiosity as I've watched his career. How could someone so brilliant in LOLITA and DR. STRANGELOVE end up in something like WHERE DOES IT HURT? or SOFT BEDS, HARD BATTLES? Why was there a ten-year gap in the Pink Panther films?
Why the heck does he disappear halfway through CASINO ROYALE?

Ed Sikov's bio provides a lot of answers while painting Sellers as a mad, bratty genius.
I'd read the English edition of the Roger Lewis book, THE LIFE & DEATH OF PETER SELLERS (a difficult read if you're a Yank) and a lot of the same info is found here as well, so all the details appear to jibe.
Peter Sellers had what we'd now call "issues."

I found this to be a well-written bio and look forward to seeing Sellers's films again with a new perspective.
Quoting this book: "He (Sellers) remains to this day the master of playing men who have no idea how ridiculous they are."
He was genius and he was a lunatic. And we'll always have his films to entertain us.

(Like another reviewer on here, I'll also check out Sikov's book on Billy Wilder).

Rating:
Summary: Exceptional
Review: Peter Sellers has been the subject of more than a few books, some significantly better than others. Aside from Graham Stark's beautiful memoir "Remembering Peter Sellers" (still only available in the U.K., unfortunately), this is the best. Certainly it is the most comprehensive, in part because it works from, and builds upon, the many books that came before it.

In more ways than one, "Mr. Strangelove" is not a light read. Sikov's research is extensive and detail is heavy, but his writing is surprisingly nimble over the 300+ page length.

The life of Sellers was fraught with private and public turmoil, and a significant career dry spell. Some previous studies of him and his work treated both with almost cruel insensitivity (and I haven't even read Roger Lewis' much-pilloried "Life and Death of..."), emphasizing the pain he brought into the lives of others. Meanwhile, memoirs like his son Michael Sellers' "P.S. I Love You" and Stark's book, while certainly willing to admit to Peter's faults, made a case for his personal pain and his virtues.

Happily Sikov understands Sellers' good side as well as his bad one. Though this is definitely a warts-and-all portrait of the man - his bad behavior on sets and his unhappy relationships with wives and children are not spared us - and sometimes painful to read, it is also sensitive, careful to stress Peter's humanity. (His fresh interviews with some of Sellers' colleagues do much to acheive this end.) In the end, this is the story of a man who, in Sikov's words, had an "essentially good heart".

Understandably some will be (and have been, to judge from other reviews) frustrated by the extremely detailed coverage Sellers' work, especially his films, are given. But to do justice to the life of such a gifted performer requires a close look at his work, and "Mr. Strangelove" covers his work more compellingly than any previous biography has, particularly where his more obscure films are concerned.

"Mr. Strangelove" is a full, rich portrait of a tragicomic life, one that will be compelling reading for those with even a mild interest in its subject...though once it's been read, "mild" may well turn to "major".