About the Documentary

The Ghost of Peter Sellers is a feature length documentary directed by Peter Medak that tells the tale of his ill-fated Hollywood 17th Century pirate comedy shot in Cyprus starring Peter Sellers and Spike Milligan in 1973.

Our documentary is about the making of that film and what happened behind the scenes, which was more outrageous and funnier than the actual movie itself.

Unravelling the Past

The original ‘Ghost’ movie was shot mostly on the Mediterranean sea on real ships which nobody had ever dared to attempt before. Even before shooting began, the Greek Captain delivering the Pirate ship to Kyrenia's magnificent 7th Century Harbour was so drunk that he crashed the ship into the Quay. The production descended further after Peter Sellers lost confidence in the film and fired the Producers and then the Director of Photography.

Structured around the original director Peter Medak and his journey back to the island 42 years later, The Ghost of Peter Sellers is a timeline of events supported by eye-opening and heart-felt interviews with remaining cast members, production staff, Cypriot locals and others from the world of filmmaking. From Los Angeles to New York, from London to Cyprus, Peter recaptures what it was like to work with the genius talents of Sellers and Milligan whilst explaining the saga of the Pirate film and how such a brilliant and funny idea could go so terribly wrong and become a total disaster.


Mutiny

From a bounty of well-documented tales and incidents that occurred during production, ranging from the bizarre to the hysterical and the devilish to the heart-breaking, The Ghost of Peter Sellers documents how the $2 million production for Columbia Pictures became a nightmare for all involved, often mirroring the farcical nature of the film itself.

"I feel ghostly unreal until I become somebody else again on the screen" – Peter Sellers

Peter Boyle as the Sultan - Ghost in the Noonday Sun

The Production

The Ghost of Peter Sellers is produced by Paul Iacovou and directed by Peter Medak and currently available in the US on demand

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