Being There
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Jack Warden, Melvyn Douglas, Peters Sellers, Richard A. Dysart, Shirley MacLaineBrand: Warner Brothers
DVD: 2 Layers, Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language); English (Subtitled); French (Subtitled); Portuguese (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled)
Format: Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Color, DVD-Video, HiFi Sound, NTSC, Subtitled
Picture Format: Academy Ratio, 1.85:1
Running Time: 130 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2001-04-03
Audience Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Studio: Warner Home Video
Movie Reviews of Being There
Movie Review: Subtle and Sublime Masterpiece!
Summary: 5 Stars
It's been nearly three decades (ugh!) since I saw this film in the theater and always remembered it as being one of the great movies of all time - intelligent, witty, satirical, and thought-provoking. Sadly, I hadn't had a chance (no pun intended) to see it since and, while browsing for something to watch that would transport me to another place (something that all good movies should do), I remembered "Being There." To my great delight, I was surprised to find a copy.
Needless to say, I was absolutely thrilled with my decision to buy this movie. The wit and humor remain as powerful today as it was when the movie was first shown. The only part that seemed "dated" where the 70's clothes and styles but that only ads to the movie's "character."
Granted, the movie may appear "slow" to some but, like a good piece of music, every moment needs to be savored in order to fully appreciate every nuance of the magnificent script and brilliant performance of each actor; without question, this was Peter Sellers' finest performance, Shirley McLaine was magnificent, Melvyn Douglas was brilliant, and Richard Dysart was superlative.
The film is fraught with all kinds of unanswered (but intriguing) questions which leave intelligent audiences with countless topics for discussion. For example, just who (or what) was Chauncey Gardner? Other reviews (rather disturbingly) refer to Sellers' character as "learning disabled," "retarded," a "simpleton," and other epithets and yet, other than the hilarious comments by the maid that Gardner "has no brains at all. Stuffed with rice pudding between the ears. Short-changed by the Lord and dumb as a jackass" we really don't know why he led such a bizarrely sheltered life that centered on his need to watch TV and his childlike behavior that exuded strength and confidence to so many others. Why was "Chancy" left alone? By whom? Why did the maid leave Chauncey after having taken care of him for so many years?
Of course, that's all part of the mystery that makes this such a sublime masterpiece - there are a lot of questions for which answers are not needed in order for the genius of this film to succeed. People will continue to debate the mysteries of the film including such things as who stated ""I understand" at the death bed of one of the characters, or the meaning of very last scene, forever. Obviously, there are no real answers to these and trying to answer them is simply futile. I would strongly suspect that that was exactly what this film was trying to accomplish - to get people to argue over something that really doesn't exist (or doesn't matter) - while, at the same time, ignoring more important issues. The real brilliance of the movie; however, is found with the amount of satire - almost nothing is sacred in this movie if one has that courage to really take a good look at exactly what is being said. Every word (especially those uttered by Sellers) is spoken with precisely the right amount of meaning, nuance, and inflection required. Some may feel that this movie is "slow" but the slothfulness of the main character and his careful, yet simplistic, dialog with others (in contrast to the constant cacophony of a blaring TV which he surrounds himself with), is precisely what makes this movie so great.
Summary of Being There
Thanks to an extraordinary, delicately balanced performance by Peter Sellers, Being There received mixed reviews during its theatrical release in 1979, but has since become a celebrated comedy with a loyal following. It's one of the most unusual black comedies ever made, simply because it stretches a simple premise over 130 minutes of straight-faced, strangely compelling commentary on politics, media, and celebrity in media-savvy America. Adapted by Jerzy Kozinsky from his own novel, the movie's about a simple-minded, middle-aged gardener who, after a lifetime of seclusion and safety in a Washington, D.C. townhouse, gets his first exposure to reality beyond the walls of his sheltered existence. His only reference to the world is through his childlike addiction to television, and when a chance encounter brings him into the inner fold of a dying billionaire (Melvyn Douglas), he suddenly finds himself the toast of Washington's political elite. His simple phrases about gardening are misinterpreted as anything from economic predictions to sage political advice, and under the sharp direction of Hal Ashby, Sellers has the audacity to take this comedic conceit to its logical extreme. Being There is not for all tastes--especially not for those who don't appreciate comedic subtlety. But as a showcase for the daring genius of Peter Sellers, this is a classic movie in a category all its own. --Jeff ShannonPeter Sellers triumphs in his Award-winning role as an illiterate gardener hilariously catapulted into the fast lane of political power. Shirley McLaine and Academy Award(R) winner Melvyn Douglas co-star. A simple-minded gardener named Chance has spent all his life in the Washington D.C. house of an old man. When the man dies Chance is put out on the street with no knowledge of the world except what he has learned from television. After a run in with a limousine he ends up a guest of a woman (Eve) and her husband Ben an influential but sickly businessman. Now called Chauncey Gardner Chance becomes friend and confidante to Ben and an unlikely political insider.Running Time: 130 min.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: COMEDY Rating: PG UPC: 012569093829
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