Being There: Encyclopedia - Being There

Being There

Being There is a political, satirical 1971 novel by Jerzy Kosiński and a 1979 film directed by Hal Ashby. The film stars Peter Sellers, Shirley MacLaine, Melvyn Douglas, Jack Warden, Richard A. Dysart and Richard Basehart. The screenplay was adapted by Kosiński and Robert C. Jones (uncredited). It won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor (Melvyn Douglas) and was nominated for Best Actor in a Leading Role (Peter Sellers).

Being There - Synopsis

Being There depicts the story of a gardener named Chance/Chauncey Gardiner who grew up living as an employee in the townhouse of a wealthy man in Washington, D.C. with virtually no contact with the outside world and no social interaction. Apart from his limited relationship with Louise, the maid, Chance's cultural and social education is derived entirely from what he watches on the televisions provided by his employer.

When his employer dies, Chance is forced to leave his sheltered existence in the house and discover the world outside for himself. His simplistic, deliberative speaking style is interpreted by those he encounters as a sign of deep wisdom, and after a car accident which leads him into the company of a wealthy and powerful businessman, Chance quickly rises to national public prominence.

Though well-dressed and appearing capable of deep thoughts, Chance is mentally limited, stunted by his sheltered upbringing. The people he meets almost all see qualities in him that are not there, but instead reflect qualities and needs of their own. Kosiński uses this to satirize our media-driven society in a merciless yet cunningly subtle way.

Most memorable scenes in the film version include Chance being confronted early on by a street gang, and pulling out his TV remote control to "change the channel" in self-defense, then being surprised when it doesn't work; repeating several times to important people the famous "All is well...and all will be well...in the garden," and having that interpreted as an uplifting economic and political comment; MacLaine's character writhing in long-suppressed sexual pleasure on a bear rug while Chance obliviously channel-surfs; and in the final scene, walking across the surface of a lake because his attention is not caught by the funeral that's going on, as the most important movers and shakers in the USA discuss running him for President.

That final scene continues to generate discussion and controversy. Is there a prosaic explanation, such as hidden stepping-stones? Was Chance in fact a supernatural being, or a purely symbolic abstraction, or did he truly possess some special grace, given his simple innocence and simply being present to each moment without filters and ideas? In his 2001 book The Great Movies, Roger Ebert argues for the latter interpretation.

Being There - Use of television

The film makes continued use of actual television clips throughout. These clips are part of the ambient visual and audio background, presented as a natural occurrence of a television being on in the room where the scene is taking place. The clips were chosen by Dianne Schroeder, and are referenced in the film credits as "Special Television Effects."

These clips are an essential element of the film. They provide a window into the mind of Chance, who knows nothing of the world outside the old man's home except from what he's learned on television.

• Orchestral program.
• Scene from Jezebel, "Yowsah!"
• Sealy mattress commercial: "It's a Sealy Posturepedic morning! Yeah!".
• Scene from Sesame Street, with the song "Different People, Different Ways."
• Lt. Mumbly cartoon, "I dare you to stop me in my Super Cop Clobberer."
• Green Acres scene.
• Mister Rogers' Neighborhood.
• Captain Kangaroo scene.
• Quaker State Motor Oil commercial.
• Washington Post commercial.
• Basketball Jones cartoon and song (sung by Cheech and Chong), including the line "I've got more moves than Ex-Lax!"
• Get Smart, "Pardon me for intruding at a time like this, but were you very close to Max?" "Are you kidding? We were inseparable."
• Fuzzbuster commercial, "You wouldn't think of driving without your rearview mirror. And yet some people still drive without a Fuzzbuster."
• Gatorade commercial, "Ever watch a game on TV and see the players chuggin' down this stuff? Ever wonder why?"
• Scene from Days of Our Lives.
• Sanford and Son scene.
• Scene from the film Little Caesar.
• Scene from The Beverly Hillbillies.
• Match Game clip.
• Lilias, Yoga, and You exercise program.
• Paul Lynde on The Hollywood Squares.
• Love-making scene from The Thomas Crown Affair, featuring Faye Dunaway and Steve McQueen.
• TV news broadcast about a blizzard in the Midwest.
• Documentary or news clip about a wheelchair-bound man who gets his Masters degree.
• Anheuser Busch Natural Light beer commercial: "You can call me Ray."

Clips are also included which were made especially for the film and not taken from actual programs, such as Chance's appearance on the Gary Burns Show, and the president (Jack Warden) appearing on television.

Being There - Famous quotes

• I like to watch.
• Life is a state of mind.
• All is well...and all will be well...in the garden.
• Now, get this, honky. You go tell Raphael that I ain't taking no jive from no Western Union messenger.

See also

• Tadeusz Dołęga-Mostowicz.

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Being There", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki