Being There

Rating:
Summary: Peter Sellers' masterpiece!
Review: "Being There" is a bittersweet, dark comedy about Chance the Gardener (Sellers) who is secluded all of his life in a D.C. townhouse, until it is condemned by suspicious attorneys, Chance experiences life in reality compared to what he thinks it was by watching the everyday programs on TV. "I like to watch.", he often says. Chance, an illiterate as he is, is hilarious, yet as time goes by he touches the lives of everyone around him, including the politics with his witty stories about gardening. Excellent classic that is highly recommended.

Rating:
Summary: The legacy of Peter Sellers
Review: A good way to understand peoples taste of movies is to mention Peter Sellers, the MTV-pop-culture-hollowood-slaves will automatically respond with "Pink Panther", the phreaky wannabe-film-gourmets will answer "Dr Strangelove", but a few select ones will remind you of one of the forgotten gems in the filmworld -- Being There

Being There is a thought through movie conserning a perfect blend of "Dumb is bliss" and "Emperors new clothes" themes. The plot is already explained too thuroughly in the other reviews, so I wont bother playing it all out again, but basically it is the story of a man with limited intelligence that is unleashed into the real world with nothing but a nice set of tailored clothes and a briefcase. Fortunatly, we live in a world where only successfull businessmen wears tailored suits, so everybody thinks he is one to, and treats him as such, misreading his simple statements as deep and profound philosophy. The simpleton is soon on his way to supreme power and a rich lifestyle..

This rather simple, but highly intelligent story works very well, it is hillarious fun, and still leaves you thinking at the end titles.

The extras are no reason to buy the DVD, but it offers crisp picture quality far beyond what I expected from such an old movie, and the sound is equally good. When you add a movie that is among the best ever to a cheap price, you got yourself a bargain.

Enjoy this story, think about it, and the next time somebody mentiones Peter Sellers -- Be one of those few select ones who reminds people of one of the forgotten gems in the filmworld -- Being There.

Rating:
Summary: Peter Seller's in the role of a lifetime !
Review: 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 !

Rating:
Summary: 4 1/2 stars
Review: a very fine work that shows a couple of things:
1) on oblique/understated and better way to say it before 'truman show'
2) how good of an actor peter sellers can be (when he's not playing childish comedies)

the great point of this film comes from its offering both a critique and alternative to our televised world wich is ironic respectively refreshingly naive.

Rating:
Summary: One of the best and last movies of the great Peter Sellers
Review: Even though I haven't seen it in a little while, it is on order in dvd format as you read this. Beyond making you ponder at the very end, the plot evolves from the beginning with more complexity added to the dark satire that is genuinely Sellers trademark. I highly recommend adding this to your collection, if indeed you want a masterpiece of Peter Sellers' work.

Rating:
Summary: Almost a masterpiece
Review: In this last film that Sellers made in his life we see him as a man with little knowledge of real life. This is because he lived all of his life inside a house, not allowed to go on the streets. The only outside he knows is the garden that he has attended to for many years, with great devotion. He only saw the world via television programs and his tool is his remote. Just as anyone he clicks the buttons on his remote when he sees something that he does or doesn't like. Now the owner of the house dies - obviously his master; this is the opening of the movie. The house is sold and he is kicked out - onto the streets. The rest of the movie takes you through an hilarious adventure, but with a clear and inspiring message. Being There is a very touching movie with a few laughs and a lot to remember.
Disc quality is not dissapointing, image and sound are good enough.

Rating:
Summary: I undastand
Review: Wow! I, embarrassingly, was not as familiar with Peter Sellers as I should have been before watching this film. I now want to know everything about him, see everything he's been in, etc. Harold and Maude is perhaps my favorite film of all time, so I expected no less from Being There. It surpassed my expectations by a long shot. Sellers is perfect and his character is the freshest I've seen. People say Forest Gump was trying to rip off Being There, but this film is so much better that I dare not even think about them in the same light. It's funny, but all the while I found myself wanting to cry, wanting to rethink the way I deal with life, and generally being blown away. There is nothing bad about this movie. I love it and think it is one of the smartest, clearest, most beautiful ever made.

Rating:
Summary: Masterpiece
Review: This is probably one of the most important movies ever created. The only reason it is not on everyone's list is because of the slow creation of the enlightening end. It is a great piece of work from a great actor like Sellers. Definitely a great piece to cap off his career. Hal Ashby is completely underrated as a director. His movies are of the highest integrity but unfortunately the general public does not like to think so they go by the wayside.

Rating:
Summary: A film that keeps getting better as it ages
Review: Being There is an alluring dream of a movie.

I won't go into the narrative as so many reviewers here have already done. And I think we've already decided that Mr. Sellers was brilliant and way more deserving of the best actor Oscar than D. Hoffman.

There are three things I'd like to comment on. First, the film is so beautifully lit, and I didn't realize that until I saw it on video last year for the first time since the mid-'80's. In the movie theatre, the print looked dark --almost sepia. On cable the movie just looked grainy, an eyesore. So catching up with the movie again last year was in a way like seeing it for the first time. The colors are exquisitely bright and rich; the movie showcases the Biltmore House outside Asheville, NC for the gem that building truly is.

One of the most magical scenes in Being There is when the president's attache reads the investigative findings on Chauncey to a highly frustrated president. I don't recall the details exactly, but all they have turned up are obscure items such as his tailored suits were made by a tailor who has been out of business for decades, and so forth and so on. To me, this scene is like a twin for the walk-on-water finale. You really get a sense of mystery: Chauncey could have sprung up out of thin air. This scene also reminded me heavily of old Frank Capra movies.

And the bravest sequence in the film: Shirley MacLaine's masturbation scene. Yes, it's embarrassing and disturbing. It is also one of the funniest moments in film comedy EVER. MacLaine deserved a good sport award for demonstrating what an unselfish actress she is. I don't think she has ever given a performance as ego-free as her role here.

Rating:
Summary: Genius at work
Review: Peter Sellers was not only a tragicomedic genius, he was an extremely appealing man. I think filmmakers of today should review his movies and learn from THE consummate artist who understood the power of the art of understatement. He was a modern day Chaplin or Keaton-and I hope they're keeping eachother entertained.