BEING THERE (1979): THE MEANING OF THE FINAL SCENE

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Now with enhanced closed captioning (cc).
Warning: Spoilers
Over the last few months, a number of subscribers requested that I make a study of the most popular explanations of the final scene in Being There. They wanted to know what the scene ultimately means, in the context of Ashby's film. In this video-essay, I offer a number of different interpretations. I also discuss some of the background and context that lead to the scene's inclusion in the film. I hope that at least one of these interpretations will be to your satisfaction. Please feel free to share your own explanation of this memorable and curious last minute of Being There.

0:00 Pre-Intro
2:57 The Anti-Ebert Interpretation
4:44 Ashby as Auteur
7:23 Chance is the Miracle
8:41 "Life Is A State Of Mind"
11:44 Afterlife
13:45 The Traditional Religious Take
15:25 The Autobiographical Explanation
18:18 Purity of Spirit
20:27 A Cautionary Tale
22:45 The Reverse MacGuffin
23:54 Being There as Phantasmagoria
25:03 The Krylovian Approach

#BeingThere #BeingThereEnding #BeingThere1979 #HalAshby #PeterSellers #TheEnding #walkonwater #endingexplained