Being There is getting the Blu-ray love in February along with a Special 30th Anniversary Deluxe Edition DVD. The film was the career crowning glory for both Peter Sellers and director Hal Ashby. A gag reel with Peter Sellers should entice an upgrade.
Warner Home Video has announced the 30th Anniversary release of Being There for a February 3, 2009 release. Director Hal Ashby (Coming Home, Shampoo) and writer Jerzy Kosinski’s tour-de-force satirical fable takes on politics, celebrity and the media. Peter Sellers stars along with Melvyn Douglas, Shirley MacLaine and Jack Warden; the film was nominated for two Academy Awards (for Sellers and Douglas) and won one for Douglas as Best Supporting Actor. Being There 30th Anniversary Deluxe Edition will be available on both Blu-ray Hi-Def ($28.99 SRP) and Standard DVD ($19.96 SRP).
The Blu-ray Hi-Def version of Being There 30th Anniversary Deluxe Edition boasts special bonus content including 10 minutes of never-before-seen additional footage consisting of deleted scenes, a gag take, and an alternate ending. Both versions, restored and remastered with 5.1 Dolby Digital audio, include a revealing new retrospective featurette with Melvyn Douglas’ actress-granddaughter Illeana Douglas.
“I’m very proud to have participated in this beautiful new DVD version of Being There,” said Ms. Douglas. “My grandfather and Peter Sellers had a very warm and special relationship that started years before the movie and is definitely reflected throughout in their scenes together,” she continued. In the featurette, Ms. Douglas, who visited the set as a young girl, speaks revealingly about the movie, her bond with her grandfather and his encouragement and support in her choice to become an actress. In fact, the elder Douglas bequeathed his Oscar statuette to her.
