Alternate Best Actor 1970: Peter Sellers in Hoffman

Peter Sellers did not receive an Oscar nomination for portraying Mr. Benjamin Hoffman in Hoffman. 

Hoffman is strange, though not inert, film following a businessman who blackmails his secretary to spend the weekend with him.

 

Peter Sellers is known best, and continues to be known best, for his work as comedian and comic actor. Reasonably so as he had great talent for it, however each of his forays within dramatic, or even slightly dramatic work suggested a  remarkable knack for it. Sellers perhaps was somewhat before his time in that you were more pigeonholed in his period towards genre, as now a comedian turning dramatic is a bit more welcomed. Of course this perhaps speaks towards Sellers's own reaction to this film, where he tried to quash its release, the reason being supposedly his performance skewed most closely towards himself, notable given that Sellers typically went about disappearing within roles through one method or another. This though then is a particularly distinct performance because Sellers is wearing no large mustaches, no strange wigs, it is just him it would appear. Even his accent just appears to be his own here, this just presenting himself as this normal businessman, apparently, only obviously not only that. Sellers though just is acting purely outside of his comfort zone as he doesn't hide behind any of his considerable talent for accents and strange physical mannerisms. This is just Sellers straight up acting in a particularly direct and really quite raw sense. I suppose at this point I should not hide my feelings as I find this to be a remarkable work from Sellers, because it is Sellers kind of looking straight to the camera saying "here I am". 

Of course if this is Sellers, which based on personal stories of the man it isn't *too* far off, it isn't a surprise why he wanted to hide the film. This as we open the film as he's blackmailed this young woman, Janet (Sinead Cusack), into spending a weekend with him. His initial scenes making the film almost seeming like it is going to be a psychological thriller. This as Sellers portrays basically a man scarred from his whole existence with the other sex initial. This as his whole grin is that of a man hiding behind such a palatable bitterness. His way of referring to as "Miss Smith" Sellers delivers with a venomous callousness within his breath. His eyes baring not a personal hatred for the woman, but for any sense of experience with a woman. The eyes though are essential within Sellers's work as this is not a hollow hatred. There is a great sadness within the anger as well. A glint within the man broken more so by the idea of relationships, and his past ones, then actual say a potential serial killer as you might've missed guessed him to be initially. This is as their strange "date" begins Hoffman explains his mission of sorts towards Janet. Sellers bringing such a powerful vulnerability when he speaks towards the anxiety of having been previously turned down by her. The way he looks down, and seems to regress within himself is incredible work from Sellers in creating such a sense of the wound that defines the man. 

When Hoffman takes Janet out though, and just begins speaking with her, the nature of his plan becomes evident as less evil, though still quite immoral, of a sad man seeking companionship rather than a man planning some kind of sexual exploitation. This as we actual see them go to bed, Sellers presents Hoffman probably more so within his own state. This in explaining his late to sleep early to rise manner with just kind of a casual way of explaining it befitting a meek man. This while wholly ignoring the often half-dressed younger woman near him. Sellers important shows the moments where Hoffman is near her in this overtly sexual state, or even when she's trying to seduce him, seemingly to get it over with it, Sellers doesn't look upon with lust, rather a quiet penetrating sadness. Sellers suggesting a man seeking only the connection and pained by the lack of it. This as the story progresses, and Hoffman continually shows himself not to be as horrible of a man as his plan suggests he is, Sellers grants a sense to this character. This is when the man speaks towards his own "romantic" past, it is with a bitter anger, though as the story goes on it is no longer directed towards Janet, but just pointed towards almost inwardly. Sellers in turn brings as he is pressed by his own plan a greater vulnerability and really lack of explanation within Hoffman as he tries to reason a plan. Sellers supposedly spoke of himself as being some kind of husk of a man, without his personality within. Although that seems unlikely, the nature of this idea is found within his work here. This in presenting a man within this self-loathing depression who can only hold onto things like bitterness, and this foolish plan, to really confront life. Of course Sellers doesn't make Hoffman truly hollow, rather just very sad as a man missing something essential within his life. Although I'll say the film itself doesn't really earn where it ends up, it still offers such a striking opportunity due to Sellers's central portrayal. This is as he delivers something truly remarkable as presenting such potent emotions while doing so with such a reserved quality of a man hiding so much. At the very least it is again the testament to Sellers's ability as an actor, and that perhaps in a strange way we might have only skimmed the surface of his talents.