In association with

Being There [1979]
from Warner Home Video
starring Peter Sellers, Shirley MacLaine, Melvyn Douglas, Jack Warden, Richard Dysart
directed by Hal Ashby

Features:

• PAL

Editorial Review:

Hal Ashby's much-praised Being There stars Peter Sellers in what was perhaps his finest comic performance. Chance the gardener has spent his entire life in an old man's house and has no idea of the world outside except for what television has given him. Sellers manages to make his innocence touching and oddly impressive rather than an offensive exploitation of disability. Jerzy Kozinski's screenplay neither entirely endorses nor discounts the twin possibilities that Chance's simplicity and closeness to the natural world give him access to real wisdom, or that he is simply a blank on whom people project what they want to see and hear. What is clear is that he gives his dying friend Ben (Jack Warden) peace of mind and consoles Ben's wife (Shirley Maclaine). Whether he's being groomed for the Presidency or appearing to walk on water, he always does something right, and the same is true for Sellers' minimalist performance.

On the DVD: Being There is presented in a widescreen visual aspect of 1.85:1 and has 1.0 Dolby Digital mono sound; it comes with the original theatrical trailer, information about the stars and director and a list of the film's awards. --Roz Kaveny

Customer Reviews:

• Avg. Customer Rating: 4.5 / 5.0

• Being There: a review
  'Being There' is a film Peter Sellers made right at the end of his career. Whatever you make of this troubled man's life, I think you will agree that the role he plays here, of Chance the gardener, represents a brave exit from the glitzy world of movies. Indeed, Being There could be seen as a satire on the celebrity industry of which Peter Sellers was so much a part.
  Chance is a man who has never grown up. Employed for the whole of his existence by a rich man in Washington who has just died, Chance's... more info

• Perhaps not the most 'accessible' masterpiece of modern cinema?
  This is a challenging, dare I say, somewhat difficult film on so many levels to watch and then critique. On the one hand, those Sellers fans expecting another Clousea-esque comedy will be sorely disappointed ...it's certainly not a laugh out loud, laugh-a-minute comedy, and there's little to zero physical hi-jinks or PS capery!
  But for those prepared to watch for nuances, subtle underplay and an inate depth of performance in a character ...well, then it's perhaps Mr Sellers' greatest ever cinematic... more info

• Surprisingly dull
  We were really looking forward to this film, after reports about Sellers' "finest comic performance" etc. After an hour, we pressed the eject button without even having chuckled.
  The idea of the film is interesting ... but not believable. You can just about imagine someone like Chance being in that situation, but the other characters' reactions to him are ridiculous. That's one major problem. But the main flaw is worse: the film is very slow and very tedious. A big disappointment.
  

• Poignant, subtle, genius, joyous
  I can't believe there are so few reviews for such a fantastic film.
  It works on so many levels. The humour is tender and warm. The direction allows all the main players to inhabit their characters convincingly. It just envelopes the viewer in a wonderful experience; a combination of a writer, director and cast on top of their game. Nothing spoils it.
  At heart it's actually a farce, but farces don't come any gentler or more charming than this. It is truly a thing of beauty with Sellers utterly... more info

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