Being There

Name: Being There
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Released: 1979-12-19
Duration: 2 h 10 min
Rating: 7.9
Cast: Peter Sellers, Shirley MacLaine, Melvyn Douglas, Jack Warden, Richard Dysart

Getting there is half the fun; being there is all of it!

Being There (1979)

Timing: 2:10 (130 min)

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no scores

7.6/10
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7.9/10
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All about film

Video 6

Photo 46

Actors and characters

Watch film Being There — Hal Ashby on making BEING THERE

1:52

Photo 46

Release date

1979-12-19

Country

Germany, United States

Production

United Artists, Lorimar Film Entertainment, Lorimar Motion Pictures, BSB, CIP, NatWest Ventures, New Gold Entertainment, Northstar Media, British Sky Broadcasting

Genre

Comedy, Drama

Budget

Revenue

$30 177 604

Website

Director

Hal Ashby

Actors

Peter Sellers, Shirley MacLaine, Melvyn Douglas, Jack Warden, Richard Dysart, Richard Basehart, Ruth Attaway, David Clennon, Fran Brill, Denise DuBarry
All actors and roles (10)

Scenario

Producer

Charles Mulvehill, Andrew Braunsberg, Jack Schwartzman

Operator

Caleb Deschanel

Composer

Johnny Mandel

Artist

Michael D. Haller

Audition

Lynn Stalmaster

Editing

Don Zimmerman
All team (24)

Short description

A simple-minded gardener named Chance has spent all his life in the Washington D.C. house of an old man. When the man dies, Chance is put out on the street with no knowledge of the world except what he has learned from television.

What's left behind the scenes

The film is based on Jerzy Kosinski's novel "The Gardener" (Being There, 1971).
Preparing for the role, Peter Sellers repeatedly recorded his lines in a variety of styles and tones. In the end, he chose a cold and emotionless style.
Peter Sellers was nominated for an «Oscar» for his role in this film.
It took Peter Sellers (1925-1980) almost 9 years to agree to make this film at the urging of the film studios, as his career was already over in the 1970s and no one in Hollywood wanted to associate with him. The only exception was the now-defunct Lorimar Pictures (an American television production company and a subsidiary of Warner Bros.).
At the 76th minute of the film, director Hal Ashby makes a cameo appearance – he is signing papers in the background.
At the 76th minute of the film, there is a cameo by director Hal Ashby—he can be seen signing papers in the background.
While preparing for the role, Peter Sellers recorded his lines repeatedly in a wide variety of styles and tones. Eventually, he chose a cold and completely emotionless style.
It took Peter Sellers (1925-1980) nearly nine years of persuading film studios to make this movie, as his career had effectively ended by the 1970s and no one in Hollywood wanted to work with him. The only exception was the now-defunct Lorimar Pictures (an American television production company and subsidiary of Warner Bros.).