Hello again, all! I hope you're all having a wonderful day - a date which I have chosen to keep vague to keep myself in suspense for when I will publish this post. In this post, I will provide you, the ever-so-attentive reader, with my full review of "THE PARTY" (1968). I will be drawing upon the two biographies I have read: "Mr. Strangelove: A Biography of Peter Sellers" by Ed Sikov, and "Peter Sellers: The Authorized Biography" by Alexander Walker. Additionally, I will draw upon any relevant reviews from both the time in which the movie was released, and any done by contemporary film critics. Now, with the formal particulars taking their place in the bowels of history, here is a brief run-down of particulars and "trivia" from the film, and a background story on how it came to be made. (OH! I LOVE THOSE!)
The rest of the cast was largely an ensemble, made to complement Peter Sellers. The film was the third collaboration between director Blake Edwards and Mr. Sellers, with the previous two coming in 1963 and 1964 on "THE PINK PANTHER" & "A SHOT IN THE DARK," respectively. Each were tied to the central character of Inspector Jacques Clouseau, and the physically challenging sight-gags often executed by both Sellers & Edwards. Their partnership had been on hold, as the two had a dispute after working on "A SHOT IN THE DARK" (disputing with Sellers was often an unfortunate side-effect of working with him, and this will be explained further momentarily, educated reader.) However, the two ended up arranging a meeting in 1967, and agreed to settle the long-standing feud on conciliatory terms. Edwards was persistent in his pushing of this film and it's titular role - Hrundi V. Bakshi, an Indian film star - onto Sellers. Eventually, Peter agreed, and the movie was filmed with roughly sixty pages of a script written. Keep in mind, too, that the average movie script falls anywhere from 125-150 pages. Much of the bits included in the final cut of the film were, in fact, improvised by Peter; oftentimes, on-set brain-storming sessions between Edwards & Sellers would happen between takes.
This style of employing visually stunning & often-improvised sight gags, with little filler dialogue in between each, was inspired by the late French Academy-Award® nominated filmmaker/comedian Jacques Tati. Tati was an Academy-Award® nominated filmmaker who was known for the great emphasis he placed not on dialogue, but what are typically the italicized bits in the script: "sight gags." These are oftentimes just as wittily contrived and executed as sharp dialogue, and Tati helped to bring this aging style back to relevance in the 1950's and 1960's. Sellers was enthralled by the genius of Tati, and found much inspiration from watching the French comedian not only write and perform, but also direct all of his own films. Edwards recognized this whilst filming the "PINK PANTHER" films, and decided to branch off into a different direction, with Peter having initially thought he had exhausted the character of Inspector Clouseau (a realization that would later prove to be wrong.) Thus, Hrundi V. Bakshi was born, and "THE PARTY" became a come-back film of sorts for both Sellers and Edwards in 1968.
Now, with all of that being said, onto the actual review of the film! Whew, I'm in desperate need of an e-inhaler, if anybody has an extra, seldom-used one in their possession, I might consider buying from an Amazon customer who has been rated anywhere between 4-5 stars, with a pension for "On-time delivery!" and "THE NICEST customer service!" ... Perhaps, even "Eh... the product worked. So I suppose mediocre at best."
"THE PARTY" (1968) -- FULL REVIEW
Before I embark upon this review, I wish to clarify one thing: This review is based upon my own opinion of the film, and how I interpreted the various facets (character motivations, how filming employing various techniques helped/proved detrimental, etc.) of the film. At the review's conclusion, I'll certainly compare my own interpretation to more reputable film critics who are paid to do this for a living, and suggest you take their opinions (based on fact) much more to heart.
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| Sellers' 'Holy Triumvirate' of characters in "DR STRANGELOVE" (1963) |
In "The Party", the consistency and motivations of one central character are the most important facets of the understanding of the comedy. This was a concept that, to probably the majority of those viewing, might have seemed an odd & bordering on absurd concept for a Peter Sellers film. Despite achieving success for his portrayal of the bumbling, clumsy, and innocent Inspector Jacques Clouseau in the "Pink Panther" films, he had garnered a reputation for the portrayal of a multitude of characters in one film. His greatest mainstream success to that point came in 1963 when he was nominated for his first Academy-Award® for portraying President Merkin Muffley, Royal Air Force Marshall Lionel Mandrake, and the titular character & psychotic German physicist Dr. Strangelove in Stanley Kubrick's black comedy "DR. STRANGELOVE OR: HOW I LEARNED TO STOP WORRYING AND LOVE THE BOMB" (1963). He had previously played three roles in the small British film "THE MOUSE THAT ROARED" (1959). Even in other films where he was billed as one character, he would often give those characters different personas via disguises, plot twists, etc. "THE PARTY", however, was a cold pariah amongst these in a beneficial way.
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| Peter as Hrundi V. Bakshi |
The film centers around Hrundi V. Bakshi, an Indian film star who is as aloof as he is polite. He is accidentally placed on the guest list of a reputable movie executive's dinner party list when the movie executive hastily writes his name down on the first sheet of paper available, so as to remember to black-list him. Instead of never finding a job in Hollywood, Hrundi receives the invitation, and despite looking befuddled and flattered, does decide to venture to this gathering of the higher-ups. It is in this one setting, at the mansion of the film executive, that all - save for the opening scene on a movie set in which Hrundi, in an attempt to tie his shoe between takes, rests his foot on a detonator for a highly-funded explosion that could only be done in one take - jokes and physical comedic bits take place.
Blake Edwards - the film's director and script "developer" (as this description is truly what it was for this film: a gradual "development" of scripted material) filmed employing many panoramic shots of the inside of the mansion, with the camera acting as a sort of unacknowledged party attendee. For viewers, it feels as if though we are an intrigued observer who has noticed Hrundi, and wish to observe his actions and how they effect the group dynamic of high powered Hollywood executives. In employing this film style, Edwards gives the audience glimpses into the supporter players' lives, but never truly delves into character development of them, as previously mentioned. Rather, he gives enough information to necessitate intermittent dialogue to further the film, but relies heavily on the character of Hrundi V. Bakshi to carry the one, consistent story-line. It's a brilliantly conceived and executed idea, and it adheres to the Jacques Tati style of less dialogue and more visual focus as described above. Below is my favorite example of the visual sight gag from the film involving Hrundi & his beautifully white shoes:
The character of Hrundi V. Bakshi fits perfectly into this largely panoramic style, as it is his actions that will, and eventually do, directly effect the environment as a whole. His "black sheep"/common man character persona is the root of the comedy, as the hijinks and interactions with the otherwise lavish characters are often clumsy, but always have an innocent sincerity to them. His desire to fit in by being himself is clear from the moment he walks into the lavish mansion in his own cream-colored suit, with a tie reaching past his belt-line. His sincerity in apologizing for the gauntlet of errors
he causes at the dinner table gives the viewing audience a glimpse into the mind of Hrundi, and how he insists he apologize despite the lady of the house's (Victorian era, anybody?) insistence that he really does not have to. He does apologize to the high powered movie executive, and it is in this moment that the vulnerability reaches it's climax. And, not unlike the majority of the other moments of vulnerability in the film, it is brushed aside by the arrogance of the concerned executive. This moment could take the viewer down a variety of emotional avenues, but because of the optimism of Hrundi, his insistence to move on becomes the viewer's insistence. And, like all other moments in the film, we - the viewers and Hrundi - do.
It is because of this characterization and honest portrayal of a redeemable character that the use of brown-face on Peter Sellers does not come off as racist or offensive to me, personally. His skin is made darker, and he talks with a Punjabi-Indian accent throughout the film. To say he is mimicking Indian people is to insult the very core of Peter Sellers as a performer and vastly underestimate his talent; one could say he truly "became" an Indian person. There was never any oversimplification of stereotypes or politics by either Peter or Blake Edwards, and his portrayal was as honest as it was tedious. While there were goofy moments that seemed to perhaps hint at racial stereotypes, these were grossly outnumbered by the honest and sincere moments in which, while still keeping the humorous and accurate accent, he reached to his emotional core for dramatic moments.
In all, the performances by the supporting characters were exceptional considering the amount of leeway (or lack-thereof) they were given to effectively make a mark on the film. Because of the reasons listed above, the film is an all-time favorite of mine, too. Out of four stars, I would give it 3.5.
Looking Ahead & "What's to Come"!
As mentioned previously, my next post will be focusing on reviewing my favorite characterization of Peter Sellers and providing a thorough analysis. The character is Chauncey Gardner from the film "BEING THERE" (1979), and while Hrundi V. Bakshi was an exceptional performance by Sellers as solely one character, "BEING THERE" & Chauncey Garnder only verified his range as both a dramatic and comic actor.
Thank you so very much again, everybody, for reading and providing any subconscious feedback; I feel your presence.
Twitter: Chris_0Reilly
--Chris
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