BEING THERE (1979): WHY DR. ALLENBY IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN YOU THINK

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Now with enhanced closed captioning (cc).
Warning: Spoilers
In Hal Ashby’s Being There (1979), a new character, Dr. Robert Allenby, is introduced who isn't present in the 1970 novel. Portrayed by Richard Dysart, Dr. Allenby is the only person in the film who figures out who Chance is. Once the viewer realizes that he/she is not alone in witnessing what is actually transpiring (and that this new witness could seriously imperil Chance's relationship with the Rands), our anxiety level climbs. Urgency builds and viewers instinctively wonder what, if anything, Dr. Allenby is going to do about Chance. Ashby teases the viewer with this “will he or won’t he?” question throughout the film. The character of Dr. Allenby stokes up our concern for what becomes of Chance, while simultaneously enhancing the joke, by creating a witness to the crazy misunderstandings which propel Chance forward on his adventure among the wealthy and powerful of society.

Dr. Allenby is a fundamentally decent man who cares about his patients and wants to ensure that they are well looked after. His inclusion in the film helps differentiate the Ashby movie from the Kosinski book. The urgency and humour that Ashby generates make the movie distinct. I created this video to explain the basic function that Dr. Allenby serves, why his presence creates a subtly different storyline and yet a profoundly different mood. With or without Dr. Allenby, the story remains compelling, yet Ashby is able to create a sense of bittersweetness that permeates Being There and makes the film linger in the viewer’s mind. We are grateful to Dr. Allenby for his wise choices throughout the film, and ultimately, his final decision to leave Chance to his own devices and allow the story to play out as we know it should, without interference. Ben dies with his mind at ease. Similarly, Eve now has someone to love and protect her. Chance remains an empty suit of course, but it all goes to show that Ben is ultimately right: that life is indeed a state of mind, that our personal perceptions circumscribe how we relate to the world.

0:00 Pre-Intro
0:16 Introduction
2:14 A Devoted Practitioner
3:51 Ben & Eve’s Confidant
5:08 A Talented Diagnostician
7:10 The Absence of Presence
7:18 He Increases the Stakes
8:43 He Augments the Joke
10:04 An Exemplar of Wisdom
12:44 Life is a State of Mind
13:15 Wish Fulfillment
15:14 Containment
18:29 A Protector
20:28 Differentiates the Film from the Novel
22:16 Conclusion

#BeingThere #HalAshby #RichardDysart #PeterSellers #JerzyKosinski