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"Being There"-- so what DOES the title mean? Ilana Douglas, (real-life granddaughter of Melvyn Douglas, whose impeccable portrayal of the old tycoon justifiably won him his second Oscar in a long and worthy career) in the short reminisce that comprises the entirety of the "special features", said that to her "Being There" meant being in the moment. That Peter Sellers' characterization of the man known alternately as Chance the Gardener and Chauncey Gardener was so strong it kind of drug everyone else in and there was a kind of onscreen reality, if you will, a "being in the moment" that happened and made this film the profound masterpiece that it is.
I am not one to disagree with that take. It is equally viable as any of my own thoughts on the subject, (depending on your point of view) yet perhaps there is more to it than that. I have found that many trully great pieces of art posses a certain ambiguity about them that goes beyond anything the author originally intended. A meaning that is only revealed through the realization of the work itself, a force which surpasses any conceptual inspiration. I think this is the "Being There" that Ilana Douglas refers to. When Peter Sellers went "full-on retard", as it were, "full-on shut-in" rather, the rest of the cast could not but help to follow suit in their portrayals of what are essentially cultural caricatures, and magic was made in front of the camera lens. No denying that. However, there is another aspect of "Being There", something that may in fact be more intentional and blatant as conceived by the author of the book this film is based on, yet, because most people aren't willing to climb the ladder's top rung, usually remains much more evasive.
Follow me if you will down this rabbit hole;
I couldn't help thinking that it harks back to the old adage about "being a fly on the wall". Have you ever had that notion when thinking about how the corporate sector and the political structure of our country and the world is really run at the top? To be a fly on the wall during those subtle, intimate moments when old, bloodless creatures congregate and deals are struck, policies are shifted and Atlas shrugs? Of course we are able to see the aftermath of many of these moments, which allows those of us who get beyond the smoke and mirrors and dog and pony tricks to understand the nature of the course our society is on, and where it is being steered-- but to hear it from their own curmudgeonly lips! To hear them acknowledge public sentiment against their tyranny yet justify it as necessary for the good of the species in the long run!-- perhaps just after they've been pumped full of another fresh batch of blood to keep them in good spirits as per Chance's first encounter with old Ben Rand. "Some call me a 'kingmaker', but I've stayed true to myself, and that's what matters most of all , my boy."
Wasn't this concept (the fly on the wall, the emotionless being who likes to watch, etc.) the onus of what this film was actually all about? One of the most cleverly disguised depictions of what life is really like at the top? To be a master of the world, to live as if life will never end, as if you will be at the controls forever, and yet, to still be powerless against death when your time has come. To have it all, to live in opulence and luxury while the rest of the world goes to the dogs,(as so poignantly depicted when the Gardener leaves the house he's spent his whole life shut up in for the first time) yet, in the end, to be drug down to Sheol with the rest of us.
So it is that we get to observe our overlords (or at least their caricatures) throught the glinted eyes of a perpetual voyeur (the fly on the wall), the only one of us "down-to-earth" enough to be allowed within their hallowed walls. A character sought after and hobknobbed by the upper eschalon by virtue of his rare optimism and seeming lack of judgementalism, a trait which tends to infect all those of us not quite placated enough to be content to just watch.
Which begs the question concerning the "common man"'s role in modern civilization; are we nothing more than voyeurs? Our thoughts shaped and controlled by the fabricated envoirnment we live in on this tedius journey through life, watching the big men make their moves on deck while kept safely locked away down in the holding regions below?
How about that tomb, eh? A beautiful, little beady eye that makes the one on the back of the dollar bill look like a pale imitation. A legacy for a proud, life-long upholder of The Code, a fitting monument, built in finely hewn stone, built to last. The pallbearers hastily deciding momentous strategy in hushed tones while bringing the old man to his tomb-- er, ah..."final resting place". The show must go on, plenty more runners to snatch up the baton and carry on.
Jack Warden as president!! The first time he appears onscreen is from afar, yet I recognized his craggy features (talk about finely hewn!)from that instant and it filled my heart with glee. What a man, eh? From "Twelve Angry Men", to "...And Justice For All", to "Things to Do in Denver When You're Dead", one was never disappointed with a performance from old Jack. Or his cousin Robert Loggia, for that matter. (Somehow the two are inexplicably linked within the caverns of my mind.) Fitting how his character eulogized the deceased, his own doubts and impotence weighing on him like a roped man at the gallows.
Yes, a lot to digest in this flick, many a hearty meal for the cranial sponge to soak in. Watch it again and again, let it marinate your senses.
Other musings gleaned in passing: *The firm handshake and stiff upper lip. *An ascot and fine taste in all things good. *The rich are fanciful creatures-- they can afford to be. *A proper gentleman, a pillar of stregth to those that succomb easily to temptation and desperation. "I like to watch..." yes, I do too.
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| Additional DVD options | Edition | Discs | Price | New from | Used from |
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April 3, 2001 "Please retry" | — | 1 | $21.86 | $4.69 |
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February 3, 2009 "Please retry" | Deluxe Edition | 1 | $52.98 | $29.00 |
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