Insomnia Is Good for You
| Insomnia Is Good for You | |
|---|---|
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| Directed by | Leslie Arliss |
| Screenplay by | Lewis Griefer Mordecai Richler |
| Produced by | Jules Simmons |
| Starring | Peter Sellers |
| Cinematography | J.M. Burgoyne-Johnson |
| Edited by | Helen Wiggins |
Production company | Park Lane Films |
Release date |
|
Running time | 26 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
Insomnia is Good for You is a 1957 British short second feature ('B')[1] comedy film directed by Leslie Arliss and starring Peter Sellers.[2][3] It was written by Lewis Griefer and Mordecai Richler and produced and released by Park Lane Films.
Plot
Salesman Hector Dimwittie is unable to sleep during the weekend before a dreaded Monday meeting with his boss.
Cast
- Peter Sellers as Hector Dimwittie
Reception
The Monthly Film Bulletin wrote: "One of two recently issued comedies featuring a Peter Sellers character, Hector Dimwiddie [sic], ambiguously described as 'a normal, lazy married man'. In this film Dimwiddie is seen cultivating insomnia preparatory to an impending Monday morning interview with his boss. The increasingly frightful visions of the boss's temper and his uncertainty of the reasons for the interview produce a marathon sixty-two hours of sleeplessness. ... Despite an amusing and satirical opening and occasional bright moments later, most of the humour falls very flat, despite the talent and hard work of Peter Sellers. One short sequence, however, in which Dimwiddie demonstrates the various positions (all neatly labelled) an insomniac may adopt, is notable."[4]
Conservation status
As of December 2012, the film was considered lost by rare book and script collector and actor Neil Pearson, with no cast list (apart from Sellers), script or footage known to exist.[5] Nevertheless, a copy had been found in 1996, in a skip outside the offices of the film company, together with Dearth of a Salesman (also 1957).[6][7][8] It was shown at the Southend Film Festival in May 2014.[9][10]
References
- ^ Chibnall, Steve; McFarlane, Brian (2009). The British 'B' Film. London: BFI/Bloomsbury. p. 148. ISBN 978-1-8445-7319-6.
- ^ "Insomnia Is Good for You". British Film Institute Collections Search. Retrieved 2 December 2024.
- ^ "Insomnia Is Good for You". British Board of Film Classification. Retrieved 2 December 2024.
- ^ "Insomnia Is Good for You". The Monthly Film Bulletin. 24 (276): 92. 1 January 1957. ProQuest 1305815311.
- ^ Mark Brown (2 December 2012). "Tony Hancock lost work among rare radio scripts offered for sale". The Guardian. Retrieved 9 April 2014.
- ^ "Two early Peter Sellers films to get first showing at film festival". The Guardian (Press Association). 9 April 2014. Retrieved 9 April 2014.
- ^ Clark, Nick (11 December 2013). "Lost Peter Sellers films Dearth of a Salesman and Insomnia Is Good for You hailed as the movie equivalent of 'finding Dead Sea Scrolls'". The Independent. Retrieved 31 December 2024.
- ^ "Lost Peter Sellers films to be screened at festival". BBC. 11 December 2013. Retrieved 31 December 2024.
- ^ "Peter Sellers: Southend Film Festival screens lost films". BBC News. 2 May 2014. Retrieved 2 May 2014.
- ^ Archived-in-skip: Peter Sellers’ Bestsellers trio BFI Website, 17 May 2014.