Hoffman (1970) User Reviews (90)

Here's To The Losers

[slokes · 8/10 · 5 November 2009]

"Dr. Strangelove" is a fine movie, but I'd rather lose Peter Sellers's three legendary performances there than the first few seconds of his title role in "Hoffman", where he simply opens a door and stares at a young woman with succulent, lich-like longing.

The rest of "Hoffman" is nearly as good, so much so it's a surprise it hasn't been picked up for cult-movie status like some other lesser Sellers films have. Part of the problem, of course, is that "Hoffman" is a kind of transgressive pleasure.

Sellers plays Benjamin Hoffman, a middle-management guy who develops an office crush on the pretty-but-engaged Janet Smith (Sinéad Cusack). When Hoffman finds out Janet's fiancé has been stealing from their common employer, Hoffman invites Janet to his London pad for a weeklong stay that involves philosophy, creepy stares, pajama-clad standoffs, and the threat of sex if not the actual thing itself.

"Hope never dies in a man with a good dirty mind," Hoffman declares.

Director Alvin Rakoff and his team play up the spookiness of the assignation. They shoot Sellers like Christopher Lee in a Hammer Dracula film, his red-rimmed eyes staring blankly at Cusack. One scene of him inside an elevator in pursuit of her reminds me of Dracula awaiting sunset inside his coffin. He also sucks snails and rubs liniment on her bare neck, furthering the connection.

Not an easy comedy for pure laughs, "Hoffman" delivers humor more in the form of perverted menace, especially when Janet is reacting to his more over-the-top pronouncements. "Please make yourself look as though you want to be fertilized" is almost the first thing out of his mouth when Janet arrives, and the conversation goes downhill from there.

What makes "Hoffman" more affecting is the realness of Sellers' performance, the sense of watching a real person for once behind the mask Sellers so effortlessly employed. Benjamin Hoffman is a vampire or sorts, but one with a heart, who views his victim with compassion and sees his situation as a possible victory for "men who missed the boat but still need love".

The script by Ernest Gébler offers up many odd lines which rub some the wrong way and no doubt contribute to "Hoffman's" low reputation. A New York Times critic once inveighed against Hoffman's comment: "It's not only homosexuals who don't like women. Hardly anybody likes them." Of course, that's Hoffman's line, a guy who tells a woman he loves that women are just fallopian tubes with teeth. The fact he is so lost is part of the movie's comedy and part of its tragedy at the same time. Frankly, I also find the line hilarious.

There are groaner lines in "Hoffman", though, like when Hoffman tells Janet: "Why don't you stop stabbing me in the face with your doomed youth!" Huh? Give Cusack credit for providing such a resonant backstop to Seller's left-field banter, and giving her character the right amount of innocence and sex to make the whole thing work. Too much of one or the other, and it would fly off the rails.

"Hoffman" is probably not for everyone. It moves slowly, spends a lot of time with just two people in frame, and plays its comedy close to the vest. But for those who give it a chance, and especially those who adore Sellers going in, "Hoffman" is like a valentine wrapped inside a hand grenade just waiting to surprise you with a seriously fulfilling rumination on the riddle of love.

Hoffman (Alvin Rakoff, 1970) **1/2

[Bunuel1976 · 6/10 · 28 December 2007]

This is at once one of Peter Sellers' least-known and more interesting vehicles; the film is virtually a two-hander – with Sinead Cusack (daughter of actor Cyril and later Mrs. Jeremy Irons) as the young girl blackmailed by a middle-aged colleague (Sellers) into becoming his lover, because he knows of her boyfriend's involvement in a robbery.

While the film is considered a comedy, it doesn't sound like it from that synopsis; it's really a character-driven piece on a serious theme – mid-life crisis – which has been treated several times over the years, though rarely in such perceptively intimate detail (for which it was deemed tasteless at the time). The humorous element (if one can call it that) springs from the fact that Sellers' character – who had been fantasizing about Cusack for months – doesn't have the courage to do anything with her once they're together! Incidentally, Hoffman's innately cruel nature was so similar to the real Peter Sellers that one might be inclined to think that his dialogue was improvised – but this wasn't the case!

With this in mind, the film can be seen as talky (though Ernest Gebler's script, adapted from his own novel, does contain a smattering of good lines), low-key and claustrophobic (the narrative strays only occasionally from Sellers' flat, and the two almost never interact with other people) – not to mention repetitive and overstretched at 113 minutes! One particular sequence included an ambitious shot lasting for some 18 minutes, which certainly belied the rumors that Sellers had suffered brain damage during that infamous incident from the early 1960s in which he suffered no less than seven heart attacks in one day. The film's happy-ending-of-sorts, then, is highly improbable – but I guess it works well enough in this context (given that Cusack's boyfriend is depicted as a one-dimensional character and, therefore, no match for the intellectual Sellers).

Gerry Turpin's cinematography of the bleak London settings is one of the film's main assets, while the tone of romantic melancholy – inherent in Ron Grainer's score and his Don Black-penned theme song, "If There Ever Is A Next Time" (sung by Matt Monro) – infuses the whole film and even serves as exposition for the main narrative during its deliberately vague early stages. By the way, director Rakoff had already handled the same material as a TV production starring Donald Pleasance; at his own admission, the film version was too slow – because the pace seemed to be dictated by the lead actor – and professed to having misgivings also about the choice of music. As for Sellers himself, he was so disappointed with the final result that the star offered to buy back the negative from the producer and shoot it again from scratch (the film, in fact, was such a resounding flop that it wasn't shown in New York until 1982)!

Mister Hoffman only wants to share his love

[nxgn_not_not · 7/10 · 16 September 2003]

Because there are only two characters in the whole movie we are given a wonderful taste of what the actors can do. Sellers tumultuous life and rare abilities shine through every scene. A must for any fan of Lolita or Being There.

Peter Sellers plays it straight for once...and is superb

[straker-1 · 3 November 2002]

Ask people what they remember about Peter Sellers, and if they know him at all they'll talk about the Pink Panther films or The Goon Show. In other words, he's forever labelled as a comic actor. In "Hoffman", Sellers plays against type in a straight dramatic performance - and, to be blunt, he's brilliant. "Hoffman" was ignored at the box office upon its' release in 1970, and never got a proper US release. Even today, with a million films on VHS and DVD, you'll have a hard job finding a copy. Audiences were clearly not prepared to sit through a film in which Peter Sellers didn't play four characters, fly through the air and crash painfully, or mask himself in make-up or funny voices. That "Hoffman" is essentially a filmed stage play with only four characters, and is largely just Sellers and Sinead Cusack talking for two hours, also clearly worked against its' success.

This is unfortunate, as here we have what is arguably Sellers' best performance. Sellers essentially plays himself...pale, somewhat gaunt, well-spoken, with an undeniable air of restrained madness about him. Sellers' Benjamin Hoffman is a hollow man, a man who has no existence outside of the things he remembers - and the unattainable image of the woman he adores from afar. Fate plays into Hoffman's hands when he obtains blackmail material on the woman's fiance...his price for his silence: a week alone with her in his flat. Sinead Cusack plays this prisoner of Hoffman's desire brilliantly, alternating between fiery Celtic indignation and a childlike quality. Though she can leave Hoffman's clutches at any time, she can never bring herself to do so...firstly out of fear for her future husband, and later because she finds herself captivated by the strangeness of her urbane blackmailer. Sellers is the very picture of quiet madness in this movie, never raising his voice and never displaying any hint of the obsessions that drive him in an overt manner. Hoffman is not a rapist, nor a maniac, but rather a emotional vampire who draws life from the innocence and youth of his 'guest'. Hoffman takes her to dinner, for walks in the park, to a department store, (in one notable scene, Cusack is pictured standing beneath sides of beef - a metaphor almost too unsubtle to work properly. But it does), he treats her with the utmost respect, he never so much as kisses her. In short, he tries to make her love him even though his every utterance and opinion arouse little but hatred in her. Hoffman is clearly goading her with his studied misogyny and his overbearing attempts to make her feel 'at home', fearing that if he ever became a person to her, or she to him, the spell he has cast would crack. And dreams are all Hoffman has, all he knows. Sellers' wraithlike appearance reinforces the vampiric quality of Hoffman...a man who has had all joy and wonder sucked out of his life by crushing domesticity. The Dracula metaphor is explored further in Hoffman's comments about wanting to consume his captive, and in a scene where she bares his neck to him. In short, "Hoffman" is a neglected gem, one of the few movies in which Sellers could escape his clownish characters and simply be Peter Sellers, actor. Or perhaps, Hoffman IS Sellers...? Jeremy Bulloch, best known as Boba Fett in the Star Wars series, plays the little-seen fiance. Also of note is the rather excellent score, composed by Ron Grainer. Grainer, of course, gave the world the best TV theme tune of all time..."Doctor Who". Matt Munro, who sang the title tune to From Russia With Love, does the honours here also with the melancholy song 'If There Ever Is A Next Time'. No Sellers fan should miss this movie. A masterpiece.

Not what most people would expect from a Peter Sellers film.

[planktonrules · 6/10 · 15 December 2009]

Hoffman is unusual in that it takes an nontraditional path. Instead of showing the events leading to the conflict, the film begins at the conflict...and then slowly reveals the events leading to this. An unusual choice to say the least. You learn that a lady has been blackmailed by her boss--forcing this engaged woman to spend the week with him in his apartment--though why she agreed and his ultimate goals aren't readily apparent. Sellers' character is NOT just some creepy pervert--there's something more, though what it is is also not readily apparent.

As for Sellers, his appearance as "Hoffman" is rather shocking. He appears rather gaunt and pale and this effect is heightened by his extremely subdued performance. He lacks the spark that you might associate with a Sellers performance--though it's all in pursuit of creating his character. His character is not the flamboyant or obvious guy you'd expect from Sellers, though he's not nearly as subdued or flat as Chauncy Gardner from BEING THERE (perhaps my favorite Sellers film). The bottom line is that this film ISN'T a comedy--and such a performance is appropriate in such a case.

The central idea of the film, blackmail, makes this a unique but somewhat creepy film--though it could have been worse. The problem is that over time, as you'd completely expect in such a film, she comes to like him and identify with him--and this sort of film MIGHT give the perverts of the world ideas! Hopefully, this was not the case. Oddly, however, despite the basic plot idea being exploitative and creepy, the film manages, by the end, to be rather romantic and sweet! Overall, an interesting little film that might be worth seeing--though it may just give you creepy vibes. Fortunately, despite the premise, there is no rape other non-consensual sex in the film. Worth a look, certainly, but not the sort of film most would expect from a comedian such as Sellers--there is no humor and he doesn't do any of those weird impersonations you might hope to see.

Better Than Average Sellers.

[craig_carr · 7/10 · 31 October 2015]

I went into this not expecting much given that a lot of Sellers' output is somewhat dire. However, I was pleasantly surprised by this relativity unknown movie. Sellers plays an older man who is attempting to romance a younger woman by coercion. At the start of the movie we are not sure of the setup, Sellers ramps up the creep tension in the opening scenes, this is a long way from his usual slapstick but effectively done. I'm not sure Sellers is a good actor in the traditional sense, his expressions and speech are somewhat over-mannered, but it's effective in this setting. The target of Sellers' affection spends the first 30 minutes of the movie screwing up her face like a naughty 5 year old, but she is redeemed by her almost unbearable cuteness. Anyway, without giving too much away, she is forced into a choice. What transpires is quite interesting, in the context of the movie the decision she makes is assumed to be the correct one given the context, a happy ending as such. However, to the modern viewer the situation seems more morally ambiguous and the rationale implied somewhat self serving and narrow, who is exploiting who? An interesting movie for both Sellers' performance and as a time capsule of 60s morality.

A little masterpiece !

[dver17 · 10/10 · 25 October 2001]

This happens to be one of the most underrated films of Peter Sellers' career. For some reason the critics and book writers have (in their majority) faced the film as a comedy (have they seen the film?), when it is clear it is a drama with just little sparkles of comedy...Peter Sellers and Sinead Cusack are wonderful in their roles and I have to admit I have seen the film more than 10 times in my life (I never have enough!). For the critisism the film faced, one can say that generally Peter Sellers was in the target of certain columnists who never fail to badmouth the successful and the famous (a bad comment always sells more). So, the film (and others of this era of Sellers' career)was an easy target to hit the star and not judge the film for its essence... The film also features wonderful music and it's a pity the soundtrack was never released...

"Lips that touch kippers shall never touch mine."

[overseer-3 · 7/10 · 5 April 2001]

My favorite Peter Sellers movie. It is light but intense, breezy but penetrating, romantic yet disturbing. I wish it was out on video, I haven't seen it in years. Great dialogue that makes you giggle, like the line above in my One Line Summary.

A lost masterpiece!

[jodynh · 10/10 · 26 February 2005]

I had the good fortune to find this movie at my local library. After seeing it, I was dumbfounded at the fact that this film seems to have been essentially hidden from Sellers' fans. Benjamin Hoffman is a complex and perplexing character, and Sellers reveals the character's personality layer by layer. At first, Hoffman seems totally evil and cold. But as the story progresses, we see that he's a man with very limited social skills, trying to tackle a very difficult problem. He loves a woman from afar, and he learns that she could soon find herself in a disastrous situation. He may be giving her the world's leakiest lifeboat, so to speak, but it's all he has. Sinead Cusack is marvelous as Miss Smith, who has found herself in the most baffling of circumstances. A man she barely knows has blackmailed her into spending the weekend with him, but he treats her politely and makes it a point to be a proper host. He sleeps in the same bed with her but never even kisses her. He takes her shopping and out to dinner at a fine restaurant. This movie is an emotional roller-coaster ride, and it left me wanting to go get in line for another ticket.

The most difficult film to rate ?

[jefadlm-1 · 6/10 · 2 September 2021]

A few additional thoughts since having viewed this film from the start this time ! My first viewing about 3 years ago began about 45 minutes after the. Film began ! This viewing from the beginning had me feeling the need to type a much bolder review ! Watching his unique body movements , for example in the kitchen, moving lightly and suddenly more assertively was a clever idea, which i felt may have been the true man as in his real life of confused feelings, one moment of inferiority and the next an unexpected sense of normalcy ? An exaggerated man living with a myriad of psychological complexities !

If some truth there, those confusions may have driven him to a level of irrevocably uncontrolled madness ? In my un professional opinion , i have a sense of a predatory victim who tied himself in to knots , which he could not untie, thereby a loss of self control ?

His multiple female relationships, marriages and female partnership attempts all seem to have been known failures ?

I do not recall any Parkinson or other interviewers mentioning any fatherly influences, only his mother briefly referred to !

So, bottom line a predatory man , whose demeanor may have scared women away? That said i did get the impression that Britt cared for him, faults included and very possibly did her best to be patient and help him ? Sadly she failed !

To sum up, this was a well made and acted film, , albeit i feel it might have been a lot more popular as a stage play ?

I am not a controversial type so would not go against any of the reviewers accolades. Peter Sellers, as much as I admire him now and in the past, he is possibly the one brilliant actor, comedian, and of course brilliant Goon Show member that for some unknown, personal reason I feel glad that he remained an untouchable enigma, somehow not of this world in my mind only ! And now, reading his feelings about the finished product, my very personal confusion about this man, has become less complicated in my outlook and even slightly more comprehension of the real P S ?

He apparently was so sensitive, vulnerable and vpossibly confused about himself. , his own mother , his childhood and what do we know about his father , extended family , school friends etc. Etc. His marriage with Britt and countless other relationships , none of which he referred to as long term happy unions ? I confess all my foregoing feelings may be totally inaccgurate, as I have never read anything written by him or other authors, or journalists ? So, these feelings are pure guess work on my part ? Prior to this time on September 2nd 2021 I had never heard about this narrative or stage play ,which the Sellers part was taken by DONALD PLEASANCE according to TRiVEA indicated here by IMDB ! And also a different actress ?

Ngmnb I do feel, that in the case of this narrative, it could be far more successful with alternative actors for the main parts ? That said, I wish to repeat that, as I say above, my opines are very personal and as we ca n see majority of reviewers considered this film very successful , even to the extent that , P S was at his finest in this version ! So, in short, why would any sensible producer consider sinking his, or her cash in to a remake ?

Sellers in a career low point

[malcolmgsw · 3/10 · 3 February 2018]

The seventies was not a particularly good decade for Peter Sellers.He made one bomb after another.His career lost direction and he lost the magic which propelled him to stardom in the fifties.I saw many of these but thankfully not this one which I have just seen.It really is dire despite the fans of Sellers claiming it is a forgotten masterpiece.Do your self a favour,when it comes on TV again,switch to another channel.

The best movie ever

[poisonrock29 · 10/10 · 29 March 2003]

There is nothing bad i can say about Hoffman. It is very unusual and it might take some getting used to before you learn to love it. The first time i watched Hoffman, i didn't know if i liked it or not, but it stayed on my mind and i felt a desire to watch it again. After viewing it a second time i found it to be much better, perhaps because i knew what to expect so i could reflect more on the good points. Now i have seen Hoffman about ten times or more, and i still enjoy it more every time i watch it. Peter Sellers performance as Benjamin Hoffman is simply amazing and held my interest all the way through. Sinead Cusack's performance as Janet Smith was just as good, i think she was perfect for the part of a woman who finds Benjamin Hoffman to be a repulsive creepy and offensive man. Sinead's facial expressions completely cracked me up and her constant whining throughout the movie is just hilarious. Hoffman focuses entirely on the relationship between Benjamin and Janet for the entire movie, Benjamin blackmails Janet to stay with him in his apartment for two weeks where he would treat her with respect, that's the storyline, they work at the same place but have never talked, Benjamin just admires her beauty from afar knowing that a woman like her would never be interested in a man like him, especially with his maniac face as he puts it, there are no other characters except for at the beginning and end. The movie starts with Janet saying goodbye to her fiancee at the train station where he believes she is going to visit her grandmother for two weeks, however this is just a plan so her fiancee won't know she is really staying in the apartment of another man. She makes her way to Benjamin's apartment and is so uptight for the first part of the movie, refusing to take off her hat and coat, it's so nice to see her loosen up slowly as the movie progresses, to become more comfortable with Benjamin and talk to him, but whenever she starts to like him, Benjamin will say something crazy to ruin things between them. Two words i can think of to describe Hoffman are ABSORBING and HEARTWARMING, a black romantic comedy which can make you laugh, smile and cry (it's quite moving in a good way). These type of movies are very predictable, therefore you can guess what is going to happen at the end but Hoffman delivers laughs, clever lines, romance, brilliant acting and lots of nice piano music which was very suitable for the movie. Hoffman to me is an undiscovered masterpiece, it's worth every penny you would pay for the DVD which is available in the UK.

A little masterpiece rarely seen

[rossnicol · 13 February 2002]

If you are a fan of Peter Sellers, and you have not seen this film, then make sure you do so immediately. It is an absolute gem of a movie, with an emotional core rare in film. Barely seen or heard of, it has only been broadcast the once, during a Channel 4 season of Sellers' films in the late nineties, and even then at about two in the morning, which is a scandal. Sellers gives the most interesting performance of his career without his trademark silly voice or make-up and is all the better for it, playing Hoffman as a lonely, shadowy figure, yearning somewhat pathetically for Sinead Cusack's Miss Smith. Part of the film's success is possibly due to the fact that the two main characters spend almost the entire film alone, thus enabling them to build the relationship nicely, changing from seeming lechery on Hoffman's part and terror on Miss Smith's to an emotional bond between them. It keeps you guessing about their relationship right to the end, and Seller's displays real emotional power in the later scenes. A wonderfully melancholic film about unrequited love and a man's fear of time passing as well as a kind of variation on Beauty and the Beast. Highly recommended, with a superb score too. Don't miss it.

Excellent non-comedy Sellers

[slcagnina · 10/10 · 27 June 2009]

Hoffman is nearly 40 years old now, but still, because of the Sellers name, people judge it as if it is supposed to be a comedy. It's not and was never intended as one. It's a portrait of a middle age man so damaged he can't love anymore, and so tries mightily to indulge in lust with a young girl, but he can't even do that correctly, because like all damaged people he was once a true romantic. Once he gets Mrs. Smith in his home, even though it's palpable he wants her sexually in the worst ways, he attempts to woo her – but not sappily; he wants to woo her with a destructive bent that is determined to prove that her love could never be honest since it can't accept anything but facile niceties. He wants to prove his own heart wrong. And if that sounds insane, then the complexity of love must have eluded you; you get old enough, you see how twisted and ugly and naked and needy the human heart really is.

This is not a film with action (as if tons of quick cuts and explosions guarantee interesting). It's a Before Sunset type of film, with lots of interesting dialogue and little in the way of other people or the world intruding. The movie centers on two characters who are drawn to one another based on a deep seated pain. Sellers' Hoffman blackmails Mrs. Smith to spend a week with him -- but as I was watching it, I realized that Mrs. Smith had some pain and doubt in her heart just like Hoffman – she's just younger and it hasn't stung as deeply yet; and she must have sent him some signals before the blackmail, because attraction is usually a two way street. She ostensibly is there to save her fiancé from jail time (she and her fiancé and Sellers all work for the same company, but Sellers is an executive who has knowledge of thefts committed by the low-rung employee fiancé)– and her terror at first isn't faked – she's not a drama character being analyzed, she's a real person who is struggling with guilt at lying to her fiancé and fear at not being able to read Hoffman's emotions. But while her initial reactions and emotions aren't forced, they aren't all there is to her presence here, because her second try to leave reveals something more complex – she's trying to convince herself of outrage. Why would she go to all the trouble to dress and find the key to escape only to quit once Sellers sleepwalked her back to bed? She could have waited for him to fall back to sleep soundly – he does this easily. And why would she try to leave again anyway, knowing that the same horrible fate for her fiancé was still on the table? Because maybe she's running this time because something inside her, something dim but growing, doesn't want to run.

As the week progresses, Mrs. Smith's frustration intensifies because, as she says, she had prepared herself for the worst things (sexual) and yet, Sellers' Hoffman does not do any of them. She lives in anticipation to get it over with mixed with a need to confirm that Hoffman is a base jerk – but that doesn't happen. He has some sweet moments, even though he's a misogynist in the way a single middle-aged man often is, and his insights into the darker nature of women ring correct (but he knows that they're not the whole truth and by trying to make them the whole truth, he's a bigger hypocrite than the female race he's condemning). This all plays out in a series of scenes so well acted by the principals that it should be taught in acting school to show young actors the beauty of subtlety on the big screen. Cusack is pitch perfect as Mrs. Smith and Sellers was never better than he was playing Hoffman – and this is high praise because Sellers wasn't just a gifted comedic actor – he was one of the best actors of his generation. Like all actors, he was a gun for hire, and he loved the limelight, and this lead to some bad choices. But who else could be Dr. Strangelove, Inspector Clouseau, and Chance Gardener? There's a moment near the end when Mrs. Smith calls him ugly, and the pain of her condemnation flashes over Sellers' whole body, he makes us understand all the sadness of this character in one brief, non-flashy, reaction shot. It's heartbreaking.

It should be noted the direction here is excellent – it could have felt like a filmed play, but to me, it didn't. Sex Degrees of Separation and Closer – two films I enjoyed, feel like filmed plays to me. Hoffman, even though it uses one locale (Hoffman's apartment) as its primary set, always felt like a movie in and of itself while I was watching it.

My only quibble is the ending. It needed to be darker. And in a movie like this, so predicated on characters and their fates, that would usually kill the experience for me. But it didn't. Because I wished these characters would find some happiness, so I went along with the fantasy, even though I knew the relationship as defined by the rest of the movie could never work.

If you like Sellers, buy this one. If you like quality character driven dramas, buy this one. It's an unjustly forgotten gem.

Hard to find but worth the search

[coneal-1 · 10/10 · 2 August 2005]

For a 25+ year old film it ages well. Perhaps more appreciated now than when it was released since Peter Sellers fame had diminished it is easier, I suspect, for the audience to see him as "everyman".

I watched this after watching the HBO biography of Peter Sellers (The Life and Death of Peter Sellers). It makes "Hoffman" all the better.

I wonder how it was received when it first came out since that was at the beginning of the Women's Liberation Movement. If I were 21 I'd probably see Mr. Hoffman as a dirty old man but being almost 50 my opinion is different. We all know this is a fantasy. Mr. Sellers himself knows this is a fantasy.

I found it a moving and well acted drama with a touch of comedy and romance. Rent it if you can find it.

One of Sellers' BEST.

[ellengeworgian · 10/10 · 23 May 2020]

It is impossible to imagine how anyone could be indifferent towards this film after having seen it. This is exactly why this little masterpiece is a must, not only for Sellers fans but for pretty much everybody with a capacity to feel. The movie truly unfolds the complexity of human nature and how it manifests itself...Long story short, watch it. A 10.

The film Peter Sellers didn't want you to see

[gemmaharris · 10/10 · 8 May 2018]

"Hope never dies in a man with a good dirty mind."

Hoffman is my favourite film and it shouldn't be - It's slow, not particularly creative, poorly received at the time... so why do I love it so much? Two words. Peter Sellers.

Sellers hated this film so much that he wanted to burn the negatives and re-shoot the whole film. His reason? It showed too much of the REAL Peter Sellers, who was well known for the comedic roles he could hide behind. Consequently very few cinemas showed it and even Sellers himself bad mouthed it in interviews. Plus the fact that EMI deliberately tried to sabotage Bryan Forbes' first film. It wasn't the great start it deserved.

So who is Hoffman? He is a lonely, manipulative middle aged man who "traps" young, pretty girl into spending a week with him with the intention of fulfilling his fantasies. From the first frame you feel uncomfortable as Sellers opens the door to Sinead Cusack's "Miss Smith". Instantly you know this will not be like any other Sellers film. You can tell why Sellers wanted it destroyed.

It's a shame that over the years the film has essentially been swept under the carpet and has only recently been shown on television after a 20 or so year dry period. It really is a gem. It's uncomfortably romantic and Sellers performs at a level that is matched by his Chauncey Gardiner and Strangelove characters.

liked the movie and the soundtrack

[chhanks · 21 May 1999]

Matt Monro sings the theme, "If There Ever Is A Next Time," written by Don Black. Enjoyed the movie - Peter Sellers is always good and the movie illustrates his bent for humor that's black and gentle at the same time - and the music might make you into a Matt Monro fan. A good test for your local video store.

Peter Sellers is a genius

[friedenkaempfer · 10/10 · 3 June 2020]

Proof, if one was needed, that the great Peter Sellers was a good an actor as Sir Alec Guinness or Laurence Olivier. He could play any role, and was a versatile as one could get. This film can be watched and cherished by everyone.

A great film

[lilittahmazyany · 10/10 · 24 May 2020]

This film is probably one of the best films of Sellers' amazing career. I recommend it to everyone who wants to see a truly meaningful film.

Fantastic movie.

[synthiarossi · 10/10 · 2 June 2020]

I was left very touched. Will definitely recommend this.

Such a melancholy and beautiful film

[richardofgloucester · 10/10 · 3 June 2020]

This is by far one of Sellers' best films. More people need to watch this and appreciate the genius of an actor that Sellers was.

My best find yet!

[aldothefox · 10/10 · 4 June 2020]

I am binge watching Sellers movies and yesterday I came across this one, and my god! I can't help but leave a review recommending this to everyone! Give it a go, people. 10/10.

I knew it was going to be good...

[schneidertill-70404 · 10/10 · 2 June 2020]

But this good?!!! Wow. Fantastic acting, as always.

Most Unusual

[rewolfsonlaw · 9/10 · 12 February 2022]

A most unusual film. One thinks, fifty years on from its making, that the subject matter would have aged badly; it hasn't. In fact, what seems horribly taboo instead becomes, over the span of 1:53, delicate and human, gentle and loving, owing to a remarkable script, brilliant understated acting and direction that seems always spot on with nuance and delicacy. There are back stories about the film. Forget them. Probably more relevant now than when it was made and it probably wouldn't be made today (2022). Most unusual.