Being There
For over eight years Peter Sellers urged author Jerry Kosinski to grant him the right to play this touching character in the heart of his novel. He knew that this was the role of a lifetime . . . a role that touched an empty vessel in his own persona.
Director Hal Ashby had a proven skilful of interpreting the vagaries of human dependence in The Last Detail and Coming Home, and homes in on our desperation for divine meaning. When Chauncey tumbles into the real world, his audible utterances take on a different meaning with grand wisdom.
The audience are invited to become believers, as the film tests our universal gullibility. The world has since been overtaken by bloated endless self-help gurus and ‘reality’ TV, Ashby’s satire has grown more relevant with time.
It’s a beautiful, muted performance from Sellers, with a slow and mannered direction. The film never ruffles its feathers, even if the ranks of the FBI & CIA begin to feel threatened by this strange undetectable being. Shirley MacLaine and Melvyn Douglas support his remarkable performance. The ending is breath-taking.
A poignant, well-kept secret of a movie . . . highly recommended. Available on DVD, Blu-Ray, and various streaming services.
