Being There—The Criterion Collection (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: USA, 1979
Director: Hal Ashby
Writers: Jerzy Kosinski, Robert C. Jones
Cast: Peter Sellers, Shirley MacLaine, Melvyn Douglas, Jack Warden, Richard Dysart, Richard Basehart, Ruth Attaway, David Clennon, Fran Brill, Denise DuBarry

Release Date: March 21st, 2017
Approximate Running Time: 130 Minutes 12 seconds
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVCC
Rating: PG
Sound: LPCM Mono English
Subtitles: English SDH
Region Coding: Region A
Retail Price: $39.95

"In one of his most finely tuned performances, Peter Sellers plays the pure-hearted, childlike Chance, a gardener who is forced into the wilds of Washington, D.C., when his wealthy guardian dies. Shocked to discover that the real world doesn’t respond to the click of a remote, Chance stumbles into celebrity after being taken under the wing of a tycoon (Melvyn Douglas, in an Oscar-winning performance), who mistakes his protégé’s horticultural mumblings for sagacious pronouncements on life and politics, and whose wife (Shirley MacLaine) targets Chance as the object of her desire." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 5/5

Here’s the information provided about this release's transfer, "This new digital transfer was created in 4K resolution on a Lasergraphics Director film scanner from the 35mm original camera negative at Motion Picture Imaging in Burbank, California, and color graded under the supervision of cinematographer Caleb Deschanel. Thousands of instances of dirt, debris, scratches, splices, and warps were manually removed using MTI Film's DRS, while Digital Vision's Phoenix was used for jitter, flicker, small dirt, grain, and noise management."

Being There comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 43.7 GB

Feature: 28.9 GB

The source looks excellent; it is a substantial improvement over Warner Brothers 2009 release. Flesh tones look healthy, colors look correct, image clarity, black levels, and compression are solid, and the image always looks organic.

Audio: 5/5

This release comes with one audio option, a LPCM mono mix in English with removable English SDH. The audio sounds excellent; dialogue always comes through clearly, everything sounds balanced, ambient sounds are well-represented, and the score sounds appropriately robust.

Extras:

Extras for this release include a theatrical trailer and TV spots (2 minutes 50 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), a promo reel featuring actor Peter Sellers and director Hal Ashby (2 minutes 51 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), two deleted scenes: Kids Playing Basketball (2 minutes, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles) and Bedroom (50 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), an alternate ending (2 minutes 4 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), outtakes (3 minutes 25 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), Peter Sellers two television interviews: NBC’s Today (10 minutes 31 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles) and The Don Lane Show (11 minutes 55 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), author Jerzy Kosinski in a 1979 appearance on The Dick Cavett Show (19 minutes 32 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), an audio excerpts from a 1980 American Film Institute seminar with Hal Ashby (32 minutes 54 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), a documentary The Making of Being There, featuring comments by producer Andrew Braunsberg, screenwriter/editor Robert C. Jones, cinematographer Caleb Deschanel, and editor Don Zimmerman (47 minutes 39 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), and a 12-page leaflet with an essay titled American Cipher written by Mark Harris, cast & crew information, and information about the transfer.

Summary:

Hal Ashby directed Being There. He’s known for Harold and Maude, The Last Detail, Shampoo, and Coming Home.

A simple-minded man who has never left his home is compelled to leave following the death of his employer, the man who has cared for him.

Though Peter Sellers would appear in two more films after Being There, The Fiendish Plot of Dr. Fu Manchu and Trail of the Pink Panther were released posthumously. That said, it is fitting that Being There was the final film released during Peter Seller's lifetime.

When I think of Peter Sellers, the first thing that comes to mind is his remarkable versatility as an actor. Over the course of his career, he portrayed a diverse range of characters, often taking on multiple roles within a single film. In Being There, he portrays a character named Chance the Gardener, who outwardly is a middle-aged man, while inwardly he’s an adolescent boy. Though this character provides Peter Sellers with a chance to showcase his comedic talents, most of the humor does not stem from his typical antics. Instead, the humor comes from how other characters interact with Chance, who reacts to every situation with an expressionless demeanor.

Peter Sellers is in top form; he delivers another exemplary performance in which there is never a false beat. Throughout his career, Peter Sellers has portrayed countless iconic characters. Chance is obsessed with television, and he often mimics what he sees. Chance is arguably one of his finest roles, and it is difficult to envision anyone else in this part. That said, he did receive an Academy Award nomination for his performance as Chance.

Though Peter Sellers is the main attraction, he is surrounded by an exceptional cast whose performances are all pitch-perfect. Another performance of note is Shirley MacLaine (The Apartment), who portrays Eve, the wife of an elderly businessman. Her character’s interactions with Chance provide the funniest moments, and her onscreen chemistry with Peter Sellers is off the charts. Other notable cast members are Melvyn Douglas (Hud) in the role of Eve’s husband and Jack Warden (Heaven Can’t Wait) in the role of the President.

Hal Ashby’s solid direction gives the cast the freedom to excel in their roles. There are a few standout moments visually, despite Being There being a character-driven film. The scene where Chance ventures outside for the first time into an unknown world is his most inspired moment. Chance is like an alien from another planet as he explores things for the first time. This moment is enhanced by the addition of Richard Strauss’ Also Sprach Zarathustra.

From a production standpoint, there is no area where Being There does not excel. The premise is flawlessly executed, the narrative is briskly paced, and everything builds to a superbly realized coda. The dialog is laced with humor, like this exchange: “Have you ever had sex with a man?” and Chance replies, “No, I don’t think so.” There are an ample number of humorous comedic pieces; two notable ones are a scene where Chance asks a Black man if he knows someone named Jerome and a scene where Eve tries to seduce Chance, who informs her that he “likes to watch.” Ultimately, Being There is a poignant film that is as thought-provoking as it is humorous.

Being There gets an excellent release from The Criterion Collection that comes with a solid audio/video presentation and informative extras, highly recommended.

 

Written by Michael Den Boer