Being There (1979)

Director:

Hal Ashby

Writers:

Jerzy Kosinski (novel)
Jerzy Kosinski (screenplay)

Release Date:

19 December 1979 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Comedy

Tagline:

Getting there is half the fun; being there is all of it!

Plot:

Chance, a simple gardener, has never left the estate until his employer dies. His simple TV-informed utterances are mistaken for profundity.

Plot Keywords:

Man Child | Strauss Also Sprach Zarathustra | Autism | Death | Impotence

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 10 wins & 10 nominations

Cast

Peter Sellers	...	Chance
Shirley MacLaine	...	Eve Rand
Melvyn Douglas	...	Benjamin Rand
Jack Warden	...	President 'Bobby'
Richard Dysart	...	Dr. Robert Allenby
Richard Basehart	...	Vladimir Skrapinov
Ruth Attaway	...	Louise
David Clennon	...	Thomas Franklin (as Dave Clennon)
Fran Brill	...	Sally Hayes
Denise DuBarry	...	Johanna
Oteil Burbridge	...	Lolo
Ravenell Keller III	...	Abbaz
Brian Corrigan	...	Policeman
Alfredine P. Brown	...	Old Woman (as Alfredine Brown)
Donald Jacob	...	David

Also Known As:

Chance

Runtime:

130 min

Country:

USA

Language:

Italian | English | Russian

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Netherlands:AL | UK:12 (video re-rating) (2003) | UK:15 (video rating) (1986) | UK:AA (original rating) | Argentina:13 | Chile:14 | Finland:K-12 | Norway:12 (1980) | Sweden:11 | USA:PG | West Germany:6 | Canada:14A | Singapore:PG | Iceland:L

Filming Locations:

Asheville, North Carolina, USA

Company:

BSB

Trivia:

Peter Sellers patterned the voice for Chance the gardener after his idol, Stan Laurel.

Goofs:

Continuity: Eve enters Chance's room as he is eating breakfast in bed. The napkin beneath his chin changes position back and forth between shots.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Chance the Gardener: Good morning, Louise.
Louise: He's dead, Chance. The old man's dead.
Chance the Gardener: I see.
[Chance goes back to watching TV]

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan (2006)

Soundtrack:

It's a Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood

Stellar Sellers

Melvyn Douglas as Ben Rand and Shirley MacLaine as Eve Rand were only two examples of the great casting in this film. The best casting of course was to place Peter Sellers in the role of Chauncey "Chance" Gardener. I have watched this film many times and each time I see something else to enjoy in Peter Sellers' performance along with something else to mourn for his passing. In "Being There" Sellers abandons the crowd pleasing slapstick which attracted the droves for the "Pink Panther" series to offer a far more sincere performance that to me is flawlessly in-character and ultimately believable. I am constantly debating with myself whether "Dr. Strangelove" or "Being There" was Sellers' best work. "Being There" is very enjoyable and I never seem to get tired of it. Apart from Sellers standout performance, "Being There" from every angle is an extremely well made film that holds up well to remain engaging 25 years later and is no doubt a source of pride for all involved in any regard. In short, this is a movie that, "I like to watch!"