Being There (1979)

“[upon walking out of an elevator] That was a very small room.” – Chance the Gardener

Number of Times Seen – Twice (5 Feb 2000 and 3 Dec 2018)

Brief Synopsis – A simple minded gardener tries to find his place in the world following the death of his employer who helped keep him sheltered for so many decades.

My Take on it – This is a film that is actually quite enchanting largely due to the fact that it deals with politics yet does so in a fascinating way; by the use of analogies that work so beautifully.

Peter Sellers is spectacular in the title role and this is probably his very best dramatic role of his entire career.

The satirical undertones of this film helps him since it makes his character work even better.

Melvyn Douglas is also great in this film in an important supporting role and was quite deserving of his Oscar win for this performance.

The story unfolds in a great way and they are able to show how silly and absurd politics can sometimes get when people try to make improvements on the methods and ideas of how things are done.

It’s quite scary how this film and its themes are still relevant even after 40 years because not much has really changed that much over the years especially when dealing with the absurdity of the way that politics works (or sometimes doesn’t)

Bottom Line – Great use of analogy for how politics works. Sellers is spectacular in the lead role and it is among his best dramatic performances despite it’s satirical undertones. Douglas is also great in a supporting role and deservingly won an Oscar for his performance. The way that the story unfolds is great because they show how absurd politics can sometimes get when they try to make improvements on the way things are being done. This idea is still very relevant even after 40 years. Recommended!

MovieRob’s Favorite Trivia – Peter Sellers was nominated for the Oscar for Best Actor. Some said the reason Sellers lost was because of the outtakes at the very end of the movie as the credits are rolling. Sellers himself later said the outtakes “broke the spell” of the movie. (From IMDB)

Rating – Globe Worthy (8/10)

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