The Party (1968)

User Rating:

7.4/10   

Director:

Blake Edwards

Writers:

Blake Edwards (screenplay) &
Tom Waldman (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

4 April 1968 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy

Tagline:

If you've ever been to a wilder party... you're under arrest.

Plot:

A clerical mistake results in a bumbling film extra being invited to an exclusive Hollywood party instead of being fired.

Plot Keywords:

Hollywood | Actor | Shoe | Elephant | Trip And Stumble

Cast

Peter Sellers	...	Hrundi V. Bakshi
Claudine Longet	...	Michele Monet
Natalia Borisova	...	Ballerina
Jean Carson	...	Nanny
Marge Champion	...	Rosalind Dunphy
Al Checco	...	Bernard Stein
Corinne Cole	...	Janice Kane
Dick Crockett	...	Wells
Frances Davis	...	Maid
Danielle De Metz	...	Stella D'Angelo (as Danielle de Metz)
Herbert Ellis	...	Director (as Herb Ellis)
Paul Ferrara	...	Ronnie Smith
Steve Franken	...	Levinson
Kathe Green	...	Molly Clutterbuck
Allen Jung	...	Cook

Runtime:

99 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Italian

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

Australia:PG | Australia:G (TV rating) | Portugal:M/12 | Canada:PG (Ontario) | Brazil:Livre | USA:TV-PG (TV rating) | Argentina:Atp | Canada:G | Finland:S | France:U | Norway:7 (DVD rating) | Spain:T | Sweden:11 | UK:PG | USA:PG | West Germany:6 | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Mirisch Corporation, The

Trivia:

The only Blake Edwards -Peter Sellers collaboration that was not a Pink Panther film.

Goofs:

Audio/visual unsynchronized: In the scene mid-way through the film where the woman is playing guitar and singing, the sounds of the guitar strings are not in sync with her finger plucking. There are also sounds from other instruments like a flute playing along with the music yet she is performing solo with only the acoustic guitar.

Quotes:

[last lines]
Michelle Monet: Oh, here's your hat.
Hrundi V. Bakshi: Oh, look... you keep it.
Michelle Monet: But you may need it.
Hrundi V. Bakshi: No, I'd like you to keep it.
Michelle Monet: All right. If you think that you should want it or need it sometimes...
Hrundi V. Bakshi: Well, if I need it... I could always come, perhaps, and pick it up.
Michelle Monet: That would be very nice.
Hrundi V. Bakshi: When would you be available for me to pick up my hat?
Michelle Monet: Well...
[...]

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Brice de Nice (2005)

Soundtrack:

The Party

One of the funniest films ever made!

This film has to be regarded as a hilarious one-man-act by Peter Sellers. I saw it on its first run UK cinema release in 1969 and I've seen it at least a dozen times since. I would gladly watch it another dozen times; it always makes me laugh. The supporting cast perform adequately but Peter Sellers does all the work. He is simply one of the all-time greatest masters of great comedy timing. I was surprised to read so many negative comments on this site in association with this film. I can only surmise that they have come from a younger generation who have had their sense of humour surgically removed due to a force fed diet of unamusing US sitcoms. If you can't laugh at this film you must be birdie-num-num!