The Beatles in film directed by Lester. It was a satire of World War II films, and its dry, ironic British humour was not well received by American audiences. He would later produce avant-garde films with his second wife Yoko Ono, such as "Rape" which was produced for the Austrian television network ORF. In 1969, Ringo Starr took second billing to Peter Sellers in the satirical comedy "The Magic Christian", in a part which had been written especially for him. In 1971, Starr played the part of Frank Zappa in Zappa's epic cult film about a rock and roll band touring, entitled "200 Motels".
Peter Sellers an album released by the couple, "Peter & Sophia", which reached number five in the UK Albums Chart. In 1961 Sellers made his directorial debut with "Mr. Topaze", in which he also starred. The film was based on the Marcel Pagnol play "Topaze". Sellers portrayed an ex-schoolmaster in a small French town who turns to a life of crime to obtain wealth. The film and Sellers's directorial abilities received an unenthusiastic response from the public and critics alike, and Sellers rarely referred to it again. The same year he starred in the Sidney Gilliat-directed "Only Two Can Play", a film