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Being There [DVD] [1979]
 
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Being There [DVD] [1979]

DVD ~ Peter Sellers
4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (23 customer reviews)

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Product details

  • Actors: Peter Sellers, Shirley MacLaine, Melvyn Douglas, Jack Warden, Richard Dysart
  • Directors: Hal Ashby
  • Writers: Jerzy Kosinski, Robert C. Jones
  • Producers: Andrew Braunsberg, Charles Mulvehill, Jack Schwartzman
  • Format: PAL
  • Language English, Italian, Russian
  • Subtitles: English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Arabic, Romanian, Dutch, Norwegian, Swedish, Croatian, Czech, Greek, Polish, Turkish
  • Region: Region 2 (This DVD may not be viewable outside Europe. Read more about DVD formats.)
  • Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
  • Number of discs: 1
  • Classification: 12
  • Studio: Warner Home Video
  • DVD Release Date: 10 Feb 2003
  • Run Time: 124 minutes
  • Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
  • ASIN: B00007L3T3
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 16,356 in DVD (See Bestsellers in DVD)

Reviews

Amazon.co.uk 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



Special Features

Trailer

1.0 Dolby Digital Mono

1.85:1 widescreen

Languages: English, French, Spanish

Subtitles: English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Arabic, Romanian, Dutch, Norwegian, Swedish, Croatian, Czech, Greek, Polish, Turkish, Hungarian


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Customer Reviews

23 Reviews
5 star:
 (19)
4 star:    (0)
3 star:    (0)
2 star:
 (3)
1 star:
 (1)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.4 out of 5 stars (23 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
27 of 28 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Simply the Best, 11 Jun 2003
By Wil Ames "Wil's Automobilia" (Oxfordshire, UK) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
There's no 'probably' about this film. This is the best piece of acting ever by Peter Sellers. Best known for his roles in The Goons and Pink Panther series, Sellers outshines them all in this film. It wasn't very well publicised when new, and remains unknown to many. If you like slapstick - forget it. If you want funny voices - forget it. But if you want to see (possibly) the best British actor ever, in a starring role in a film that gives credit to the true professional that he was, then Buy, buy, buy...
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19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A fine, understated comedy, 10 Feb 2003
By Emre Yigit (Ankara, Turkey) - See all my reviews
I first saw the film when it came out, and it stuck in my memory. Not your typical Sellars (i.e. neither the slapstick of the Pink Panther nor the so-tedious-it-was-funny of The Party), the film is a comedy of manners more than anything else.

In brief, the story revolves around a certain Chauncy "Gardner" (Sellers) who, upon his employer's death, finds himself thrust out into the rude world. A simple man, with no skills to recommend him but gardening, his life outside the estate in which he has lived since his birth starts with a car accident (involving Maclaine) and progresses gently to the point where he is being discussed as a Presidential candidate.

Many fine scenes, some unforgettable lines ("I like to watch.") and an interesting final walk.

Heartily recommended.

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23 of 25 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Not The Pink Panther, 1 Aug 2003
By A Customer
Peter Sellers was nominated for an Academy Award for this, his penultimate film.

As it turned out, The Terrible Revenge of Fu Manchu, was his final film. Really, this should have been his last film -- a beautiful testament to an extraordinary career.

The film is a snapshot of the life of Mr Chancey, played by Sellers.

Chancey is clearly backward and yet manages to convince the other characters that he is some sort of genius and prophet.

Seller's portrayal of Chancey is understated and quite brilliant, the end sequence is startling and revelatory.

This is the greatest film you've never seen.

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent satire
This is one of those films that you either 'get' or dont. It is a satire rather than a roll-about comedy. Read more
Published 23 days ago by Herbert George Wells

5.0 out of 5 stars Students of Tolle

Chauncey Gardiner, the embodiment of 'The Power of Now'.

A film to savour once in a while for spiritual nourishment, refreshment, and enlightenment... Read more
Published 3 months ago by Lloyd Ezra Fortune

5.0 out of 5 stars No comedy this
If you are looking for a laugh a minute Sellers film, look elsewhere.
This instead is a masterpiece of acting and directional mood. Read more
Published 10 months ago by N. Carley

5.0 out of 5 stars 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... Read more
Published 14 months ago by Mr. J. Griffiths

5.0 out of 5 stars 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. Read more
Published 17 months ago by The Legendary Lord Sword

2.0 out of 5 stars Surprisingly dull
We were really looking forward to this film, after reports about Sellers' "finest comic performance" etc. Read more
Published 22 months ago by Mister B

5.0 out of 5 stars 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. Read more
Published 24 months ago by Mr. J. M. Watson

1.0 out of 5 stars Oh what an awful project from start to end
I went a long time without seeing this rather elusive film, and as a Sellers fan I had to eventually get to see it, driven on by the steady trickle of recommendations I'd heard it... Read more
Published on 22 Aug 2007 by Lou Knee

5.0 out of 5 stars "I Like to Watch"
Unwinding slowly, almost solemnly, from its early scenes, Being There begins as a study in pathos that seems out of step with the film's reputation as containing probably the... Read more
Published on 24 May 2007 by Sordel

5.0 out of 5 stars A human film, Ashby's final film project.
Being There happened irregular to be the final film project of Hal Ashby, one of the leading New Hollywood protigues, whose directing career was successfully carved out in The... Read more
Published on 13 Mar 2007 by I. Thomson

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