Its not often that Ill call a movie brilliant, but really theres no other word to describe Being There. Based on the novel of the same name by Jerzy Kosinski, this movie may well be the best comedy of Peter Sellers career. And considering that career includes such masterpieces as Dr. Strangelove and the Pink Panther movies thats no mean feat.
Being There achieves its brilliance by being so much of its time while still managing to transcend it. Make no mistake, this movie is firmly rooted in 1979 in just about every way possible, yet it manages to remain relevant and hilarious because the themes it tackles are very human and are just as relatable today as they were then.
Sellers stars as Chance the Gardener, a mentally-handicapped man who has spent his entire life tending the garden of a rich man whom he refers to simply as “The Old Man.” The only knowledge Chance has of the outside world is through television—which he watches voraciously to the point where he has a TV in the greenhouse so he can watch his shows while doing his work. I suppose the best term to describe Chance is “functionally handicapped.” Hes quiet by nature, very polite, and dresses extremely well because the old man allows him to wear his old suits. Chance is also white, which plays a huge role in the overall satire of the film. The silent assumptions about a quiet, polite, well-dressed white man work wonderfully in his favor. As the maid Louise says, “All you have to do to succeed in America is be white.”
Near the beginning of the movie the old man dies, and Chance finds himself out on the street. Luckily for him (its no coincidence that his only name is Chance), he gets hit by the car of the wife of a highly powerful financial mogul Benjamin Rand. Rands wife—played by Shirely MacLaine—takes Chance to their home so their personal physician can make sure hes all right, and in no time he becomes a close confidant of the dying Rand and his wife. Its hard to believe this would have happened if he hadnt been white, well-dressed, and well-spoken.
Its the examination of the assumptions that put Chance in this unique situation that makes this such a provocative film. Unlike other films about the mentally challenged, Chance is hardly ever the object of ridicule: its the people around him who make fools of themselves and end up exposing much more about themselves than they realize through their interactions with Chance. When Chance tells Rand that hes lost his house, Rand takes it to mean that Chance has lost his business. Then later on when Chance sits in on a meeting between Rand and the President of the United States, he begins talking about the seasons and how they affect gardening. Chance is talking literally, of course, but Rand and the President believe hes making a metaphor about the current state of the economy.
Moments like that happen all through the movie. Chance acts like a blank slate which allows the people around him to project their own thoughts, ideologies, and agendas onto him. Practically no one sees him as a person, just a mirror for their own worldview, and a great deal of that has to do with language. Chance means exactly what he says: if he talks about gardening, then hes talking about gardening; if he talks about being hungry, its because hes hungry. Hes a completely guileless person moving through a world stuffed with double-meanings and metaphors. In some ways this makes Being There like a huge, private joke, except that youre not sharing it with anybody. Chance doesnt understand that his words are being twisted through the characters personal ideologies, and certainly the characters dont realize what they are doing. Its a provocative statement on the human condition which should be sad except that its just so damn funny.
The highest form of comedy functions much the same way as the little boy who told the Emperor his brilliant new clothes were an illusion. Comedy can get away with showing the ridiculousness of human pretention because it does so subtly, and the truly great comedies will keep you thinking (and laughing) long after the movie ends. Being There is such a comedy, and one that should be in everyones DVD library.
The movie is presented in a “matted” Widescreen format in order to preserve the original theatrical form, but other than that there are no specifications given for the video. The audio was in Dolby Digital Mono with English, French, and Spanish language tracks. Both the video and audio quality is dated, but really this is a superb transfer.
Memories from Being There (14:47) – Illyana Douglas, the granddaughter of Melvyn Douglas who played Benjamin Rand, talks about her grandfather and the times she got to visit the set. This featurette focused much more on Douglas than on the movie, but it was still fairly interesting even though there was no mention of the shenanigans I have no doubt Peter Sellers got into during production.
Theatrical Trailer (2:44) – The trailer plays like they werent quite sure what Being There was all about. It starts out fairly serious then gradually brings in the comedy, but overall theres a far too serious tone going on here.
Being There is rightfully considered a classic. It works on so many levels in terms of comedy and satire, and was Peter Sellers last great role. I simply cant praise this movie enough. Although this DVD is short on extras, that shouldnt stop anyone from picking it up if he or she doesnt already own a copy. Highly recommended.
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Warner Bros. Pictures presents Being There. Directed by Hal Ashby. Starring Peter Sellers, Shirley MacLaine, Jack Warden, and Melvyn Douglas. Written by Jerzy Kosinski. Running time: 130 minutes. Rated PG. Released on DVD: February 03, 2009. Available at Amazon.
