Being There is a DRAMA? Huh? Come on...this is a droll satire all the way...as for the subtitles, well- that's the way the film played in the early '80's at the cinema , dude, sorry...
Actually, the U.S. theatrical cut of Brazil was Gilliam's cut. It was slightly shortened from the UK version, but it was still director-approved. The studio-tampered version was never released to theaters.
Sorry to get off topic there. I've actually never seen Being There, but I have no idea why, as I'm a big fan of Peter Sellers. If nothing else, this thread has reminded me about it.
The outtakes were not always part of the US release. I saw "Being There" twice in theaters: during opening weekend at the Coronet in NYC in December 1979 (if memory serves, the film was platformed in NYC and LA during the holidays and went into general release in January 1980) and again at the Paris in Boston a month or so later. The print shown at the Coronet did not have the outtakes (the credits rolled against a background of a scrambled television signal); the outtakes were in the Boston print.
I saw "Being There" on TV a few months back, and it had the bloopers in the credits. They are funny, but they *are* a tone breaker as well. Having them as supplements would be fine.
If those outtakes are such a "tone-breaker" to so many people out there, I suggest taking a sedative so that you can stay on one emotional level all day long. Life, and movies, are full of swings in tone, mood, and emotion. I see no difference in this situation - the movie proper was over and then it was time for a little change in mood to let audiences have a more lightherearted laugh as the credits rolled. Audiences seemed to like that change in 'tone' back then. In 1979, there were no "DVD extras" section or "supplement" area of the theater to put those outtakes - so they put them in the end credits because that's the only place they could put them. Now, over 25 years later, people want to complain about it because it breaks their precious "tone". Geez.
I remember seeing the VHS version that had the outtakes at the end, and I have to agree that this was really in pretty stark contrast to the ending of the movie in particular.
"I suggest taking a sedative so that you can stay on one emotional level all day long...Now, over 25 years later, people want to complain about it because it breaks their precious "tone". Geez."
Yeah, it makes about as much sense as people who overdramatize other people's opinions so that they can complain about them. Geez. :rolleyes
Why don’t you go out and take a fresh air? Then come back here only when you think you are capable of talking without personally attacking people here.
Yes it might sound ridiculous that we are discussing about a movie 26 years later but FYI this is Home Theater Forum and this is the appropriate place for this, while of course we will think and deal with other more important matters of life outside of here.
Damn; it's 25 years since I've seen this and I can't honestly remember whether there were outtakes at the end or not (I have only a vague recollection of not seeing them).
Brilliant movie, one of Peter Sellers finest performances; I've said this before and I'll keep on saying it, Sellers had the capacity to go beyond being a comic actor to become one of the true great screen actors. If only...
Unfortunately, it's been well-documented that he was a literary fraud and plagiarist. Being There was pretty much lifted from a Polish bestseller called The Career of Nikodem Dyzma. This all came out in an article published by The Village Voice back in 1982. Kosinski's life certainly makes for an interesting story, but I don't think he's entitled to any literary praise at this point in time.