The Party

Personally, I consider some sketches to be at least equal partners to the Edwards and Sellers escapades in The Pink Panther. True, the film as a whole does not keep the incredibly situational poetics of dinner or games with an automatic control panel, but even so, The Party has a great atmosphere, the great acting of Sellers, the beautiful Claudine Longet, and for me, especially the incredible drunk waiter character, who is a very good second for Peter and sometimes even boorishly draws attention to himself. And there is also the beautifully kitschy sixties finish, which guarantees a good mood. (13.03.2008)

Unbelievable matter. I doubt that there is a movie where I laughed so loudly and frequently when I was alone. All the possible episodes featuring a swimming pool, a radio, a waiter, or a toilet are the pinnacle of humor. (22.05.2006)

Literally a great film, I haven't laughed so loudly in a long time. A script based on the premise that no disaster is so great that it can't be followed by an even greater one, a charmingly ordinary protagonist, disarmingly played by Peter Sellers, who really is to blame for everything that happens (seriously, in a way, even the drunken waiter), but who is never happy about it and tries to fix every mistake (ahem) immediately. All sorts of figures revolve around him like on a crazy clock, the gags are unusually escalated and punctuated (with the shoe, the caviar, the dinner, with the compulsive need and the toilet, with the washing of the elephant...), moreover shot in long takes... I can't imagine it dubbed (I discovered the original version without subtitles on YouTube and let me tell you, hearing Sellers' polished accent is priceless), but the film and the excellent comedy can't be harmed by even the worst Czech version. A gem. (22.01.2015)

The Party may not have the intensity and intellectual depth of movies like Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb, or the Pink Panther series with its burst of entertaining gags. However, it is essentially the same type of humor we know from Inspector Clouseau - a likable bungler who means well and tries hard, but usually ends up causing a disaster, only to miraculously emerge with honor at the end thanks to his famous luck. Here, the humor is set in a grotesque environment that clearly mocks the snobbish Hollywood elite. The film doesn't have an extraordinary screenplay, and at times the screenwriter seems a bit lost, so the humor is based on chaotic running around, falls, and props like a painted elephant. Nevertheless, it is still an above-average work. Overall impression: 75%. (19.05.2009)