Bean There, Done That
System Requirements:
Running Time: 198 Min., Color
Copyright A & E Home Video 2003.
Format: DVD MOVIE
Amazon.com
Rowan Atkinson's man-child adapts perfectly to an animated format in this collection's 18 episodes. For the most part, the scripts--written or edited by Robin Driscoll, one of the longtime creators of all things Bean--are indistinguishable from the live-action series. In "In the Wild," the fussy, grunting hero goes on a photo safari in Britain's wilds, only to cause havoc among fellow bird-watchers. "Missing Teddy" continues the animal theme with an instant-classic sequence in which Bean clears a busy veterinarian's waiting room by inadvertently healing some ailing pets. "Roadworks" finds a sleepy Bean at war with a noisy construction crew, and "Nurse" reveals his standing fantasy of being treated like royalty while in hospital. Good stuff both for Bean fanatics and children who never saw the real Atkinson's head stuck in a turkey. The star isn't entirely out of the picture: Atkinson provides priceless vocal performances. --Tom Keogh
Customer Reviews:
Mr. Bean is such a funny actor.......2006-07-09
To be honest I wasn't sure if I would like seeing him in the form of a cartoon, just cause I was so used to watching his other shows, but he's a really funny guy. I would recommend it, although it would have been nicer if they had included more episodes, cause I felt that it was a little short for the amount I paid.
All hail KING BEAN!.......2004-05-09
I , my son, and my wife have viewed the 4 volumes currently on the market.
We LOVE them all. The simple joys that Bean brings to his live action character translate very well into this nicely done, and artfully drawn, cartoon series. Perfectly enjoyable.
Falls flat.......2004-02-24
Sorry, the animated version of Mr. Bean just doesn't work.
I'll give this series two things in its favor. One is that if you're comparing it to many TV cartoons, it's not too bad - it's competently done, unlike most cartoons on TV today, which are disasters. The other is that, being a cartoon, it avoids the sometimes-risque humor of the real Mr. Bean shows.
But beyond that there's nothing much here. Even my kids just sat and watched without laughing - and after a couple of episodes voted to skip the rest. We're all big Mr. Bean fans, and this just did not fly.
Disappointing.......2004-02-14
These Bean cartoons are to comedy what cardboard is to cookies. The humour found in identifying with the live Mr. Bean is lost in simple crude cartooning and wishy-washy colors. Not even the occasional grunt from Atkinson brings these boring drawings and predictable story-lines to life. Not watchable, even by great fans of Bean or by children.
Just as good as the show!.......2003-12-27
Being a fan of the Mr. Bean britcom I got this for Christmas. I was really impressed at how well they were done. They got down his mannerisms, and he talks just like in the show (mostly noises and little words here and there). There's the mean old landlady downstairs with her mean old one eyed cat. And as usual, Mr. Bean and Teddy are always getting into trouble. My favorite episodes are his day of Spring Cleaning and him going on a Treasure Hunt. If you like watching Mr. Bean you will love these. I'm glad I got them, they are a great addition to the show. Lastly, watching him dance as the credits roll by is a kick too!
Description
Have you ever looked out across the ocean and wondered what lies over the horizon? Have you ever seen a white sail crossing the water and wondered what it would be like to be there?
Being Out There is an odyssey that portrays the beauty and adventure of life at sea. With actual cruising footage and numerous interviews with people who are "out there," this feature-length DVD will delight, inform and entertain both old salts and armchair sailors as well as anyone with dreams of sailing off into the sunset.
Being Out There contains 86 minutes of real-life, beautiful photography, voices of experience and great music from singer, songwriter and full-time cruiser Eileen Quinn. Footage and interviews from sailboat cruisers in Florida, the Bahamas and Caribbean.
From the costs of cruising to storms at sea... From George Town to Havana...
This is Being Out There.
We are certain that you will enjoy Being Out There. If, for any reason, however, you find that it's not for you, simply contact us from the information on your DVD for a full refund - regardless of where you purchased it. As members of the SSCA, we believe in leaving a clean wake - both at sea and on land.
Customer Reviews:
Fun and Entertaining..but..........2006-02-28
if you're looking for a "sailing video" this is not it. It's a fun video without the "nuts & bolts" of sailing/cruising info--lots of clips of scenery and people, with some interviews from other cruisers. Good music, although at times it competed with and distracted from the actual video. The extras with Mitch commenting on the making of the video were fun to watch.
Makes you wont to go.......2006-02-01
After reviewing the movie, all i wanted to do was, pick up and go and purchase the boat the I have been dreulling over and set sail. Hopeful that one day I will.
WONDERFUL!!!.......2006-02-01
If you're planning on Cruising, or just wishful thinking, this is the DVD that will answer some questions, bring up others and make you want to sail off to Margaritaville!
Being Out There: A Must Have!!!!!!!!.......2005-12-10
Wow - never before have I ever come across a video that brings me back to the fond memories I've had of sailing the open water. A unique and captivating movie, this is a must-have for any of the water lovers in your life. I don't have a boat anymore, but I can always play this video when I get homesick for the ocean ('course in Tennessee we don't have a lot of ocean here).
By the way, this video makes a great gift too! A definite can't miss gift you could get for anyone on your list - or keep it for yourself, pour a good drink and enjoy!! ;)
PS The customer service from these folks is AWESOME! Great people to buy from and they are committed to making their customers happy - like me!
Very pleased and would highly recommend the DVD........2005-11-30
The movie reminded me of so many wonderful memories of our cruising years. We lived aboard for 7 years and cruised from Maine to Trinidad plus Mexico and Cuba. Back on land but still longing to be on the water. Some of the scenes and people brought tears to my eyes. Yes, it's impossible to capture on film what it's really like but the DVD does a great job of bringing the realities to life.
Amazon.com essential video
Thanks to an extraordinary, delicately balanced performance by Peter Sellers, Being There received mixed reviews during its theatrical release in 1979, but has since become a celebrated comedy with a loyal following. It's one of the most unusual black comedies ever made, simply because it stretches a simple premise over 130 minutes of straight-faced, strangely compelling commentary on politics, media, and celebrity in media-savvy America. Adapted by Jerzy Kozinsky from his own novel, the movie's about a simple-minded, middle-aged gardener who, after a lifetime of seclusion and safety in a Washington, D.C. townhouse, gets his first exposure to reality beyond the walls of his sheltered existence. His only reference to the world is through his childlike addiction to television, and when a chance encounter brings him into the inner fold of a dying billionaire (Melvyn Douglas), he suddenly finds himself the toast of Washington's political elite. His simple phrases about gardening are misinterpreted as anything from economic predictions to sage political advice, and under the sharp direction of Hal Ashby, Sellers has the audacity to take this comedic conceit to its logical extreme. Being There is not for all tastes--especially not for those who don't appreciate comedic subtlety. But as a showcase for the daring genius of Peter Sellers, this is a classic movie in a category all its own. --Jeff Shannon
Customer Reviews:
Touching story, excellent acting, great social satire.......2007-09-06
Peter Sellers at his best. It is a shame he did not win an Oscar for his performance. Played an innocent simpleton to a tee. The script was also excellent but only an actor of Seller's repute could carry it off to the extent he did. Supporting cast excellent also. The movie was also wonderful social satire on how the simpleton, despite his innocence, without effort or conscious thought weaves his way through a world filled with social parasites and other forms of scum and gets the better of them all.
The High Art of Being There in the Right Time.......2007-08-30
This is one of the films that make you think about it long after the credits were gone and Rafael finally received his message. What was it? The comedy? Political satire? The Drama? Gospel according Jerry, Hal and Peter? What is it about Chance the Gardner aka Chauncey Gardiner (Peter Sellers) simple minded, possibly retarded character that everyone admires so much?
It is a prophetic film - how often we've seen individuals that have been elevated to high political office for simply looking good and smiling nice on television. It is a story of a man who was an embodiment of purity and child-like innocence of such high concentration that he could be called a retard - depending on your state of mind. Chance is always himself - he never pretends to be something other than a gardener. All he wants is to watch TV and work in a garden taking care of the plants and flowers. Having meals on time would not hurt, either. Whatever happened to Chance only happened because he was there - in the right time in the right place. But was it a right time and place for anybody? Was Chance the answer to the problems the country was going through? Of course, not. I agree with the comments that the society has the rulers it deserves - if we believe that Chance's messages are profound and deep, we very much deserve him as our leader. It is very sad film, I think. It has many hilarious scenes, jokes, and dialogs but it is not a comedy, and not a feel good movie. It is a sublime, intelligent meditation on very serious matters - politics and media and how they relate to each other; the great power of being there and projecting the image the public wants to admire and follow. How easy is it for us to be fooled, especially when we want to be fooled?
Peter Sellers is magnificent. I don't think that anybody else could've done what he did with the character. I also liked a lot Melvyn Douglas' Oscar winning performance as a dying billionaire, the frail and old but the strong and wise man who realizes that the time has come for him to go.
Sellers' greatest performance.......2007-08-08
Peter Sellers' final film role came in 1980's disastrous "The Fiendish Plot of Fu Manchu," but I suspect he would have preferred to be remembered for the previous year's "Being There," for which he earned his second Oscar nomination. The role of Chauncey Gardiner didn't win him that prize (Dustin Hoffman was cited for "Kramer vs Kramer"), but he was voted best actor by the National Board of Review and the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (in the musical/comedy category).
Chauncey, a.k.a. Chance, was the brainchild of Jerzy Kosinski whose novel found a passionate fan in Sellers. At the time of the book's publication, neither Sellers nor the author had the clout necessary to get a film made (Sellers' career was sliding downhill by 1968 and wouldn't recover until 1975's "The Return of the Pink Panther"), but they promised each other that whoever got "hot" first would set the project in motion. By 1979, both had their share of clout and the film was a hit with both critics and the public.
Chance the gardener is a slow-witted, mildly retarded man who has spent his life in a rich man's house, tending the garden and watching television, his only source of knowledge. When his benefactor dies, Chance is expelled from his Garden of Eden and left to wander the streets of Washington D.C. where he is struck and mildly injured by a limousine belonging to one of the country's most powerful financiers. Guilt stricken, the financier's wife (Shirley Maclaine) takes him home where his innocent words about gardening impress her influential husband (Melvyn Douglas) as brilliant, symbolic pearls of wisdom. Before long, the president of the U.S. (Jack Warden) is quoting the gardener who becomes a media sensation.
Whether Winston Groom, the author of "Forrest Gump," read Kosinski's novel or saw the film it inspired is unclear, but there are similarities. But "Being There" has a darker, more cynical edge, and is the superior film. It lambasts the shallow times in which we live as effectively as Paddy Chayefsky's earlier "Network," but explores it from a different angle and avoids being a shadow of any film that came before. The only debit of this production is the inclusion of the out-takes that run alongside the closing credits. Amusing though they are, they tend to spoil the mood the film so effectively creates.
Brian W. Fairbanks
Yes, yes, yes..........2007-07-04
I can't believe it but somehow this movie got right by me, and today, 07/04/07 I finally caught the dvd.
A masterpiece, and Sellers at his finest. I wept, I smiled, and I loved...I expect that's what they all had in mind.
The dvd has its choppy, clinky moments but one can overlook them...
A victory for Peter Sellers.......2007-06-20
After learning the Biography of Peter Sellers, I think I understand why he wanted to do this odd ball comedy, that sort of mocked his real life, or how he felt about it. While it was meant to be part of the subtle humor in the end, that Chauncy Gardener (really Chance) was being consider as a presidential candidate, that humor rather became a bad joke which maybe helps explain how a young Bush could get into office.
I loved Sellers as the fumbling chief inspector, who was a genius playing a fool mistaken for a genius, where our commander in chief would be.... Well, I was glad Amazon had this movie. It's meaning is somewhat deeper I think, if you also know more of Sellers' biography, or so that's my take on it, and why I gladly bought it.
DVD:
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DVD
DVD
General
| Comedy
| Genres
| DVD
| Video
The Party
Harold and Maude
Dr. Strangelove or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (Special Edition)
Return of the Pink Panther
The Mouse That Roared
![Being There [Region 2]](http://www.germanelectronics88.com/noimage.gif)