Review of The Party (1968) by Hugo S — 02 May 2008

THE PARTY (1968).

Directed by Blake Edwards.

Starring Peter Sellers, Claudine Longet, Natalia BorisovaA clumsy Indian actor who just ruined a film is added on a black list of people who wont ever make films again. A mistake happens and he is invited to a Hollywood party. He doesnt really know what he is doing there and tries to introduce himself to people but he is too shy and that brings a lot of Chaplinesque jokes and some surprisingly sweet moments.I though The Party would be a satire of Hollywood of the 60's, with actors all having a bigger ego than one another but its the total opposite. Hollywood is showed as a big family, all willing to help each other out in the need. There was also a possibility to have too many racist jokes with Peter Sellers playing the Indian actor, but in his performance, he manages to make his character absolutely genuine and fun.The Party, lets say it, is totally not what I expected from it. At first, it feels slow and take a while to get starting. Its shot from far and there is an awkward feeling that we shouldnt be there, but in a way it takes the main character's point of view. After a while we can forget about the slow pace and enjoy the goofiness of Sellers acting absolutely clumsy. Its funny and the film manages to create a genuine sense of joy all the way through, and thats good.The Party is a nice comedy that isnt pretentious at all. Its sweet and will most likely make you smile all the way till the end.P.S. The drunk waiter is hilarious.