Review of The Party (1968) by Adam L — 13 Feb 2011

The Party features Peter Sellers as an Indian extra who inexplicably gets invited to a producers party after an on-set accident. A high concept film on film setup. Classic slapstick can only ensue, and it does with joy.

The film has a great 60's technicolor vibe to it from beginning to end. The visual gags slowly build to a brilliant climax. The idea of spending a whole film in predominantly one location is wonderful, and somewhat reminiscent of Rope. It actually does evoke the feeling of an actual party as he is involved in multiple unrelated conversations. Then there are the surreal elements like his ability to disappear from a sticky situation at will.

There are so many memorable characters and sequences. The cowboy! The head waiter in his underwear! The band sneaking a smoke! The dives from the balcony! The master control device that manages to stop the Russians dancing and gives them a free swim for their efforts! It all builds to one giant foam party as the energy levels never let up.