The movie that cracked Kubrick's monolith code - Being There (1979) film analysis
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- Опубликовано: 6 окт 2015
- For more film analysis articles and videos www.collativelearning.com/
The movie that cracked Kubrick's monolith code - Being There (1979). Written, edited and narrated by Rob Ager.
After watching Being There with my buddy I asked him how was Chance able to walk on water in the last scene of the movie and he said because Chance doesn't know he can't.
A legit interpretation. I also see him as a man between worlds. He appears from nowhere, and ends up in nowhere so doesn't have to obey the laws of the universe.
I swear I've heard that before somewhere - So weird !! Maybe someone else had the same idea or had heard that too and repeated it . I don't know but it's kinda freaky .
@@JoshuaCraigStrain It's a metaphor. Yes, water is a strange one, but many people don't do things in their lives because they're told they can't when they can.
@@anonb4632 hence the irony of the title !
A good way of looking at that. I always thought of that scene as metaphor of the way he was viewed by everyone. He was mistakenly seen by the public as a figure who was "walking on water", but in reality, he was just a village idiot who was only doing it by accident. It basically summed up the entire movie when you think about it. He'd mumble some junk about plants growing in the summer and everybody (except a black lady who used to live with him) thought he was a genius. Shirley Mclaine's character thought he was having weird, yet stimulating sex with him and he had no clue what he was doing. Melvin Douglas (who I thought was a John D. Rockefeller type of character) thought everything he did was intellectually stimulating when he was actually as dumb as a bag of hammers. This movie really made me think. In a country where entertainers like commedians are considered the intellectual, cultural, and political voice of America, it really isn't too far fetched.
Such an underrated film! Only ever heard my Dad talk about this film, I can't believe so many people haven't heard of it.
I think it is flawed. It is not as funny as Sellars' work but is his attempt to do something much deeper.
I first watched Being There in 1985, and it has remained among my all time favourite movies.
Your videos awakened my obsession with film analysis, Rob.
Fr tho lol
Watch the other channel the vile eye it’s really good you’ll enjoy it, this channel was recommended cause I watched that channel
mine too
Come on, the annoying monoliths are obviously an analog prediction of the annoying habit of people recording video vertically with future smart phones instead of horizontally. Now those vertical videos are multiplying like crazy, just like the monoliths in "2010: The Year We Make Contact". Clarke and Kubrick had incredible foresight !
In the movie, the Monolith is the initiator of progress and human enlightenment. So Kubrick actually thought that vertical video was the future of cinema, but no one at the time allowed him to make a vertical movie, so he had to inspire future generations and predict the movement.
hahaha
Did rob ever revisit this movie? Didn't see it on the site but I'm on mobile so I may have missed it. Just watched it. It's amazing. Reminds of the wise idiot trope from sufi stories
So tablets . They had tablets . So that was something .
Yeah, but... good music, 1/2 hour daily maximum dose? Migh improve optic nerves ..
I'm so happy to see you are doing Being There. it's always been a favorite of mine and deserves more attention.
Rob, your work on this is superb. There's an interesting parallel between what's long been termed, "the room at the end" in "2001" and "the room upstairs" as a metaphor for death and transfiguration in "Being There." For my part, I find the ending of "Being There" to be among the most powerful and brilliant in any film ever made, and on the same level as those of Kubrick (his endings were the most thought provoking in all of cinema).
Thanks again for your work.
Being There - which I saw in the movie theater (when it came out) 2 or 3 times - is one of my favorite films of all time. I had not noticed most of your correlations before -Bravo on this :-)
It's now a year later (after leaving the above comment) and after watching it again today, wanted to thank you again for this fabulous video.
Seeing the eye was trippy for me . Sorry I haven't listened to these guys long enough to talk nerd and smart its so sexy and soothing voices though cool guys ;]
voicetube -Same is true for me and it’s great that we get to see this video explaining the connections thank you, Rob🥰👍🏻😍🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻💗💗💗🤗🤗🤗🤗👋👋👍🏻👍🏻👌👌👌👌👌👌👌👌👌💋🙏🏻😍
I if I’m not mistaken, I believe it’s available on Netflix right now!🤗🤗🤗🥰🥰🥰🥰
@@spo616 you're welcome :-)
The Director of "Being There" (1979) Hal Ashby is often credited with being the greatest Movie director of the 70's. I remember he used the black Monolith Imagery in his very first film "The Landlord" (1970) when he was moving into the slums he has a massive picture that is solid black like the Monolith for this movie it has a landscape lightly etched into the black slate but I'm sure the imagery was inspired from 2001. We never hear about Hal Ashby's movie these day's but he was on top of world in the 70's.
1972, Hal Ashby did "Harold and Maude". Awesome film.
as long as the roots aren’t severed,all will be well in the garden
SOOO happy you chose this film for an analysis! I have always loved this film and hoped that one day someone would do a deeper philosophical analysis of it, especially the ending scene before the credits begin rolling. Always enjoyed your work Rob! Keep it up!
Being There is an Awesome Movie. everything that happens is related to exactly what you have in your mind, conscious or not. You costruct the meanings acondingly to your ever changing states of mind.
You "understand" the world around you based on your thoughts, your moods, they dye what your senses capture and forms what illudes you as being the reality.
I saw this as a teenager when it first came out at the theatre, its brilliant. My favorite part was when Chance is met by the street thugs who want to know if that asshole Raphael sent him and he tries to change the channel using his remote control.
I saw this at the cinema when it came out and just loved it so much I was obsessed with it, which seems odd to me now, having just watched it again now, as I was only 10 years old at the time! Harold & Maude was my other favorite. Quite impressed with my little self!
I dont know if you still read these messages. I agree with this. To add to your point made around the 4minute mark. Kubrick also uses this mixing of observer and participant in the opening shot of the film A Clockwork Orange which also followed Space Odyssey in his filmography. As the camera pans out, or tracks backwards, we see on eitherside of the milk bar people dressed in 1969 clothing and opposite to them are people dressed in the white outfits of our main characters, but who are Alex Delarge and his friends opposite? They're looking at us in the audience, who at the time would be people dressed in clothing of 1969. Kubrick breaks the fourth wall with both Alex and the audience being both observer and participant.
Can't wait for the longer analysis. Thanks for calling my attention to this great piece of film.
Thank you. -- I've always liked and admired your content, but this one video will be the most influential video of the thousands of videos I will watch this year. I had seen this movie, Being There, as a child in theaters, and I remember liking the film at the time, not knowing why. Just a querky late 70s movie. After watching your video, and with magic of RUclips rental, I was able to complete the circuit. Watching this film was pure joy. I am in your debt. (I hope you are well, I understand you posted this some 10 years ago)
What’s interesting about the live video image on the screen is that it’s *NOT* a reflection - if you place your *left* hand on the surface of a mirror, your reflection will press it’s *right* hand to meet it (because the image is flipped backwards and reversed) -
When Chance moves from left to right, his image on the screen (which *isn’t* reversed) moves from right to left, from the perspective of someone facing in the other direction.
I saw Being There in 1981 , back when VHS video rental stores were springing up everywhere ! The video rentals of the 1980's took away hours of being out there and living life as Woody Guthrie did and kept many at home watching life go bye.
Woody Guthrie was a sickening commie who's music is awful.
I'm so glad this movie is getting long-delayed attention. (This video only now - 2019 - came up on my YT screen!) I went with a bunch of co-workers when the movie came out, reluctantly - I had never cared for the most popular Peter Sellers movies but I wanted to hang out with my friends, so I went. It turned out they were all expecting a comedy, and they hated it - while *I* was totally blown away by this film. I look forward to seeing what else you have to say about it!
Same here...I was STUNNED...one of the best movies of all times..
Dr.Allenby and Chance are two of my favorite characters in film.
Looking forward to your Being There analysis. Never saw the film but this mini analysis got me interested, at last!
Really enjoy your videos. Great analyses. Looking forward to the full version!
Love this movie !! Saw it at the theatre with my Dad and sister as a kid when it came out and many times since then . I dig your connections and about a minute before you said it , I thought the same thing - It IS good enough to be a Kubrick film . Well done , Sir !
Nice video... Great job as always. Love Being There. Have to watch it again sometime soon.
From that summary it sounds like the film's story shares some similarities with Nietzche's Thus Spoke Zarathustra, from which that piece of music gets its name. Specifically it's about a man coming down from the solitude of a mountain into society to share his wisdom with the world.
One small funny detail I find is when he tries to change ( 2:17 ) the channel on the large TV in the center, his remote changes the channels on the small TV on the right.
Thank you so much. A great film and your grasp of it helps us all enjoy the remarkable event.
I actually had a discussion at the old alt.movies-kubrick newsgroup about "Being There" and how akin it was to Kubrick's general style. Of course none of us picked up on this particular Zarathustra moment. Nice catch Rob!
*Being There* is one of my favorite films (seriously, top 3 at least) and it always amazes me when I reveal this to people, how few have even heard of it, let alone seen it. I don’t mind tho, it gives me a chance to screen it for them for an enjoyable rewatch.
ditto
If it's a good film that nobody has heard of (including me) I wonder if it's a film like Network that might make the ruling class uncomfortable.
Being There is one of the most subtle films I've ever seen, I'd love to see a full analysis on it from you Rob. My advice would be to have a close look at them there handshakes, especially the first one (which Chance copies straight from the TV) - "A man void of understanding striketh hands, and becometh surety in the presence of his neighbour" and all that ;-)
+Lupocide Oh yeah it's great on Masonic stuff.
Lupocide It is pretty funny "I like to watch" comes to mind.
I need that full analysis.
I wasn't planning on watching this until you played that funk version of "Also Sprach Zarathustra." Also, that Collative Learning logo is exactly the kind BD-2000s-energy I need in my life.
Rob, you should check Kieslowski's Decalogue. Although a full analysis would take perhaps a year (it's almost 10 hours long) Kubrick admired it deeply. A quick google search should be enough to get it on your radar :)
+sinan166 Yeah I've heard Kubrick was a big fan. Will have to get a copy.
It's one of those movies that used to be shown usually in the early hours on either BBC 2 or Channel 4 in UK, like my no 2 favorite film Harold and Maude. Swishing around my mind like a drunk goldfish, making an indelible impression. Only very recently with the 'miracle' of the net was I reunited with this long lost masterpiece. I don't urge much, but I'll make an exception and urge, at least recommend others to watch it.
I always felt like Forest Gump kinda took its queue from this movie
definitely!!!!!
aka ripoff, and an anti-white one to boot
The poster reminds me of FG
Anti-white? GTFOH
Forest Gump has aged terribly while Being There is a timeless classic that is still relevant today.
As Chance presses the remote control to change the channel of the large TV screen he appears on, he seems to change the channel of the smaller tv next to it but he's not focused on that.
I saw "Being There" in the cinema when it was first released. Loved it. Being much, much older now and coming across your comparison/analysis with Space Odessey ~ I truly enjoyed your insights! thank you.
I’m 42 and I saw this movie when I was younger. I saw it on tv so it was out for a few years. Always liked this movie and the scene your talking about always reminded me of 2001. Your are correct this is a really well done film. Thanks for the info and I really enjoy your break down of films. Great channel
I suspect the Also Sprach Zarathustra prelude music was used for the simple reason that, Chance, setting foot out of the house for the first time, is entering a new universe, which for him is as strange as anything the astronauts encountered in 2001. As for the monolith being analogous to a screen, it's an interesting idea, but a higher intelligence would surely know to shoot wide, unlike most iPhone videographers.
And if you slapped Stanley Kubrick's name on it, it would still be a Hal Ashby movie. Perhaps you need to look into more of Ashby's work. There's an old saying that goes something like, "The more you know, the more you know".
The scene is also an actual recreation of front screen projection, which is said to be used by Kubrick for the moon landing footage.
Thanks for promoting a truly great film and some great analysis
You don't need to "slap" Kubrick's name on Being There because it already has Hal Ashby's name on it, and Ashby was fucking brilliant.
I doubt the guy knows much about cinema, just another Kubrick obsessed geek.
@@devindevon*_SILENTS, FOOL!"_*
Tenuous indeed, Mr Ager. I think you are toying with us with this one.
TO THE CRITIC: Chance's words on how to tend a garden are not ramblings! He may ramble about it on and on but everything he says is valid and resonates with people because everyone in their heart wants their country to resemble a well kept, beautiful garden! When the North and South American Indians roamed these two continents, these lands were actually tended as gardens!!! What I am trying to ultimately say is that even in the film there were characters and public who were not confused or lied to, not fooled, knew exactly who Chance was and still gave him their full support because apart from Chance every other choice would have been between a Douche and a Turd! There may have been accidental setups that led to Chance's ascent but ultimately the old dying man wanted Chance to be on top because he wanted himself to die happy and full of hope for the future in which he was not going to share but had the power to write in his deathbed! There is nothing accidental about that!
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What this scene is telling you (by showing you) is that a mirror will only narcissistically project an image back to you of how you look to yourself - the way you appear on television is how you seem to be *to everybody else....*
I have to check out 'Being There' soon. Looks really interesting and I love the connection it has with 2001. Also, love your analysis as always :) Thanks for the recommendation, Rob!
walking on water at the end is a matter of perspective, but more than one: firstly, the perspective of his constantly misunderstanding peers, who may be imagining him as an angel; also, the audience perspective is prodded by this final image, a reflection of every angle of the other characters' approach to understanding chance; hence the seemingly supernatural scene...and so on.
Notice that Sellers is looking at a flat screen tv which weren't even available until many years later. There is so much more to know and understand about monoliths as they appear in many ancient cultures. You can see them at Gobekli Tepe which is over 12000 years old and was apparently built while humans were still living in the stone age. They obviously had some profound significance which is a mystery to us today.
there were beyond what we consider the stone age technologies. we give them so little credit
One of my favorite movies. Some absolutely hilarious scenes.
Brilliant, underrated film.
Also, I'm curious, Rob: what are your thoughts on all the new film analysis channels popping up on RUclips? Have you checked any of them out?
He only has about a million to sift through. Way to narrow it down.
Say, Mr. Ager! You mentioned an intention to do a full analysis of Being There in this video. I love that film and would certainly enjoy your take on it.
This was a great movie. I can't believe I missed some of these connections.
My little hamster brain has blown up!
Thank you for your analysis, I have viewed most of your catalog.
A favorite film of mine. Thank you
That was very interesting. I don't know why you assumed few people saw Being There. I was 12 when it came out and thought it was great. I was upset that Peter Sellers had died. I did, however, miss the parallels you revealed here at 12 and I appreciate having seen this.
I think the film 2001 was anticipating and predicting YOU, ROb Ager...it shows how a sentient computer essentially comes to life, and also, how the characters in the film themselves die/be reborn/become enlightened beings and come to life at the end when they look out at their audience, and essentially become sentient, just like you, a super sentietn being, look into the film, the film looks back into you...!!!
Hi Rob,
I just thought I would let you know that you have, and continue to be one of the most influential figures in my life. You have shaped the way I view films and also changed the way make them, both for the better of course. For this I can't thank you enough!
P.S You probably get loads of requests but have you ever looked into "The hired hand 1971" It has recently became a favorite of mine, although is relatively forgotten or overlooked. Upon viewing it I got the strong impression it's much deeper than it appears for face value.
Cheers, Shaun
Hoping for the full analysis of this great movie soon.
You have a fresh mouth Rob. This is one of my favorite movies, I saw it the first time right after Star Wars.
Being there really matches Kubrick’s name on it. Brilliant movie. So All hail to the great Hal Ashby
*_"CLOSE THE FUCKING DOOR, HAL!!!_*
00:30 note the masonic columns (Jacin & Boaz) depicted in the brickwork, with a square (or square & compass?) in between. Interesting to note the topic of conversation as Chancey & the other character pass the columns; Chancey recounts an episode from the past where a bricklayer (allusion to / code for Freemason) showed him what were obviously pornographic pictures.
The scene raises the question of whether the supposedly chance events of the film were chance at all, or perhaps planned well in advance, and undertaken without the protagonists ever being aware.
The symbolic one (weeping) eyed Rand pyramid at the end, as the big wigs mull over whom to install as their next puppet President, is interesting, and supports the predetermination theory.
Thank you for introducing me to my next favorite film. I can feel it xD
A Hal Ashby masterpiece. Great movie, based upon a bestselling book by Kosinski (a quick read), with the two lead actors (Sellers and Douglas) near death. I don't know if I buy the notion of the monolith as a metaphor for a movie screen, but I'd wager Kubrick would be the first to admire the idea. Art, after all, is inherently subjective.
My father took me to see this movie when it was in the theaters waaaaaaaaaay back when - he was, and I am, a big Peter Sellers fan . . . this is a great film, btw.
Being There is in my top ten movies of all time and it's one of the funniest films ever made.
I watched a lot of tv as a kid. When this movie came out my grandmother jokingly called me Chance.
Being There is a brilliant satire and Peter Seller's performance is his best by far and ahould have been awarded an Oscar for it, in my opinion.
Massive fan of your work!
Its been 6 years and he never made another video about this movie.
So much in such short time excellent 👍😎
Great movie! I enjoyed your analysis; I never caught that myself.
One of the best movies I ever saw. Spread the word.
Being There is a masterpiece, one of my faves.
Its been some time since I last saw Hal Ashby's "Being There," but I do remember it quite vividly, and, now that I think about it, maybe it is a good analytical-film. The Christ-like finish has people scratching their heads to this very day!
I just like that a guy called Mr Cube-Brick puts oblong slabs in his movies
Not sure if Ashby was homaging Kubrick, or if Kubrick was involved, but there are some very interesting shots and connections. One shot that I've noticed, that hasn't been mentioned in other videos is the bedroom scene when the wife is talking with Chance, she does a shoulder shrug with a cheeky grin on her face. This shot mirrors the one in Eyes Wide Shut, when militiches daughter slyly backs away from Tom Cruise. Her expression is exactly the same.
Also, Eve’s gray and black outfit in this scene is very similar to Domino’s when first meeting Bill.
@@MKowloon Grey is to black and white as purple is to blue and red.
There's a lot going on in my comment above.
Being There could never be made today.
Well Peter Sellers did die in 1980 so yeah it'd be hard to cast him in a film after that.
Well, good thing they already made it, then.
@@1pcfred Two words: "Holographic resurrection" 😉
I think Hal Ashby (the director) is dead
Peter Sellers😢
Gee Rob, I think it's more a metaphoric image that Chance is now 'far from his home' and is so alone on this new planet. How many other movies used the 2001 theme for the big reveals, Catch 22, The Big Bus, etc. I think the funked up theme is more representative of a TV spoof soundtrack to get a cheap laugh as Chance hit's the streets of Washington D.C. much in the way when Yossarian sees his love in Catch 22, or The Big Bus is revealed and so on.
@ the 1.00 mark - The dark space on the left 3rd of the frame that separates the window display kinda sorta looks like a monolith. And when Chance is fencing his umbrella on the camera he's pointing right at it.
BTW, I'm convinced Being There is in fact an uncredited Kubrick film. Too many coincidences and similarities to merely chalk up as such. Can't wait for the full analysis, Rob.
the fake moon set in that movie though
Telling...same w one-eye pyramid at end.
Life Confirmed The cars are moving slowly when he walks on that small road island.
My thoughts exactly. It is well known now that Kubrick was hired to film the moon landing and expedition.
Obviously if NASA could get there with 60/70's era technology they could easily do it now, which they can't. Well they can with reverse engineered alien tech, but we're not allowed to know about that. 👽
@@FractalCodex7 lol when they say they dont have the technology its because all that shit is old and gone and they havent been directed or given money to make it again. It's like if a country had one train but dismantled it. Even if they had cell phones and tvs, they no longer have their train technology and would need resources to build it again. Also, thinking Kubrick filmed the moon landings is beyond retarded.
You mean the reference to the 2001 moon scene?
Amazing! Thanks!!
I watched Being There in high school for Media class. Great movie.
Just watched it very interesting rob thanks for you recommend it to me
Brilliant essay sir. Thanks for your work. I think I'm going in for some of your paid content. I remember watching this as a kid and wondering what the f-. why's he walking on water. My dad said, "No one ever told him he couldn't." Watching this puts me in mind of the Kafka story "Description of a Struggle" which changes first to third person, changes POV (to "My acquaintance") and the narrator becomes able to change the structure of the environment- sort of a pathetic fallacy run amok. In the clip above I noticed the small TV on the right changes channels when Chance clicks the remote.
OK, what ever happened to the full analysis Rob?
RUclips was made for people like you Rob. Great vid.
I feel as if I go through intellectual rebirth and enlightenment when I watch these videos.
Connection between the Monolith and collativelearning? I think so.
I don't know if you've ever heard of a TV series called Black Mirror but I would love if you did an video on it. This video so reminded me of it. The series is an anthology very much in line with The Twilight Zone but with adult content.
Mr. Ager. Your video recommendation finally got me to see Being There. I loved it. Thank you, I think you’re on to something there too.
Any chance you'll make a video on the use of color and clothing with in the shining?
I just bought Criterion Collection Blu-ray copy of this movie and I'm so excited to watch it tonight
Hey, something you missed is that when Chance does try to change the channel, the smaller tv's on the side change with every click. Any thoughts?
That is an excellent observation.
Ryan Goldsher well caught.cheers.typical peter sellers joke.
How is that a joke? I mean it might be symbolically indicative that, unlike TV, Chauce's real life can't be changed to another channel, and his reality is now stuck squarely on one path, but I don't really find that particularly humorous.
Ryan Goldsher Maybe he cant' change his "real life" on the big screen, but can change his sub-conscious or alternate dimension or some other weirdness.
Nice! 👍
Thanks for this.
Good work...we're getting there
You mention you have another study video of this film. Link please, if you made it. Thanks a lot.
Don't forget the Bermuda Triangle, "Paul is dead" and the kitchen sink
weird subliminals at 5:19; an inverted clockwork orange cover and what appears to be a warped eye of providence pyramid, two pyramid pillars, and three people inside the pyramid
2:25
I see the old man who takes revenge on Alex from A Clockwork Orange swinging his cane.
I didn't get the monolith thing, but the connection between the theme music & the moon is well-spotted.
One of my favorite movies