The Party (2017)

The Party (2017) Nothing to do with The Party (1968) with Peter Sellers! So it’s not a remake.
It’s probably a play, given that it’s behind closed doors.

A fine cast of actors, some surprising moments (including the very end!), some laugh-out-loud moments and some decidedly more dramatic moments. A real comedy-drama! A real comedy-drama. It lasts just over an hour. Although, it’s not a masterpiece.

The characters are a bit clichéd. They’re funny because they’re far-fetched. It’s not a film with the kind of genius for situational comedy that the British are so good at.

And yet the director, Sally Potter, is English. She left school at 16 to become a director. She was also a dancer and choreographer at the London School of Contemporary Dance, and later founded the Limited Dance Company.

She directed The Man Who Cried (2000), starring Christina Ricci, Cate Blanchett, John Turturro and, of course, Johnny Depp. The Roads Not Taken (2020) is also interesting, but very depressing, with Javier Bardem, Elle Fanning, Laura Linney and Salma Hayek. I have not seen Potter’s Yes (2004), Tango Lesson (1997) and Orlando (1992). But soon will.

The Party is a beautiful moment in black and white! I wonder why, though? What would colour have taken away from the film? But it’s not unpleasant in itself.

I found critics less enthusiastic than myself who wrote:

1) “Well acted but a little meaningless and navel-gazing. In fact, it’s a bit soothing and soporific.
If the aim was to bring a smile to your face, it failed, If the aim was to expose certain hypocrisies, it’s barely achieved its objective.”
2) “This is a very short (1 hour 05 minutes), hard-hitting English comedy-drama. It’s a closed-door affair between different protagonists over the course of an evening, and the dialogue and punch lines are chiselled to perfection. There’s never a dull moment, and it’s very gritty. It’s a shame it’s in black and white and so short.
3) And the most negative person, who didn’t like it at all, wrote: ‘A closed-door film with no psychology, no humour, no colour, no interest…”.

That’s it! With all these opinions, you can make your own, if only to decide whether you want to see this film… or not…

My Rating