The Ghost of Peter Sellers

In 1973 Hungarian director Peter Medak and writer-actor Spike Milligan set out to make an epic, 17th-century pirate comedy with Peter Sellers and Columbia Pictures. This juggernaut of ambition, which included a full-scale operational pirate ship, hundreds of extras, and the stunning exoticism of Cyprus, was nothing short of a disaster. Sellers descended to legendary, manic depths, stalling Medak’s burgeoning directorial career. Four decades later, Medak sets off on a journey of catharsis, visiting with the producers, financiers, assistants, actors and extras to make sense of the struggles (and occasional joys), of a doomed production. As he confronts his former friend Sellers’ failings with honesty and a touching humanity, Medak takes his own fearless journey of grief, forgiveness and closure. (Telluride Film Festival)