Hello, again, everybody! "I Drink Your Milkshake & Eat Your Birdie Num-Num" has been on a roll these past few days - and the person driving the zamboni is Peter Sellers. Over the course of the past week, I have encircled Peter Sellers' life and career - from his middle class beginnings, to his serving in India & subsequently impersonating officers during World War II, to his breakout role as part of "The Goons" comedy show for BBC Radio. For those not entirely familiar with Peter Sellers, I hope to shed light on the career of the performer that has come to influence some of the brightest comedic minds of the twentieth/twenty-first centuries, including (but certainly not limited to): Eddie Murphy, Robin Williams, and Sacha Baron Cohen. I would again also like to remind you all why it is I have decided to focus not only on Mr. Sellers, but Daniel Day-Lewis on what has become to be aptly named "I Drink Your Milkshake & Eat Your Birdie Num-Num": the world of academia.
As per my own promise to my English 3210 professor, I have decided to provide character analyses, movie reviews, and insights into the lives of my two, and surely a multitude of others', greatest inspirations: Daniel Day-Lewis & Peter Sellers. While each actor's genre focus is decidedly and starkly opposite, the performance style each honed and practiced has become legendary to those who appreciate their work, and unique-but-not-necessary to those who may not. Each practiced what is known as "The Method", a term made famous through the work and curriculum of the internationally-renown and innovative theater mind Constantin Stanlislavski, a Russian theater professor. He became famous for the process of "becoming the character" via psychoanalytic character analyses, outside research, and full and unwavering commitment to the character whether actively performing (on stage or in front of a camera) or not. Famous American actors who have been known to practice this "method" include Robert De Niro, Dustin Hoffman, Al Pacino, and Marlon Brando, to name a few of the most well-known.
However, "the method," by its very nature, appealed to those artists who were shaping their own individual performance styles. As it is, an actor's need to get "into character" can happen a variety of different ways, and no one way is the "right" way or the "wrong" way. For Peter Sellers, his adherence to the Stanislavski method was never taught to him in any acting conservatory; rather, this was something he decided he needed to do in order to prepare for a film and make the character, and thus the comedy, more honest, accessible, and believable. His pension for drawing and artistry helped him to visually portray to the appropriate director how he believed his character would dress, style his/her hair, posture his/her body, and overall, create a believable world for the audience. According to Alexander Walker in his biography entitled "Peter Sellers: The Authorized Biography," the next step after the beginning sketch phase, was to find the voice of the character(s). Drawing upon his other artistic talents, he would oftentimes determine the basis of a character's cadence by giving it an accompanying musical note denotation. Also, too, each character frequently found themselves to be sharing similar vocal patterns with famous comedians/politicians/bakers he knew from "back home."
Chauncey Gardner, the principle character in Peter's final great performance & penultimate film role in "BEING THERE" (1979), found inspiration in Peter's favorite comedian from growing up: Stan Laurel. Stan Laurel was a famous British comedian who, for a time, was in the same touring vaudevillian company of a tramp, & the tramp's name was Charlie Chaplin. Not only was he in the same touring company in the early 1900's, but Stan Laurel also provided understudy support to Sir Charles Chaplin. He eventually found success, and in the mid-1910's, be-friended a portly comedian named Oliver Hardy. These two would become a formidable comedy duo in the 1920's and 1930's during the silent film era, and they made a plethora of not only shorts, but feature-length films to solidify them as comedy stalwarts of the silent era.
Stan always (literally) portrayed the understated & soft-spoken character between the two, and spoke with a deliberate, Anglo-American accent. It would be this accent, and this speaking style, that would inspire Peter Sellers in his portrayal of Chauncey Gardner in "BEING THERE." Many film historians, including Alexander Walker, and I agree that this was a fitting way to end his career: by employing the characterization that he found so much inspiration in as a young & up-and-coming performer.
Character Insight: Chauncey Gardner - "BEING THERE" (1979)
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| Peter Sellers as Chauncey Gardner |
It's an achievement of not only Peter Sellers, but the birth of the modern day comedy with heavily dramatic under/overtones. It showed absurdity in an utterly deadpanned, sincerely pronounced fashion, and it cannot go unnoticed that each and every one of the supporting characters helped to qualify Chauncey (whose real name is "Chance"; when he introduces himself as such to the wealthy aristocrats who take him in after an accidental injury sustained from their car, this is morphed into "Chauncey Gardner").
The premise of the film focuses on Chance, a gardner for a wealthy businessman, who has never seen the world outside of the mansion he lives in. All is taken care of for him, and all of his knowledge of this mysterious environment that lies outside of this insular world comes from the television. Additionally, too, his mannerisms and wardrobe all find their principle influence from the television. It is after this elderly man dies that Chance is forced out into the real-world, as the mansion becomes foreclosed upon by the IRS. His interactions with people are honest, despite the dialogue portraying absurdity. He often approaches people who are homeless and have less than he, saying: "I'm hungry, I'd like a grilled cheese sandwich."After days outside and living without a home, a chance (Ha ha!) encounter happens, when a limo-driver for an aristocratic family (comparable to the Vanderbilt aristocratic societal position) backs into Chance, causing a minor leg injury. Rather than bring him to a hospital, the woman in the limo (played by Shirley MacLaine) named Eve insists they drive Chance back to the estate so as to expedite treatment he could receive from the staffed medical personnel. It is in this encounter we see Chance realize the beauty of this woman, both emotionally and physically. Eventually, throughout the movie, Chance befriends the elderly man who is ill and the owner of the estate, and we as the audience eventually discover this man (played by Melvyn Douglas) is an economic advisor to the President. While initially only set to stay at the estate for a couple nights so as to heal fully, Eve shows interest in Chance, and this leads to a prolonged stay and deep friendship with Jack, the elderly man. It is in this portion of the film we, as the audience, see the satire of the (at the time; though the satire here is timeless) "modern American media," as more and more Chance's opinions are seen as legitimate and brilliant by Jack and, eventually, the President of the United States. Using gardener language, he innocently explains what he knows to the President, which eventually becomes a metaphor for the economy. Chance asserts, "As long as the roots are not severed, all is well. And all will be well in the garden." The media cannot resist Chance and his "brilliant economic ideas", and he eventually gains so much recognition as the President's chief economic adviser that he is invited to talk shows to share his wealth of ideas.
Chance's place in this film fulfills ideals of optimism and sincerity. His motivations are strictly based upon what he sees and his initial gut reaction to this based upon his experiences watching television. The character acts as a moral compass for the rest of the characters in the film.
But the characters are completely and utterly unaware of this. Herein lies the comedy.
Chance's honest conjectures at the hands of Jack and the President are mostly irrelevant to the concerned topics, as he is speaking strictly from the point of view of the everyday gardener. Despite this, his opinions are highly appreciated and even praised by the very powerful and wordly men. While this adds, too, to the comedy of the film, it also helps aid to the ever-prevalent message of individuality. Chance never wavered in expressing what he felt was right. Now, because of the character choices made previous to this, we as the audience can (accurately, I believe) surmise that he simply does not know any better, and is simply reflecting back what he viewed on television. While this is absolutely true, there is a major point of emphasis being glossed over - while Chance may not have realized what he was doing, his innocence to the situation is also then exploited by the media. This theme of further exploited innocence by the American media to go to these extenuating lengths to garner more detail simply for a story is absolutely the principle tenet of the satire. Chance as the central character, furthermore, helps to perpetuate this major thematic arc throughout the duration of the film with quips that, while seeming witty and perhaps contrived with ulterior motives to the cynical viewer, are sincere to their very core.
Because of this emotionally and intellectually rich story, Peter Sellers was pushed to his limits in portraying the dramatic moments while lacking any real emotion to any situation's consequences and stakes as a result of Chance's shallow emotional disposition. The performance of Chance was as deadpanned as one actor can be expected to portray to an audience, as the inherent disposition of Chance is a serious man.
The film's story is told methodically and beautifully through the careful direction of Hal Ashby, and the supporting performances of Shirley MacLaine and Melvyn Douglas. The music is a blend of slower melodies to help perpetuate the plot in this methodical fashion. And, of course, Peter Sellers plays Chance the gardener to a perfectly and meticulously-drawn 'T.' Overall, the film is a classic that should be some sort of required viewing for any actor having trouble straddling the "serio-comic" role.
A+, you guys.
What Comes Now?
Well, I will do my best to answer this eagerly proposed question; if you had more time, I would imagine you, as the intellectually-gifted reading audience member, would probably add an adjective/adverb or two. BUT, semantics.
Because I have exhausted the Peter Sellers portion of this project, I am now going to move on to Daniel Day-Lewis. With Mr. Day-Lewis, I will be completing the same sections - Background/Early Career, a review of my favorite film he appears in, and finally a character analysis/deeper insight into my favorite character he portrays. As I did with Peter Sellers, below are listed my top 3 Daniel Day-Lewis films and characters, in no specific order:
TOP 3 Daniel Day-Lewis Films
1.) "GANGS OF NEW YORK" (2003)
2.) "THERE WILL BE BLOOD" (2007)
3.) "LINCOLN" (2012)
**HONORABLE MENTIONS: "IN THE NAME OF THE FATHER" (1993), "LAST OF THE MOHICANS" (1992)
TOP 3 Daniel Day-Lewis Characters
1.) 'Bill the Butcher' - "GANGS OF NEW YORK" (2003)
2.) 'Daniel Plainview' - "THERE WILL BE BLOOD" (2007)
3.) 'Abraham Lincoln' - "LINCOLN" (2012)
In the week that follows, I will be reviewing "THERE WILL BE BLOOD" (2007), a film by Paul Thomas Anderson, for which Daniel Day-Lewis won the Academy-Award® for Best Leading Actor. As for my 'character analysis' post, I will be delving into his character from this film - Daniel Plainview - and his portrayal of Abraham Lincoln in "LINCOLN" (2012). "There Will Be Blood" has, thus far, been my absolute favorite film Daniel Day-Lewis has been a part of, for a plethora of reasons that I will delve deeper into as my posts continue to progress.
Again everybody, I thank you so very much for reading, and for sticking with "I Drink Your Milkshake & Eat Your Birdie Num-Num"! I promise it is a decision that will soon pay off, in a vague way that I have yet to determine................
Twitter: Chris_0Reilly
--Chris
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