Next Monday, 9/21, with Garen Daly leading the charge, we’ll be revisiting the 1979 film Being There.
Staring Peter Sellers, and directed by Hal Ashby, Being There is an adaptation of the 1971 novel by Jerzy Kozinski, who characterizes the premise of Being There as an exploration of celebrity status in America
The emergence of celebrity in America is not based on depth, it’s based on visibility and accessibility, a smile, a figure. It is based on appearing as a person of importance. The question asked is not 'Is he a good man?’ It’s 'what circles does he move in?
With Donald Trump being the life of the (Republican) Party, the persistence of reality shows and society’s reproductive powers when it comes to creating one celebrity after the next, does the subdued tone of Being There hold up in today’s manic culture? Does the movie survive its dated technology and aesthetic? Or does it perfectly satirize our never ending search for that shiny object?
