(1979)
4
Michael Betzold
Perhaps the most potent film satire of the television age and postmodern politics, Being There, released in 1979, foreshadowed a generation of films that critiqued the shallowness of mass culture. But none did so with as much economy as this profoundly simple fable. No one could have played the lead role of the moronic gardener with more nuanced efficacy than Peter Sellers. When his plain-speaking character, who has done nothing all his life except watch TV, is thrust into political notoriety, Sellers displays an uncanny adeptness for mimicking the rote movements and empty phrases of a latter-day political leader. Directed expertly by the politically astute Hal Ashby, the story was adapted by screenwriter Jerzy Kosinski from his own novel. It won an Oscar nomination for Sellers and a best supporting Oscar for Melvyn Douglas; and it marked the last great part for Sellers and the end of a run of major 1970s efforts from Ashby.
awards for Being There on AllMovie
Being There (1979)
Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
|
Nominated |
Best Actor
|
1979 |
|
Won |
Best Supporting Actor
|
1979 |
British Academy of Film and Television Arts
Hollywood Foreign Press Association
|
Nominated |
Best Director
|
1979 |
|
Won |
Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy
|
1979 |
|
Won |
Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture
|
1979 |
|
Nominated |
Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy
|
1979 |
|
Nominated |
Best Picture - Musical or Comedy
|
1979 |
|
Nominated |
Best Screenplay
|
1979 |
Los Angeles Film Critics Association
|
Won |
Best Supporting Actor
|
1979 |
National Board of Review
|
Won |
Best Actor
|
1979 |
|
Nominated |
Best Picture
|
1979 |
New York Film Critics Circle
|
Won |
Best Supporting Actor
|
1979 |
