Being There
Being There is a 1979 American satirical comedy-drama film directed by Hal Ashby, based on the 1970 novel of the same name by Jerzy Kosiński. It was adapted for the screen by Kosiński and the uncredited Robert C. Jones. The film stars Peter Sellers, Shirley MacLaine, and Melvyn Douglas and features Jack Warden, Richard Dysart, and Richard Basehart.
Plot
Middle-aged, simple-minded Chance lives in the townhouse of a wealthy old man in Washington, D.C. He has spent his whole life tending the garden and has never left the property. Other than gardening, his knowledge is derived entirely from what he sees on television. When his benefactor dies, Chance naively tells the lawyers that he has no claim against the estate and is ordered to move out.
Awards
More details
| author | Jerzy Kosiński Robert C. Jones |
|---|---|
| award | Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor National Board of Review: Top Ten Films |
| contentLocation | Washington, D.C. |
| director | Hal Ashby |
| editor | Don Zimmerman |
| genre | comedy-drama political satire |
| keywords | capture discover first time garden hard times imitate kiss old man pass sapling secret service talk show the thomas crown affair united states secret service video camera wash |
| musicBy | Johnny Mandel |
| nomination | Academy Award for Best Actor Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor |
| producer | Andrew Braunsberg |
| productionCompany | Lorimar Productions |
| publisher | United Artists |
| recordedAt | North Carolina |
| theme | black comedy |