Film Review
Flush from the success of their first two
Pink Panther films, director Blake
Edwards and actor Peter Sellers joined forces again to deliver another
sure-fire winner, this time a caustic satire on some of the less attractive aspects of
the movie-making business.
The Party is essentially a proto-Mr Bean
movie in which the bungling hero is not Rowan Atkinson but Peter
Sellers playing an inept Indian actor. Nowadays, the mere idea of an
A-list celebrity actor blacking up and imitating an Asian would be
gunned down by the political correctness brigade even before it found
its way into the studio, and this could partly explain why the film
is so appealing today. Sellers had previously
tried out his Indian act on Sophia Loren in
The Millionairess (1960),
the film that spawned his hit single
Goodness Gracious Me.
For
The Party, Blake Edwards was obviously inspired by the films of the
legendary Jacques Tati. Not only does he appropriate the loosely
structured format of Tati's highly idiosyncratic film comedies, and the idea of an inoffensive
central character who unwittingly creates mayhem wherever he goes
(the gift of a part for Sellers), but he also directly references
some of Tati's jokes. So effective
and timeless is Jacques Tati's brand of humour that you wonder why more
filmmakers were not inspired to emulate his work, particularly as it
has a universal appeal.
Peter Sellers is absolutely in his element here, since the film allows him to
employ his talent for mimicry to great effect, as well as his natural
flair for visual comedy. He is one of the very small number of
comic actors of his generation who could have been a major star in the
silent era. In what is essentially a silent film, he is at his
most hilarious. Who else could get a stream of belly laughs from
a simple lavatory sketch involving a toilet bowl, a bidet, a painting
and a roll of toilet paper? As absurd as his character is,
Sellers succeeds effortlessly in making him human and likeable.
There is an endearing Chaplinesque pathos to Sellers' comedy creation
in this film. Thanks to Sellers and his famous birdie num-nums,
The Party is a rare comedy
delight, to be devoured with relish.
© James Travers 2010
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Film Synopsis
Hrundi V. Bakshi is an Indian actor who has high hopes of making his
fortune in Hollywood. Unfortunately, on his first day at work he
accidentally blows up the set and is summarily dismissed. In an
attempt to have Bakshi blacklisted, his director immediately telephones
his boss. The latter is distracted and unintentionally adds the
troublesome Indian's name to a list of guests to a party which he and
his wife are hosting in a few days' time. Bakshi is
naturally honoured when he receives an invitation to a party that will
be attended by the Hollywood jet set. His accident prone nature
will ensure that the party will a memorable experience for everyone,
most of all his hosts...
© James Travers
The above content is owned by filmsdefrance.com and must not be copied.