Slideshow
BEING THERE
U.S., 1979
Directed by Hal Ashby
Screenplay by Jerzy Kosiński adapted from his 1970 novel of the same name
Starring Peter Sellers, Shirley MacLaine, Jack Warden, Melvyn Douglas
WINNER Academy Award® – Best Supporting Actor (Melvyn Douglas), 1980
Approx. 130 min. DCP.
“I like to watch.” Suddenly evicted from his life-long residence, Peter Sellers’ sheltered, TV-addicted simpleton Chauncey Gardiner emerges reluctantly into the world and finds himself misinterpreted and celebrated as a sage-like pundit by President Jack Warden, dying industrialist Melvyn Douglas, and his turned-on wife Shirley MacLaine. Sellers’ Oscar®-nominated performance was the most acclaimed of his career.
Presented with support from The Ada Katz Fund for Literature in Film
Reviews
“Sellers is pitch-perfect.”
– Time Out
“Spectacular balancing act.”
– Frank Rich, TIME Magazine
“One of the boldest of commercial comedies.”
– Richard Combs, Sight & Sound