[AlexdeLarge]

A classic movie you may enjoy!

" Being There (1979), subtitled "a story of chance," is a provocative black comedy -- a wonderful tale that satirizes politics, celebrity, media-obsession and television. The subtle film's slogan proclaimed: "Getting there is half the fun. Being there is all of it."


"Peter Sellers plays Chance, a simple-minded gardener, whose empty-headed pronouncements and generalizations, delivered dead-pan, are taken to be profoundly intelligent, metaphorically deep, and wisely insightful. He becomes wealthy, is treated as a famous celebrity in the media, and becomes a political advisor for the rich and powerful, including President 'Bobby' (Jack Warden). His new-found popularity leads to talk-show appearances, insider parties, book publisher advances, and the potential to become a presidential candidate."

Being There

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm............I will let you decide which current Politician ( He could be out on his world tour ) fits this bill ! LOL

[Ludi]

None of our politicians are as innocent as Chance.

[charliebrownout]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Ludi', 'N')one of our politicians are as innocent as Chance.

[WildRose]

I very much enjoyed that movie. Peter Sellers was charming.

[seahorse2]

The movie plays Peter Seller's character as a gardener who becomes a celebrity based on false perceptions of him; however, if I remember correctly, at the very end of the movie, it shows Seller's character walking away from the camera and it appears he is walking on water. So, throughout the whole movie I as a viewer thought about how stupid all the people in the world were for making his character out to be something he wasn't, but the movie ended by making me think the joke was on me. Did I remember that scene right? Its been 20 years since I saw it.

[AlexdeLarge]

[Ludi]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('seahorse2', ' ')it appears he is walking on water.

[seahorse2]

So, it does seem, then, that the joke is on the moving viewing audience all along, and that Seller's character was in fact, some kind of divine creature deserving of all the attention.

[AlexdeLarge]

Tis a great movie and in many ways......an interesting metaphor for our times.........

Lake scene
"In the final scene, as the party elite discuss choosing Chance as their preferred candidate in the upcoming presidential election, Chance is seen wandering over the estate. He comes to the edge of a lake and then continues to walk on. The audience sees Chance walking on the water and not into it. This scene continues to generate discussion and controversy. Clearly we see Chance walking on water, an act with a clear Biblical reference. It is as though the director is pushing our own sense of seeing. Are we, like the other characters in the movie, seeing what we want to see? Or what we are primed to see? Is there a prosaic explanation, such as hidden stepping-stones? Or do we take a leap of faith and see Chance as the Savior that so many of the characters are looking for? Does he truly possess some special grace, given his simple innocence and simply being present to each moment without filters and ideas? Is this a commentary on Christianity - that what Jesus was and what people wanted him to be or perceived him to be may have been quite different? Or, does he walk on water simply because his mind has not considered that he cannot? In his 2001 book The Great Movies, Roger Ebert argues for this last interpretation.

One clue that is often overlooked[citation needed], is the diegetic sound accompanying the simple image of Chance walking on the lake water. As Chance walks through the woods near the funeral, a series of Rand's personal quotations are read aloud while the coffin is carried to its final resting place. Rand's last quote coincides with the last image of the film: just as the words "Life is a state of mind" are recited, we see Chance walk on water. One clear interpretation then is the suggestion that perception creates our reality."

Being There - Wikipedia