The best gag is when Chance is dusting the ancient automobile with a feather duster for a good duration, and slowly as the camera pans down we get a fraction-of-a-second reveal of the fact that all the tires on the car are completely flat. You'd miss it if you blinked, but that makes it all the funnier!
Pink Panther, The Party, remarkable films that really showcased Sellers' skillsets. But Being There, good lord, what a performance. Still epitomises Ashby's philosophy on life for me. It put me in a transcendental, meditative state, and all through the poetry of comedy. What a film, one that contains half a dozen parables that we can explore today more than ever.
'He's as featureless as a mirror.' And it comes out, by the end of the film, that Chance's wealthy friend Ben Rand (portrayed by Melvyn Douglas) was a manufacturer of mirrors.
Siddhartha is 1922 novel by Hermann Hesse that deals with the spiritual journey of self-discovery of a man named Siddhartha during the time of the Gautama Buddha.
Ashby writes: The first two minutes of my film were less about comedy but about where America would likely be in 30 or 40 years, so that, instead of a purely present day comedy it was a warning that a society gets the leaders it deserves.
Except that Chauncey Gardner was polite, well-mannered, and kept his goddam mouth shut, letting others believe in his erudition. Our current POTUS Stool Sample is a mewling moron who runs his mouth nonstop!
What I love about this movie is the that the lack of gags is almost a gag unto itself. It's such a perfect comedy premise, that's played completely and utterly straight, almost to the point of frustration. ...Until the end, when we're treated to the single absurdist moment in the entire movie. And it's just wonderful.
Peter Sellers REALLY hated on religion in Being There. All the other actors did it in short bursts, in their one-liners. But when you find out that PETER SELLERS didn't do any bad acting for the past 2 hours, you NEVER GO BACK.
I like you a lot, Chauncey. I wouldn't put you in charge of politics, but I wish you well and that you can live a quiet life in a house with a garden for you to tend to and good TV reception.
Excellent analysis. Was seeking a trailer to direct a young person to because he wasn't familiar with this great film. The trailer doesn't do it justice. THIS analysis does. I hope it persuades him to watch the film. Thank you Mr. Cairns & thanks Criterion Collection. "Being There" deserves to be rediscovered, especially in this era of "truthiness", "fake news" and psychological projection on to others.
@@mark-ish What's laughable about that? Much of his Alan Partridge work is unrivalled. See also his depiction of Stan Laurel, comparable to Chance who was inspired partly by Laurel.
I loved every moment of this masterpiece. Just fact he walked on water at the end. Said to me he didn’t even realise he couldn’t. Since this film I’ve tried my best to strip meaning. Away Frm as much as possible. Drop expectations. Am not right your not wrong. What just happened, happened. Chancy has this purity I’ve only ever seen once. No not a child. A grown man. He lives on a boat. And just the way he looked at me. The way a deer or a kid that’s runs up to you. And in that moment all you see is your pure reflection... yeah that’s it.
That is because Stanley Kubrick was brought in to 'finish' directing it. Why do you think there is 'Thus Spake Zarathustra' prominently played in the movie? Apparently Hal Ashby was too coked up at the time to do his work, and Kubrick did him (or the studio) a favor.
*Being There* is one of my favorite films that I often screen for folk who haven’t seen it (allowing to rewatch them film and see their reactions, I like to watch), but I always make damn sure to pause the film before those bloody outtakes come on... they absolutely ruin the spell the film put you under !!!
And some would say that as difficult as Sellers' reputation made him out to be, his death during the post-production brought out the desire to pay tribute to him with those out-takes. It's art, not an exact science.
The outtakes are a commentary on the "walk on water"scene. Is Chance some kind of Jesus figure? Or is he so light-headed, as it were, that he actually walked on water? No, the viewer is reminded. You are being manipulated by the media. And you like to watch.
When i first watched Being There and the scene where he leaves the house comes on and you see the joke played on you is absolutely hilarious. Perfection in comedic film making from start to finish.
The book is very powerful; lots of introspection and retrospection. The audiobook is narrated by Dustin Hoffman, excellent work. A masterpiece by Sellers.
I think Peter Sellers wasn’t at all comfortable being himself. That’s what made him such a great actor because he was like a chameleon in that he could blend right into being a character without anyone noticing it was him at all.
I don't know if it's true, but I have read that Sellers may have been on the autistic spectrum (Anthony Hopkins has claimed that he is as well) & in reading your statement, I think they may possibly right be right :)
Being There is one of the best movies I've ever seen. We laughed all the way through. If you enjoyed it, be sure to watch THE MOUSE THAT ROARED. Again, very subtle comedy but much more lighthearted against a backdrop of possible nuclear annihilation.
The story was based on Jerzy Kosiński’s own life. The book Being There was ripped off from an earlier Polish novel (Kosiński was Polish). Check out his bio on Wikipedia to see how he led a charmed existence. Doesn’t detract from a brilliant film.
I like your analysis. I've been watching several videos by different people, analysing this wonderful film and haven't seen anyone in the videos or comments mentioning the artist Rene Magritte and his painting of the man (himself) in a bowler hat. Whenever I see the initial shots of Chance walking through the streets in his hat and coat I am always reminded of Magritte. I'm not sure of the significance but feel this can't just be a coincidence. I think it may be something to do with Magritte's bowler-hat-man representing the anonymous middle-class 'everyman' in the paintings, perhaps how he thought of himself too? Likewise, Chance represents a blank canvas for others to paint on their own projected version of his personality and character traits and even life story. And by all accounts, this is indeed how Peter Sellers thought of himself too - without a particular personality, able to portray/inhabit any personality given to him by authors, directors, the audience or his own imagination. Edit: Oh I just discovered that the painting by Magritte of man in a bowler hat with an apple in front of his face is called 'Son of Man' - so there is definitely a correlation here with Chance representing 'Adam' the original man and of course, there is Eve, who tries to tempt him with knowledge of carnal lust and desire, that he just does not have. He is just 'being there' while she is doing all the doing.
Maximum respect. I'm really pleased that you mentioned Deodato's "Also Sprach Zarathrustra". It's an absolutely astonishing piece of music. Kubrick's use of this piece (in its entirety) for this scene is... listen, I'm no cinemaphiliac or whatever, but this scene strikes me as an exceptional work of art. My mom listened to this record when I was a child in the early 1970s. I stole that record from my mom when she booted me out of the house on my 18th birthday. I'm 58 years old now, and I swear to God that album is less than 4 feet away from where I sit now. I taught myself to play guitar listening to that record over, and over, and over again 40 years ago. John Tropea's guitar parts are as cool and tasty as it gets.
It’s symbolic of chances life. Unscathed. Blissfully navigating his world. He didn’t know he could sink thus he did not. It is the single supernatural event of the movie. There’s no ice. You can see ripples in the water. And he dips his umbrella deep into the pond to show this. Couldn’t do any wrong. Amazing movie ❤️
A superb characterization by Sellers! Not a false note in a performance that explored a life led in seclusion transplanted to the real world. My favorite line is an attendant taking Chance in the elevator. He looks around and says, " This is a very small room. " This causes a laugh from the attendant but from Chance's point of view, it's merely an observation. That is the paradox of Chance's world and the real one.
Just make _absolutely _*_sure_* to *STOP* the film when the screen goes black at the end... the outtakes during the credits *_ruins_* the magic of the ending.
Peter Sellers REALLY hated on religion in Being There. All the other actors did it in short bursts, in their one-liners. But when you find out that PETER SELLERS didn't do any bad acting for the past 2 hours, you NEVER GO BACK.
Funny, I watched the movie many years ago. I now wonder if Chance is perhaps not unlike a number of our “leaders”. I’ll think about it as I do a few things in the garden.
"..in the era of Reagan.." Tipping our political leanings, are we? _Being There_ was released in 1979 when Carter was in office. The campaign for the presidency took place in 1980 before Reagan was even nominated. Except for his brief flirtation during the 1976 primary season, he had not burst into upon the national scene. If anything, the movie could be seen as a lampoon of the hick peanut farmer from Georgia.
Actually, it's in relation to the fact that the film deals heavily with the philosophy of Heidegger and his French students of Sartre and Camus that made up existentialism as an extension of Heidegger. One of Heidegger's main themes is that of Da-Sein, usually translated literally as "Being There" (which is also where the French "existentialism" label originally derives from) in English. The most obvious clues are in the orbitruary speech heard off-camera at the end of the film, which reads pretty much like a tract on Heidegger's idealist philosophy of the spirit or mind reigning supreme over matter, which is why Chance can walk on water by sheer will. Also notice the endless shot of the coffin slowly, endlessly being carried towards the grave or mausoleum, which echoes Heidegger's conviction that life is a long, extended journey towards death, basically. The notion of chance or "the absurd" is a main theme in existentialism based upon Heidegger, which is why the film is "a story of Chance", as the trailer has it, and it's also why Chauncey Gardner is made up to look a lot like the people in Rene Magritte's absurd surrealist paintings (you know, the guy with a floating apple famously obscuring his face).
@@Hegstuffing Sounds like you need a refresher watching of this great film. Too bad Sellers was aced out of the oscar for best actor for this role. Guess who got best actor? In a stunningly bad call, the academy awarded it to a loser film and a loser role for Dustin Hoffman in a film we've all forgotten about: Kramer vs. Kramer about his character's divorce with Meryl Streep's character. short-sighted popularity contest. At least Melvyn Douglas got best supporting actor...........but that was more of a recognition of his career, another weird thing the academy does.
@@relicofgold I was listening to quite a bit of Being There analysis when I asked the Chance question. I should have just poked around to answer it for myself. I was fascinated w/ the film when I finally saw it a couple of years after its release.... I did see Kramer vs Kramer at a Drive-In near Santa Cruz, CA w/ my girlfriend. I watched the entire film again a couple of months ago and I have a kinder assessment of it than you do. I thought Hoffman delivered brilliantly. Kramer was the first time I'd heard of Streep. I thought she was great in that role....Other than one or two other Streep films, I can't stand her...Always felt she was way overrated. I had *so* many questions about Being There and I finally dug into it a bit... and you're right, it is time for another viewing!
@@Hegstuffing I have no doubt Hoffman delivered brilliantly as you say. The man is an excellent actor. But was his performance superior to Seller's interpretation of Chauncey Gardener? Please follow through with the revisitation of BEING THERE and let me know. Perhaps I'll have to re-watch KvsK. The whole idea of a film about divorce just lapses in comparison to this fantastic story of a simpleton who is considered presidential.
What happens when you remove all self-awareness, Forest Gump shows his war wound in the ass directly to president when TV cameras is on :) Simpsons: Bart represents pure ID Homer unconscious nature, Lisa - Ego, Marge - superego, superego is rule rules and more rules, uptight behavior of society.
0:52 I agree with Louise that being white in America is one thing, but disabled? Don't underestimate us (even from a autistic Criterion buff's perspective) and I love this movie.
This movie blows me away. A simple minded person getting to be president because hes white, and well polished seems like the world we live in. And the undertones of racism are amazing. This movie is a 5/5.
It's a comedy, in the sense that it's not a tragedy. It's not solely satirical - there's no cruelty or reward for cynical behaviour - and it pulls far away from slapstick but still employs physical humour, visual gags and dramatic tension without ever breaking the buildup. By the end of the movie your nervous system hasn't had that cathartic release of laughter, instead it's ringing like a bell.
Chance The Gardener For President in 2024. It will be a step above the last two Administrations. Harvey the Rabbit for VP. When he walks on water....ignorance is Bliss.
Reagan was running and I remember how he was lampooned as a has-been B-movie actor relentlessly. I voted for him twice, then I realized Republicans don't give a shit about the poor, gay people, black people, etc., etc., etc.
@@sniperking8452 Silly liberals Still believe The Democratic Party is With them 100%. They will NEVER learn they only exist as an Illusion of Democracy.
I know most people are connecting Trump in their review and comments of this film. Well, I see no relation to Trump, but jump ahead, and I saw the part of Chancey Gardner being played by Biden and him giving an Oscar performance indeed.
He screwed unions, started taxes on of all things SOCIAL SECURITY PAYMENTS! He was a corporate stooge, screwing you plenty, but you're too stupid to get it.
@@relicofgold He didn't "screw unions". He "screwed GOVERNMENT unions". There's a difference. Even FDR...KING of the left...GOD of the democrat party...said "there is NO PLACE for unions among government employees".
