"This is just like television, only you can see much further": Chance Gardner

[GammaGlobulin]

Dear Friends,

 

Does the character of Chance Gardner resonate with you?

 

Some might say that "Being There" is probably the very best that Sellers ever did.

 

What has this film meant to you, during recent years, since 1979?

 

Do you think a film like this means nothing?

 

Is is pointless?

 

Sellers wasted his great talent, for some reason, on the Pink Panther series of films.

 

What we need in this world are more gardeners like Chance, turning over the soil.

A man like Sellers, who could walk on water, could have done much more.

 

What kind of film is this?

 

 

Do you think that the Pink Panther series is Sellers' final best legacy?

 

What does it mean for a man to be able to walk on water, in a film like this?

 

What is the meaning of this film?

 

"I've lived a lot, trembled a lot, was surrounded by little men who forgot that...

We enter naked, and exit naked and that no accountant can audit life...

In our favor."

 

What is the meaning of this?

 

What are you talking about on Sunday?

 

Are you talking about God?

Or, are you, as I, just thinking about this amazing film from Peter Sellers.

 

After over 40 years, this film just gets better.

 

I feel sorry that Peter Sellers was never given free reign and money to create just a few more great films.

 

At least, we have one great film, "Being There".

 

Can you, really, think of a better one?

 

Regards.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[GammaGlobulin]

I might have said, this is just like TV, only you can see farther, driving in a car.

 

However, I love TV.

And, sometimes, the writers on TV help me to see farther.

 

 

My guess is that the best writers here seldom post anything.

 

My guess is that the more intelligent members of this forum rarely write.

 

 

 

Farther or further, it's almost all the same.

 

But it is actually not.

 

What is the difference between the meaning of the the words "farther" and "further"?

 

 

Edited October 9, 2022 by GammaGlobulin

[GammaGlobulin]

This great film has never been adequately explained to me.

 

I also worry that my post, in this case, might seem inexplicable and confused or confusing to you.

 

Being There is Sellers' best.

Or, one of his very best.

 

 

[marin]

36 minutes ago, GammaGlobulin said:

Does the character of Chance Gardner resonate with you?

 

Not so much, you must not remember it that well. Peter Seller's character was Chauncey Gardner. Brilliant movie I do agree. 

[GammaGlobulin]

In my opinion this is a film based on a satirical novel.

[GammaGlobulin]

2 minutes ago, marin said:

Not so much, you must not remember it that well. Peter Seller's character was Chauncey Gardner. Brilliant movie I do agree. 

Please check IMDB.

 

NOT Chauncey.

Where did you come up with this strange misspelling of the character played by Sellers?

Out of your head?

 

Also, please check the original novel from Poland.

 

Check it out, please.

Then, please correct your post.

Thank you. 

[spidermike007]

These days, there are not many films that are metaphorical in nature. Cinema, like the rest of society has become dumbed down. The new trend of mega franchise, amusement park ride films is symbolic of where society has digressed to. Thor, Fast and the Furious, the Avengers, Spiderman, the Hulk, Black Widow, all very big budget, comic book junk. Then you have reality TV. Truly bottom of the barrel evidence of the cultural collapse of contemporary society. 

 

I don't think a film like Being there would get made today. It is too deep for today's audiences. 

[Etaoin Shrdlu]

There will be growth in the spring.

[GammaGlobulin]

2 minutes ago, spidermike007 said:

These days, there are not many films that are metaphorical in nature. Cinema, like the rest of society has become dumbed down. The new trend of mega franchise, amusement park ride films is symbolic of where society has digressed to. Thor, Fast and the Furious, the Avengers, Spiderman, the Hulk, Black Widow, all very big budget, comic book junk. Then you have reality TV. Truly bottom of the barrel evidence of the cultural collapse of contemporary society. 

 

I don't think a film like Being there would get made today. It is too deep for today's audiences. 

I cannot agree with you more.

I cannot agree with you more.

I cannot agree with you more.

 

And, by the way, do you think we will ever see a film literally based on the book, The Good Soldier Švejk? 

 

Where has satire gone.

 

Same as love.

Where has love gone.

[GammaGlobulin]

20 minutes ago, marin said:

Not so much, you must not remember it that well. Peter Seller's character was Chauncey Gardner. Brilliant movie I do agree. 

Poor Chance, he was called Chauncey by people who misread him.

Now, do you understand?

[spidermike007]

4 minutes ago, GammaGlobulin said:

I cannot agree with you more.

I cannot agree with you more.

I cannot agree with you more.

 

And, by the way, do you think we will ever see a film literally based on the book, The Good Soldier Švejk? 

 

Where has satire gone.

 

Same as love.

Where has love gone.

Love is still here, thankfully. You just have to be fortunate enough to find it. Satire? Society seems to take itself far too seriously these days. And PC has exacerbated that, along with the extreme toxicity of social media, by weakening society and making victims into heroes.

 

Tik tok, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram were the worst things to happen to society in the last 20 years. 

[Fat is a type of crazy]

don't think too much

good not to have things to worry about 

but don't want to be so simple as to be imbecilic

Not understanding what is going on is not a sign of transcendence 

[GammaGlobulin]

 

After posting this, now, I must read the book.

 

 

[Sparktrader]

Movies rubbish

Music rubbish

 

Go bush, eat food. Kiss a nice woman.

[GammaGlobulin]

Sorry: Of course I meant "free rein" (above)

 

Not, free reign. as my old phone misspelled it.

 

And, not free rain.

 

Does anybody here wish to buy me a Galaxy S22 Ultra so that I can post more lucidly?

Forget it.

[chickenslegs]

30 minutes ago, GammaGlobulin said:

Poor Chance, he was called Chauncey by people who misread him.

Now, do you understand?

I thought he was Chance, the gardener (no surname), who became known as Chauncey Gardiner. So he was never Chance Gardener.

Sellers best work was in The Goon Show. There can be no argument about that.

 

Edited October 9, 2022 by chickenslegs
Change spelling to Gardiner

[GammaGlobulin]

3 minutes ago, chickenslegs said:

I thought he was Chance, the gardener (no surname), who became known as Chauncey Gardener. So he was never Chance Gardener.

Sellers best work was in The Goon Show. There can be no argument about that.

 

Sorry.

 

Each to his or her own.

 

However, as for me, Being There was even better than Dr. Strangelove.

Hands down.

 

Still, I will defer to your thoughts of Sellers' best.

 

 

Edited October 9, 2022 by GammaGlobulin

[Fat is a type of crazy]

28 minutes ago, chickenslegs said:

I thought he was Chance, the gardener (no surname), who became known as Chauncey Gardiner. So he was never Chance Gardener.

Sellers best work was in The Goon Show. There can be no argument about that.

 

There's comedy I liked as a kid that new generations would find funny and others that were of their time only. Monty Python has something about it that as a whole is still funny to new generations whereas I think the Goons were of their time.

Probably new and exciting at the time, and an influence on others such as Monty Python, their stuff has always just sounded chaotic and silly and a bit childish to me with the odd funny bit. But individually Sellers and Milligan were so funny so I am not sure why that is the case.

[GammaGlobulin]

44 minutes ago, chickenslegs said:

I thought he was Chance, the gardener (no surname), who became known as Chauncey Gardiner. So he was never Chance Gardener.

Sellers best work was in The Goon Show. There can be no argument about that.

 

His name was Chance. 

 

Until others began to call him Chauncey. 

 

He was a gardener, until others mistook him for something he was not. 

 

Chauncey is sort of an upper-class, upper crust, name. 

 

Do you get it now? 

 

Chauncey is sort of a preppy, old-school name. Upper class, upper crust. 

 

Do I need to explain it further

 

The name Chauncey might, also, be suitable for an English butler. 

 

One more small sliver of cheese, please, Chauncey. 

 

Edited October 9, 2022 by GammaGlobulin

[RayWright]

And there's me thinking he was only a ukelele player...

 

[1FinickyOne]

the only part I really liked was when he first went out in public and tried to turn off the world with his remote - or change the channel when life was not so pleasant... 

 

2 hours ago, GammaGlobulin said:

We enter naked, and exit naked

I was taught clean underwear... 

[chickenslegs]

38 minutes ago, GammaGlobulin said:

His name was Chance. 

 

Until others began to call him Chauncey. 

 

He was a gardener, until others mistook him for something he was not. 

 

Chauncey is sort of an upper-class, upper crust, name. 

 

Do you get it now? 

 

Chauncey is sort of a preppy, old-school name. Upper class, upper crust. 

 

Do I need to explain it further

 

The name Chauncey might, also, be suitable for an English butler. 

 

One more small sliver of cheese, please, Chauncey. 

 

You said in your opening post ...

2 hours ago, GammaGlobulin said:

Does the character of Chance Gardner resonate with you?

Then you chastised another poster for stating that the character was "Chauncey Gardener"

 

To be clear - There was no character named "Chance Gardner", he was Chance the gardener (with no surname).

 

Do you get it now?

[GammaGlobulin]

20 minutes ago, chickenslegs said:

You said in your opening post ...

Then you chastised another poster for stating that the character was "Chauncey Gardener"

 

To be clear - There was no character named "Chance Gardner", he was Chance the gardener (with no surname).

 

Do you get it now?

Yes.

Sorry.

[GammaGlobulin]

Anyway, one thing is for sure, which is that the proper spelling is.. 

 

Chauncy Gardiner 

 

 

"Chauncey Gardener" is simply incorrect. 

 

I was, originally, willing to overlook the misspellings of the name, previously posted. However, since some of you wish to hold my feet to the fire, then, what can I say. 

 

As to the meaning, if any, of the final moments of the film, I am still up in the air. 

 

Originally, I had thought of the ending in Biblical terms, walking on water. 

 

However, I had also thought of it in terms of TM, transcendental meditation.

 

But now, I am beginning to suspect that this film has no meaning, at all. 

 

In other words, as the ultimate satire, we seek to find meaning in life even when there is no meaning. And we try to find some meaning in the film, when there is no meaning to the film. 

 

Originally, I had thought that there was no meaning to the film. And, this is why I was so enamored with it. 

 

Peter Sellers lived a life without much meaning. 

 

Such a brilliant actor. 

 

He could have been somebody. He coulda been a contender. 

[xylophone]

I also think that the movie, "Being There" was a very good movie and perhaps his best in that genre, however there is no mistaking the fact that some of his "Pink Panther" films were very funny/entertaining, and there are some scenes from them which live in the memory (farting in the lift for example).

 

I have watched the movie, "The Life and Death of Peter Sellers" and it appears to be very true to his life, and there is a quote in it whereby somebody says something along the lines that Peter Sellers is an empty vessel in which characters can be placed/cast, as he himself has no personality per se.

 

I still watch the occasional Pink Panther movie, a couple of which I have on CD and the lift scene, which had to be retaken scores of times because the actors couldn't stop laughing about what was going to happen, still brings a smile. And the first Peter Sellers movie I ever saw, called, "The Party" I thought was hilarious at the time, but in later viewing, it ranks as just something to smile at.

[GammaGlobulin]

Allegorically speaking, this story is quite simple. 

 

The film begins with Chance in a safe and nurturing environment. All his needs are provided. 

 

Therefore, we can easily see that Chance is living in a womb-like state, still connected to the TV, which serves as his umbilical cord. 

 

Suddenly, Chance's womb-like existence is interrupted due to the death of his benefactor/employer. 

 

Chance becomes ejected from the womb. Yet, he, in his neonatal state, is totally unprepared for the world. 

 

Fortunately, through dumb luck, Chance is adopted by a billionaire. 

 

But then, after being adopted, innocent Chance is subjected to the realities of life, including a 40-year-old woman who is starved for sex. This same thing happened to me when I was 17. 

 

Chance then becomes confronted by the fundamental corruption of politics, and the evils of great wealth and great power. 

 

But, being a newly-born innocent, wealth, power and sex have no meaning for Chance. His only pablum is TV... Same as you and me. 

 

Then, so tragically, his foster father dies. 

 

Yet, just like a true schizoid man, Chance remains disconnected from any feelings concerning his benefactor's demise. 

 

In the final scene of the film, we see Chance wandering off into the winter sunset. 

 

Chance has never seen a pond in his life. He doesn't understand that man was not meant to walk on water. He pokes the surface of the pond with his umbrella. And he keeps on walking. 

 

Such is the tragic tale of Peter Sellers. 

 

 

[StreetCowboy]

On 10/9/2022 at 10:52 AM, chickenslegs said:

I thought he was Chance, the gardener (no surname), who became known as Chauncey Gardiner. So he was never Chance Gardener.

Sellers best work was in The Goon Show. There can be no argument about that.

 

Resistance is futile; even if you complain, no-one listens, so you might as well not bother.

Our brothers and neighbours in the Ukraine have proved both wrong.