Film Screening: Being There (Hal Ashby, USA, 1979)

Being There shows just how far you can get with what you learn from television.  In one of Peter Sellers’ finest performances, Being There follows Chance, a middle-aged gardener, as he enters society for the first time after his benefactor dies and stumbles his way into success.  In a biting critique of media, class, and American politics, Hal Ashby creates a darkly comic portrait of a character whose origins, intentions, and intellect are never quite clear.