The original Forrest Gump
One Saturday afternoon about two years or so ago, I ran into a Peter Sellers movie that I had never seen before. He was older in this film and he seemed a bit slow-witted. I wasn’t sure if that was his character or not, or his lousy attempt at an American accent, regardless I was intrigued. Being There is a fascinatingly simple tale of a slow fellow who ends up in the right places at the right time. Sometimes that is the nature of life.
Chance is a gardner. His boss, “The Old Man”, dies and leaves Chance out in the cold, or at least the lawyers of his estate do. Homeless and clueless, Chance finds himself wandering the streets of Washington, D.C. not sure or aware of where he should be going. By a stroke of luck, Chance is struck by a car and quickly whisked away to the powerful mansion owned by Benjamin Rand. He soon finds himself not only a new home, but also in the company of the President of the United States, powerful people in the government and amongst the press. His innocent journey intrigues the people around him and leads to constant misinterpretations of his purpose in the mansion. Funny, kind, dramatic and sad; that defines Chance’s situation.
There are so many things to this movie that make it worth your time. The obvious Jesus figure that is Chance is one of them. Sellers created one of the most innocent characters in movie history and didn’t let up once in the film. Staying true to character and his purpose, Seller’s delivers a powerful performance from an underwhelming part. His presence among men (and women) gives way to misinterpretation of the truth and tells the world that sometimes what you see is what you get. Sometimes there may not be a deeper meaning to life, sometimes it’s just what it advertises it to be. Religious? Definitely, as it touches upon what Christianity brings to the table as well as other religions. Again, all of this through a very far from complex character. His transformation from innocence to even more innocent is subtle and humorous, but very interesting the entire way. I wish Seller’s were alive to see himself and to maybe learn from his own life’s mistakes through Chance. Maybe he did learn, maybe he didn’t. Regardless, you’ll find Chance perfect if you need guidance from a movie character.
The story itself is a bit slow, much like our leading character, but it has such vision and beef inside of it that you won’t want to stop watching. Thanks to a fantastic supporting cast (Shirley MacLaine (super-hottie back then!), Melvyn Douglas (he plays Ben, the millionaire) and a fine performance by Jack Warden (as the President)), the gradual build is quick, funny, but very emotional (especially when Ben is in his final moments — trust me, you see it coming; I didn’t ruin anything). What’s always been debated, which is why I mentioned Jesus a paragraph ago, is the final scene for Chance. He literally walks on water. The question is: Is it because he doesn’t know better or because he’s defined as a Jesus figure? Honestly, it’s more than likely the first part of that question. Chance is innocent and he never strays away from his beliefs or his duties. He doesn’t let the outside world get in (hey, maybe that’s why he was shelled up in his house for so many years at the beginning), so he doesn’t really know he can’t walk on water because no one has told him otherwise. Whatever you believe is the meaning behind the last shot, that’s up to you. It’s a spectacular shot that defines his entire life in one moment. It’s certainly the payoff at the end.
It’s certainly okay to feel Blu
If Seller’s and Douglas could only see themselves in HD, I think they would be taken back a bit. The transfer from film to HD is not anything short of beautiful. You get beautiful 1080p that shines like the morning sun, that captures 1979 Washington, D.C. perfectly. It looks like it was shot this year, that’s how good it looks. As for the audio, it doesn’t really need the 5.1 gig, so WB has done a TrueHD 1.0. While not powerful, it works fine for this film. Enjoy your center speaker!
As for the features, here’s what you’re getting:
– Memories from Being There: Very good feature that gives you some insight to the film’s creation. I loved this, makes me sad that Seller’s isn’t alive.
– Deleted Scenes: I always say this and mean it, “There’s a reason why they are deleted.”
– Alternate Ending: Not as profound as the original, but still interesting.
– Gag Reel: Slightly humorous. It does have moments.
– Theatrical Trailer: A trailer that really defines a film? Must have been before marketing.
