Don's Party (1976)

Overrated

In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

Like the great film, it's made with a great deal of visible affection both in front of and behind the camera.

One of the film's great tricks is that, for a time, you think it will go down a rabbit hole of unrealistic glorification.

Just watched a "classic" that i had admittedly never heard of but was lucky enough to come across on TCM. I was really glad that I did. The film is about..well..Don's Party naturally, which is centered around a new election and the ousting of a perceivably disliked politician In 1960's Australia. At first the patrons are all well dressed and well behaved but as the booze flows and the music starts to play things begin to take a turn into a sexually charged, haymaker throwing, insult swapping disintegration reminiscent of "Who's Afraid of Virginia Wolff". The acting is fantastic, the characters a beautiful concoction of different social types that you my find in this world. The film is more of a window into what it may have been like in Australia in those times during the sexual revolution, some characters embracing it fully while others still grasping on to the more conservative values of the past. All in all this movie does have something to say and I found it a very fun couple of hours. Enjoy.

Don's Party, thankfully, turns more to tears, sex, argument and some painful home truths for this group of Australian suburbanites, in the 1970's. Don uses the General Election results on TV as an excuse to get his mates round, who all have 'interesting' wives.Like many a similar escapade into the lower echelons of human civility, the sexual innuendos and chauvinism is flowing as fast as the wine and beer and the election results fade from our attention.It's often hilarious, frequently bitter and with a fair amount of full nudity, male and female, not least of which stems from the "borrowing" of next door neighbour's swimming pool. Bruce Bereford's slinging attack on what everyday people say and do when inhibitions slip is as far a cry from Picnic at Hanging Rock as is possible.I only use that as a reference because this film is one of the DVDs in my Australian Cinema Collection 12 disc boxed set, as is 'Picnic at...' not because Beresford directed it. Beresford did direct a good number of Australia's most noted films - and not always for their quality, either. However, Don's Party is as good as this sort of adult sex comedy drama gets and could equally be set in the UK, US or indeed, anywhere. It's certainly one of Bruce's best.

Dons Party...A 1976 movie about the "real" Australia has dated very badly. This is my first viewing of this "Australian Classic", but i found it a fabricated experience. Its the sort of writing that Anton Checkov would have came up with....when he was 3 years old. The acting is only OK, and i found the script tedious and...at times...pretentious. David Williamson has written many Australian plays and has been quite successful, but here the stagy feel about the structure is not a bonus. No doubt that many people from that time in history still rate it very highly. After all....Australia is not known for making good movies. (They are good at...cricket !!)

Perhaps one of the best of Williamson's plays/movies, the story is about an election eve party where the winning side is the wrong one for most of the participants.The characterization of the drunk middle-aged, middle class, and slightly socialist characters is in my opinion the highlight of the film.A must see for anyone wanting to understand Australia.