Being There (2001, DVD)

Earlier this month I did a book vs. movie comparison of The Magic Christian. I wrote that I wanted to do an ongoing series on comparing book versions to movie versions. The second entry in the series is Being There. This is a novel written by Jerzy Kosinski and a film starring Peter Sellers. This is another short novel that was turned into a successful movie.

Like The Magic Christian, Being There features a screenplay written or co-written by the novelist. Kosinski won a screen play of the year award from the Writer s Guild of America. There are several alterations from novel to film but the movie is very faithful to the novel. One change made is that the movie is set in Washington D.C. while the novel took place in New York City. I am unsure why this change was made.

Here I am going to review the movie. The film was originally released back in 1979. Peter Sellers stars as Chance the Gardener or Chauncey Gardiner. He is a gardener in a Washington townhouse. It is never explained why he was raised there by the old man or why he has never been allowed off the property. Brief explanation that he was orphaned by a mother who died before he was born is afforded in the book. He seems to be mentally not entirely up to speed. Some might say mentally retarded. He works the garden and watches TV. It is the death of the Old Man that will suddenly alter his life.

Because there is no record of his birth or of his living there, he is told that he must leave the property. Sellers plays the role with great depth. He truly captures the essence of a man isolated from the world. He is only able to relate to the world through what he has seen on television. The scene when he first leaves the townhouse is wonderful cinema. They play the Deodato version of Also Sprach Zarathustra as he boldly exits the building and walks out in the street for the first time in his life. It is comical when he runs across a gang of street thugs and tries to change the channel with his remote control.

The film is filled with many such moments of subtle comedy. The performances are stunning. Chance is accidentally hit by Eve Rand s limo driver. Eve, (played by Shirley MacLaine) offers to ride him to see a doctor. She ends up taking him home to see the family doctor. Since her husband Benjamin Rand (Melvyn Douglas who won the oscar for best supporting actor for this role) is mortally ill, the doctor is staying at their home. Benjamin also takes to Chance s polite and natural way of expressing himself.

Chance the Gardener becomes Chauncey Gardiner as everyone mistakes the things he says for other meanings. Because he is well dressed and well spoken, he is automatically taken seriously. There is a bit of a morality play on that matter. I think Kosinski gets the point across better in the novel, though. When Chance talks about the garden, it is viewed that he is talking about business or the nation s economy. The humor is that he is not talking on an allegorical level. He meets the president and is quoted by the President of the United States in a speech. He is invited as a guest on a major network talk show. And offers come in to write books or appear on other shows.

It is hilarious when a Russian diplomat suggests to him that we are not really so far apart. Chance, very straight faced and sincere responds, Our chairs are almost touching . He is literarily referring to the closeness of their seats but the diplomat takes it as a metaphor. As the doctor eventually discovers, he really is just a gardener. The president is obsessed with him and he is being investigated by multiple nations because no information exists on him.

Much of the dialog is culled directly from the movie but there are several differences in the movie and novel. It should also be noted that while the movie is a lengthy 130 minutes, the novel is only 118 pages long. I guess you can put that down to Hollywood excess. Movie producers often feel the need to make movies longer than they need to be. Being There does not drag as a movie. In fact it is a very well paced movie but it probably could have been just as good with 15 to 20 minutes shaved off.

The conclusion of the movie is confusing to some people as it shows Chance walking across the pond. Many people mistake this for sacrilege but it is really meant to suggest that anything is possible. Here is an idiot who is being considered as a vice presidential candidate. Much of this is because of people s preconceptions. He speaks well and politely and dresses well. He rarely speaks when not questioned. He is also not conditioned to believe that he can or can not do certain things. His innocence in many ways is what allows him to do all these things.

The book brings many of the philosophical points and psychological points better than the movie but I think both are excellent works. I don t think the film will be for everyone because much of the humor is subtle and there is not a lot of action involved in the film. It might induce thinking in some viewers. It will please those who enjoy confronting philosophical and psychological issues. And the performance by Sellers is amazing.

also check out book version:

http://www.epinions.com/content_123709460100