The Party (1968)A happy accident can mean the difference between an okay party and an unforgettable one. The Party (1968) is a comedy about Hrundi V. Bakshi (Peter Sellers), an Indian actor brought to Hollywood for a derivative period piece, which he accidentally ruins. Bakshi is supposedly blacklisted forevermore by studio head General Fred R. Clutterbuck (J. Edward McKinley), but a clerical error results in his name being added to a guest list for Clutterbuck's swanky get together at his palatial home, where he meets the lovely yet shy Michele Monet (Claudine Longet), and causes unintentional chaos for the rest of the soirée.
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The Party reunites the comedy talents of director Blake Edwards and Peter Sellers, who previously collaborated on the famous detective spoof, The Pink Panther, and its follow-up, A Shot in the Dark. Sellers's performance is consistent with his chameleon-like ability to become a distinct character, unique to his body of work. Bakshi is unquestionably a caricature of the awkward Indian--simultaneously clumsy yet well meaning, who muddles his English, is shy and soft-spoken, misinterprets some American idioms, but always tries to remain exceedingly respectful. Bakshi wears a cheap tan suit with a mismatched red tie that is a bit too long, to a party that includes "black tie" on the invitation. He shows up in his sputtering Morgan 3 Wheeler, while everyone else is driving Cadillacs or Bentleys to the swanky shindig. Bakshi takes advantage of his status as the only Indian at the party to excuse himself from awkward situations by making "prayer" motions with his hands. One of the lingering concerns about The Party by modern audiences is if it should be considered "racist", on the basis that Sellers wears a predominance of makeup to appear Indian--decried by some as "brownface". The answer is no, not really; while casting one actor to play a character of another race is a topic that is far more complex than this essay is designed to explore, it is irrelevant in the scope of The Party. With the exception of Michele, every character at the party is a Looney Tunes-like exaggeration of Hollywood, and Bakshi is no exception. This includes the macho cowboy, "Wyoming Bill" Kelso (Denny Miller), whose manly handshake repeatedly crushes poor Bakshi's hand, and whose cinematic one-liners are so well known to Bakshi, that when he repeats them, it reveals Kelso to be just a cheap John Wayne knockoff. Bakshi draws the ire of the sleazy producer C. S. Divot (Gavin MacLeod) before the party even starts by literally blowing up his crummy movie. But when Divot tries to make the moves on Michele after luring her away to the Clutterbucks' bedroom, Bakshi plays an anonymous prank on him to blow off his hairpiece and diffuse his sexual harassment before it goes any further. One of the servers at the party--credited as Levinson (Steve Franken)--spends the night downing the cocktails he offers the teetotaler Bakshi, becoming increasingly tipsy and leading to an escalation of drunken antics. The bevy of guests at the party come across as everything from snobby, prissy princesses--including a literal princess--or tuxedo-clad, balding blowhards--including a literal senator, and Bakshi is decidedly out of his element. The story goes that The Party had a skeletal screenplay, and that Edwards encouraged copious improvisation from Sellers and the rest of the crew. This gives The Party a layer of verisimilitude not normally found in this kind of comedy, as the actors appear to be "enjoying a party" in character. The ambiance of a real party is key; most of the film takes place within the mansion, and many of the shots are consistent. A jazz band that performs for most of the party is paired with the sounds of chattering guests, creating the "white noise" background of a social gathering. This gives the audience a feeling of comfortable familiarity, making the characters as much of a part of the setting as the house is.
The Party finds its humor from having Bakshi causing increasingly disruptive spikes in chaos at the stiff and sedate party, keeping the audience laughing at his malapropisms, many of which become running gags. When Bakshi discovers that he has traipsed mud into the house on his white loafer, he tries to wash it off in the ubiquitous running waters that flow through the mansion, only to lose his shoe in the process. It takes him several minutes of feinting and skulking to prevent anyone from noticing that he is prancing around sans sole, eventually resulting in him accidentally flinging the errant shoe onto a tray of hors d'oeuvres. None of the other guests notice Bakshi's shoe astride the tasty morsels--nor does the server--but when Bakshi is offered one himself, he cleverly plays it off by saying, "I'm on a diet, but the hell with it", before snatching his shoe back. One of the funniest moments in The Party comes when Divot coerces Michele into serenading the power elite in the hopes of securing his protege's chances at stardom. Bakshi--who has been shuffling around the whole house and outside looking for a bathroom, triggering the automatic sprinklers outside in the process--walks in soaking wet, with his shoes squeaking behind him. Rather than walk out on the lovely woman's performance and risk appearing rude, Bakshi is forced to stand by--in front of all of the other guests watching Michele--while forcing a smile that looks more like a wince and crossing his legs in agony as she performs her effervescent rendition of Henry Mancini's "Nothing to Lose". These awkward moments of comedy encompass most of The Party, and the film reaches a manic climax after the Clutterbucks' daughter comes home with her friends, bringing a baby elephant painted with hippie slogans and symbols in tow. Bakshi finds the markings degrading and demands that they wash off the elephant, turning the cocktail party into a foam party of epic proportions. The Party indulges in its late Sixties sensibilities, with copious groovy music and dancing throughout the sudsy hacienda. Despite Bakshi's awkward bumbling, he is a good person, evidenced when he comes to console Michele after she saves him from nearly drowning in the pool. Bakshi realizes that she has not been having a good time at the party, largely due to Divot's unwanted advances and the fear of failing as an actress due to his threats. Bakshi stands up for Michele in a crucial moment against the casting couch jockey who tries to push him and Michele around. And despite being an outsider, Bakshi puts it succinctly to Divot when he says, "in India, we don't think who we are; we know who we are. This is the real turning point in The Party; Bakshi urges Michele to stay and have a good time--which they do--changing out of their soggy clothes and pretenses, and becoming truly be free to do what they want. Because they are no longer in "character" as the shy and awkward people they pretended to be, the let their hair down and smile for real--which is the goal behind any true party.
Recommended for: Fans of a charming comedy about an awkward foreigner who rattles the cage of the upscale gathering with his bumbling antics. The Party builds into a budding romance that is natural and moving, since Bakshi and Michele are very similar personalities--a couple of good-natured people trying to scrape by in the superficial veneer of Hollywood.
The Party finds its humor from having Bakshi causing increasingly disruptive spikes in chaos at the stiff and sedate party, keeping the audience laughing at his malapropisms, many of which become running gags. When Bakshi discovers that he has traipsed mud into the house on his white loafer, he tries to wash it off in the ubiquitous running waters that flow through the mansion, only to lose his shoe in the process. It takes him several minutes of feinting and skulking to prevent anyone from noticing that he is prancing around sans sole, eventually resulting in him accidentally flinging the errant shoe onto a tray of hors d'oeuvres. None of the other guests notice Bakshi's shoe astride the tasty morsels--nor does the server--but when Bakshi is offered one himself, he cleverly plays it off by saying, "I'm on a diet, but the hell with it", before snatching his shoe back. One of the funniest moments in The Party comes when Divot coerces Michele into serenading the power elite in the hopes of securing his protege's chances at stardom. Bakshi--who has been shuffling around the whole house and outside looking for a bathroom, triggering the automatic sprinklers outside in the process--walks in soaking wet, with his shoes squeaking behind him. Rather than walk out on the lovely woman's performance and risk appearing rude, Bakshi is forced to stand by--in front of all of the other guests watching Michele--while forcing a smile that looks more like a wince and crossing his legs in agony as she performs her effervescent rendition of Henry Mancini's "Nothing to Lose". These awkward moments of comedy encompass most of The Party, and the film reaches a manic climax after the Clutterbucks' daughter comes home with her friends, bringing a baby elephant painted with hippie slogans and symbols in tow. Bakshi finds the markings degrading and demands that they wash off the elephant, turning the cocktail party into a foam party of epic proportions. The Party indulges in its late Sixties sensibilities, with copious groovy music and dancing throughout the sudsy hacienda. Despite Bakshi's awkward bumbling, he is a good person, evidenced when he comes to console Michele after she saves him from nearly drowning in the pool. Bakshi realizes that she has not been having a good time at the party, largely due to Divot's unwanted advances and the fear of failing as an actress due to his threats. Bakshi stands up for Michele in a crucial moment against the casting couch jockey who tries to push him and Michele around. And despite being an outsider, Bakshi puts it succinctly to Divot when he says, "in India, we don't think who we are; we know who we are. This is the real turning point in The Party; Bakshi urges Michele to stay and have a good time--which they do--changing out of their soggy clothes and pretenses, and becoming truly be free to do what they want. Because they are no longer in "character" as the shy and awkward people they pretended to be, the let their hair down and smile for real--which is the goal behind any true party.
Recommended for: Fans of a charming comedy about an awkward foreigner who rattles the cage of the upscale gathering with his bumbling antics. The Party builds into a budding romance that is natural and moving, since Bakshi and Michele are very similar personalities--a couple of good-natured people trying to scrape by in the superficial veneer of Hollywood.