Being There - hrmmm

Being There



I'm taking a temporary break from watching this 1979 Hal Ashby film. I'm not sure what I think about it. I enjoy the initial premise of a middle aged man thrown into the world without having experienced anything, except what's on his T.V. and in his garden. Peter Sellers plays that role well. Almost like a robot. I was reminded of The Enigma of Kaspar Hauser and Bruno S.
The only thing I'm not sure on is how I like/dislike that there's a deus ex machina of sorts, which throws our hero, Chance (Sellers) into a wealthy political family in D.C. It almost seems too contrived. In reality, this man would starve to death on the streets, or be arrested, or murdered.

__________________
"A candy colored clown!"
Member since Fall 2002
Top 100 Films, clicky below

http://www.movieforums.com/community...ad.php?t=26201

Yes, well it's a satire and a fantasy. But kudos for noticing!

__________________
"Film is a disease. When it infects your bloodstream it takes over as the number one hormone. It bosses the enzymes, directs the pineal gland, plays Iago to your psyche. As with heroin, the antidote to Film is more Film." - Frank Capra

Two of those three have already happened to me.

I love to see this. Wow, we're all back to having fun again!

__________________
It's what you learn after you know it all that counts. - John Wooden
My IMDb page

mark f, you're quite the worldly man!

I didn't care for Being There. I loved other films I've seen by Hal Ashby, especially Harold and Maude. That film was a satire. I got the humor there. Maybe the humor in Being There goes over my head or under my rader. Who knows.

Sure it might be a fantasy Holden, but there's too much for me to accept. I can't accept the circumstances in which he's saved. I can buy into the idea of a man isolated his entire life with only television as his window to view the world.

I don't think any of the characters around him act normally. Only one truely suspects anything. The doctor is the only character that I think responds in a human way. The rest are cold and mechanical. For a man who is incapable of holding a conversation and speaks of nothing except gardening (and he can barely talk about that) the surrounding characters seem awfully oblivious. OR is that the point? That they are clueless and therefore the only person they can see as their "savior" is a truely clueless man. Or is there true wisdom in his words. I dunno.

Maybe the black maid is the only one who said anything correct in the film, while watching Chance on T.V.

I think that's my main beef with the film. The way the other characters reacted to him.

I must have missed something. Oh well.


Grade: B-

I've taken to carrying a remote control with me so I can change the channel every time I meet someone I don't like. Which, let's face it, in todays lovely little world is pretty damn often.

__________________
We are both the source of the problem and the solution, yet we do not see ourselves in this light...

Wow!

Do you have an extra remote?

You bet, I've got a whole bucket full! Seriously though did you finish the film? I wonder if maybe you were just taking it a little to seriously? I do agree with your assessment about the maid saying the only really correct thing on the film, but to me I thought that was just hysterical and also helped to further illustrate the total absurdity of his situation.

No argument that this film is not steeped in realism, but it is an absolutely riveting film and Peter Sellers is absolutely amazing. I hate the fact that this was not the last film he made before his death because it would have been the perfect finale to his incredible career. For some reason, he chose to appear in the ridiculous The Fiendish Plot of Dr. Fu Manchu after this, but Being There is a film experience like no other.

I had seen the last 10 minutes of this movie one time accidentally. Never bothered watching it figuring I knew the payoff beforehand. Sellers is as good as it gets though.