Being There
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Movie Reviews of Being There
Movie Review: Underappreciated Masterpiece
Summary: 5 Stars
"Being There" is one of my favorite movies of all time, starring Peter Sellers in his last major film role. How Sellers was cheated out of an Oscar is still a mystery to me, as this has to be one of the greatest performances by an actor in the last 40 years. Maybe voters for the Academy Award weren't in the mood for a black comedy, which this show is, or maybe they didn't like its political overtones? Or, maybe they just couldn't give such a serious award to someone who'd played Inspector Clouseau? In any case, this movie was way before its time in style and substance; Academy voters missed the boat. Among other things, they should have asked themselves if anyone else could have played this part so well? Could anyone else have done the blank, languid stares so convincingly? Could anyone else have delivered the dead-pan lines so flawlessly? The answers would have been a resounding, No.
The movie tells the story of a half-retarded gardener, Chance, whom one supposes is the illegitimate son of a prominent business man in Washington, D. C. This occurs in 1979, when the Carter Administration was in its last stages of faded glory. Chance, played by Peter Sellers, is left homeless when the old man dies. He then wanders the streets of the big city in search of his new life. Whatever he has learned has come from watching TV and he uses his remote control to change channels. While roaming the streets of Washington, Chance even tries his clicker in real life situations, which is very funny.
Chance then stumbles upon one of the main power brokers in D. C., a gravely-ill Ben Rand. He is played by Melvyn Douglas who won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor in this portrayal. Rand's wife Eve, played by Shirley MacLane, falls for Chance and a tawdry affair (on her side) ensues. Later on, Chance becomes a media sensation, of sorts, and appears on late-night TV to present his simplistic views. They're all couched in terms of keeping a garden prosperous which rings a responsive chord with all concerned. Almost everyone takes Chance for a modern day genius when he really is just the opposite. Various private and government security agencies do research on Chance's background and can find nothing. He wears expensive clothes and underwear, dating from the 1930's, that apparently are hand-me-downs from the old man. It's as if Chance suddenly dropped out of the sky, which he practically has.
At Mr. Rand's funeral, the surviving power brokers talk of making Chance the next U. S. President. The closing scene shows Chance stepping out onto a lake appearing to walk on water. Maybe this is to serve as final proof that he deserves the #1 job? As far as I know, no one has ever explained the significance of the scene which is as it should be. As with the best art, it's up to the viewer to decide its meaning.
To me the movie shows the power of television and other forms of mass media in shaping the public mind. Taken to the extreme, a total idiot might be foisted off on the public to hold the highest political office if only he has the right handlers and avoids any whiff of scandal. The biting sarcasm and irony of "Being There" would not appeal to everyone's taste but most thinking adults should be captivated by the story and by Sellers' amazing performance.
Before buying the DVD, I tried to find out either on websites or on the outside of the package, if the hilarious out-takes appear on this recording. These were superimposed over the closing credits in the original version shown in theaters but often do not appear when the film is shown on TV. To my relief, the out-takes are there are and just as hilarious as I remember them.
Movie Review: Take a chance on being there with...Chance
Summary: 5 Stars
+++++
This movie is based on the 1970 novel "Being There" by Jerzy Kosinski (who also wrote the screenplay for this movie). It's a movie that probably will not appeal to everyone's taste.
The comedy-drama is about a man named Chance (Peter Sellers), the gardener of a small estate that he has lived and worked on all his life. (In fact, he has never left the estate because all his needs, even meals, were provided for.) When the owner (the "old man") of the estate dies, the truthful, well groomed, well dressed but illiterate Chance is evicted.
Chance knows only about three things: gardening, watching television, and the environment of the estate where he lived and worked. That's it!!
By chance, he becomes involved with a dying billionaire (Melvyn Douglas) and his wife (Shirley MacLaine). The billionaire is also an economic advisor to the US president (Jack Warden). Everything that Chance says is misinterpreted as profound and "sage wisdom." (Even his name is misinterpreted as "Chauncey Gardiner.") The billionaire's wife becomes interested in him romantically. By the end of the story, Chance is considered to be the next president.
To get an understanding of how Chance or Chauncey is misinterpreted, consider this dialogue between him and a worker at a publishing house. (Notice that Chance is absolutely truthful in this conversation):
WORKER: Mr. Gardiner, my editors and I have been wondering if you would consider writing a book for us, something about your political philosophy. What do you say?
CHANCE: I can't write.
WORKER: Heh, heh, of course not, who can nowadays? Listen, I have trouble writing a postcard to my children. Look, we can give you a six-figure advance. I'll provide you with the very best ghost-writer, proof readers...
CHANCE: I can't read.
WORKER: Of course you can't! No one has the time! We glance at things, we watch television...
CHANCE: I like watching TV.
WORKER: Oh, sure you do. No one reads!
The very ending of this movie has Chance walking on water. Actually, he's walking on the surface of a lake and he reveals to us that the lake has depth not just a surface. This ending is open to many interpretations but for me it summarized the entire movie beautifully.
Sellers gives a superb, subtle comic performance. This was truly the last great movie Sellers made. All supporting actors (especially MacLaine and Douglas who won an Oscar for his performance) do terrific jobs.
The music is said to be by Johnny Mandel. I think this means he's just performing it because the main music seems to be that of composer Eric Satie, who wrote beautiful, non-complex music. The music in this movie adds to each scene.
The only problem I had with this movie was when the end credits rolled. Comical outtakes are shown. These are hilarious but I feel that these broke the mood of the movie.
Finally, the DVD is perfect in picture and sound quality. Unfortunately, it has minimal extras.
In conclusion, this is a great movie that will probably not appeal to everyone's taste. In my opinion, this movie serves as a tribute to the comic genius of Peter Sellers!!
(1979; 2 hr 10 min: widescreen; 36 scenes)
+++++
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.
Movie Review: Peter Seller's in the role of a lifetime !
Summary: 5 Stars
According to his biography, Peter Sellers had dreamed of playing the roll of Chance Gardner as far back as the early '70s, and would actually go around pretending to be him for years and years, gradually refining the role... by the time the film was shot, he was almost devestated when he was told he was too old, fortunately, however, the director came around to his way of thinking, and hence the realization of a novel with a character perhaps only a genius like Sellers could play - - Sellers portrays an emotionless dimwit savant gardner who grew up isolated on an estate without having ever seen the outside world beyond the garden he tended to and the images on TV with which he has a strange obsession with (he walks around with a remote control, turns on every TV he sees and mimics whatever he sees while watching with his face devoid of expression or emotion.) - - When his wealthy benefactor dies, he is set out into the world for the first time at middle age. Immaculately dressed in an expensive suit, umbrella and bowler hat, he wanders through the ghettoes of Washington D.C., his first views and strange encounter with the real world accompanied by the famous disco/funk version of Thus Spake Zarathrustrata (the theme from 2001 : A Space Odyssey.) It becomes clear that he is convinced that he has actually stepped into the TV and has no ability survive in the absence of the maid who fed and cared for him all his life. By happenstance, however, he winds up in the estate of a wealthy dying billionaire where his silence and simple minded utterences about "the garden", "seasons" and "growth" are believed to have deep meaning beyond their simplistic intentions. A powerful black comedy, he serves as a reassuring mirror to the vain and powerful people who come to surround him as theyread their own interparatations into his simple utterences. He comes to be mistaken as a deep thinking genius among the ruling elite in Washington, and eventually rises to the highest levels of power, even offering advice to the President - - in reality, though, he is seeking nothing more than to find a garden to work in.Though the film does not feature Seller's trademark madcap slapstick, it is clearly one of his best films. Seller's does do some interesting physical routines (imitating in gesture whatever he sees on any TV set within vision even in the course of serious conversation), but in contrast to his other films, rather than creating madness and chaos in the world around them, the idiocy of his character is simply overlooked - - a metaphor of the blindness and stupidity of the powerful people surrounding him who are only capable of seeing what they want to see.
All in all, if you're looking for Dr. Strangelove or Inspector Clouseau, you'll probably be let down (as many of the critics were when the film came out), however, if you're looking to see a brilliantly acted, brilliantly written and brilliantly directed cinematic masterpiece with a deep message, this will definitely be a film to remember.
Now, my question is : What's the strange TV cartoon with the kids playing basketball from ? I don't remember that one !
Movie Review: As relevant now as ever, considering who's in the White House
Summary: 5 Stars
I like to watch this film.
In fact, if push came to shove, it just may be my favorite comedy. Some think it's pretentious, and maybe it is. Some think it moves too glacially, and maybe it does. It's flawed, it's repetitive, but it's still an audacious masterpiece in its own way. The premise behind the film is so singularly brilliant, and it remains one of the few modern satires, a genre that filmmakers (or maybe more accurately, studio moguls) have never been eager to embrace. But Being There came out during a particularly unusual period in American film, when unconventional projects like All That Jazz, Network, and Chinatown, were made, before the juvenilia took over Hollywood, and slow-motion explosions and martial arts performed in black patent leather and wire harnesses became the norm. This movie would never be made today. Yet, when I hear just as I write this that the person who was mobbed and applauded by corporate CEOs at the World Economic Forum was rocker Bono, who uttered profound things such as, "I really believe if we all gather forces on this and we don't create easy bad guys and good guys on this ... we can make progress on this," --well, could Chance have said it any better?
I won't rehash the plot, and I won't even say Sellers was superb. He was fine, but other actors probably could have played Chance, as well as any of the other major roles except maybe Shirley MacLaine's. (Who else is offbeat enough, yet also *not* ditzy?) But the acting really isn't the point of Being There. It's the intellectual power of the idea behind the script (and book). It's really a re-telling and expansion on the idea of the emperor's new clothes. And despite the lessons of the film, we still see mindless sheepish behavior today in politics, in the media, in pop culture. We still see people judged by how they look, talk and walk. We still see a political system that doesn't know what to do, but always must look like it does. Being There holds a mirror up to society. It's a twisted mirror that, like the mirror in a fun house, distorts its subjects, but that's what satire is.
The transfer to DVD, in a 1.85:1 format, is decent but not great. There are a few nicks and scratches, the color is a bit faded, the film shows its age. The audio hasn't been refurbished as far as I can tell in any way, and it's average late 70s sound, but since this isn't Star Wars it hardly matters. The disc also includes cast bios (only for a few of the players, though, and it mistakenly calls Alfred Hitchcock's The Trouble With Harry a "thriller") and the theatrical trailer, which is actually quite well done in its own right. Peter Sellers said this film was his proudest achievement, and he even sent cryptic letters to Jerzy Kozinsky and Hal Ashby signed "Chance" with his phone number, telling them he wanted the part. Don't expect a barrel of laughs from Being There, but there are many wry chuckles. (By the way, you might want to read up on the life of Jerzy Kozinsky after seeing this film. Talk about life imitating art! He slipped us a semi-autobiograhpical film and no one at the time knew it.)