Being There Again

Adaptation
My class had so many different interpretations of the ending of Being There, when Chance (Peter Sellers) walks on water. Everything from a basic Christian take on it (he's like Jesus) to a sort of willpower reading, as in the movie's final line, "Life is a state of mind." An especially ingenious student suggested that just as the entire movie presents the illusion for many characters that Chance is a brilliant man, so the ending presents the illusion for the viewer that Chance can walk on water, although the character is only walking on a sandbar or something. Also some wide-ranging ideas about what the title means.  A really fascinating class session. I have to say I learned a lot.

Walking on Water

Adaptation

We saw Being There this week, which, I think, still holds up. Shirley MacLaine looks younger in it every year. Was her waist ever really that thin? Anyway, next week we'll discuss the meaning of the famous final scene (before the hilarious outtakes), in which Peter Seller's character walks on water. Should be interesting.

Loving Strangelove

There's so much to like in Dr. Strangelove, which we watched this week in my Film Comedy class. But I think my favorite part is near the end, when Peter Sellers, as the good doctor himself, starts getting excited about the possibility of a post-apocalyptic future and his Nazi spirit starts to emerge, first taking over his gloved hand and then his entire being, while he tries to keep it at bay. Was anyone ever funnier than Sellers? His final line, "Mine Fuhrer! I can walk!," gets me every time.