Don's Party

1976 "What a helluva night!"
6.8| 1h30m| en| More Info
Released: 10 November 1976 Released
Producted By: Australian Film Commission
Country: Australia
Budget: 0
Revenue: 0
Official Website:
Synopsis

On the night of the 1969 federal election, Don Henderson invites a group of friends to celebrate a predicted Labor Party victory, much to the dismay of his wife, Kath. The Hendersons and their nine guests drink, joke, make love, and fight, all while coming to terms with their individual struggles in life.

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Reviews

AutCuddly Great movie! If you want to be entertained and have a few good laughs, see this movie. The music is also very good,
Doomtomylo a film so unique, intoxicating and bizarre that it not only demands another viewing, but is also forgivable as a satirical comedy where the jokes eventually take the back seat.
Juana what a terribly boring film. I'm sorry but this is absolutely not deserving of best picture and will be forgotten quickly. Entertaining and engaging cinema? No. Nothing performances with flat faces and mistaking silence for subtlety.
Staci Frederick Blistering performances.
Tim Kidner 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.
Al The summary title might be embarrassing to a modest man like Williamson but he really does have an uncanny knack of exposing human foibles that I have found astonishing for many years.Don's Party is well recognised as a work of genius portraying the hopes of Australians on Election Night in 1969 who wanted to see the end of successive Liberal Governments for over 20 years. This election did not provide a change but established Whitlam as a very real threat to the Liberals' perceived right to rule. He was successful 3 years later.The characters are of real interest in this film as they lose control due to the unlimited flow of alcohol. Had they been in a more restrictive environment there may have been some very interesting thoughts exchanged.Intelligent and beautiful actresses are the sober ones whose presence as human beings with feelings and opinions goes woefully unappreciated by the "Ugly Australian" in the males. The male behaviour becomes more tribal as the evening degenerates and the gorgeous enchanting women are left to themselves.
Poseidon-3 An adaptation of a popular play, this inherently Australian film examines the dynamics of a cocktail party thrown by a couple on election night in 1969, which eventually deteriorates into confrontation and some sexual shenanigans. Hargreaves and Drynan play the couple who have a minor amount of dissatisfaction between them which is exacerbated by the interplay of their guests. Barrett and Bishop are on the verge of divorce themselves. Blundell and Lang are the black sheep of the group, living a bit better off and rooting for the opposite political party. Taylor and Raymond are on the rocks due to his attempts to rein in her free and artistic spirit. Sexually voracious Hopkins brings his latest nubile conquest Binney with him. Kennedy is the lone single guest, having just evicted his wife following another domestic squabble. These folks drink and chatter about politics, but as the night wears on and the political party that most of them support begins to flounder, things begin to spiral downward. Binney decides she wants to bed down with Hargreaves, understandingly upsetting Drynan. Taylor gets angry and storms out when Raymond doesn't wish to leave. The remaining men gang up on Blundell and humiliate him for being different. Hopkins makes a move on one of the wives while the rest bicker amongst themselves or with their mates. It's almost a plot less film; more of a character study with the characters representing exaggerated facets of the Australian populace. Accordingly, it may mean more to its core audience, though it remains entertaining and compelling to others as well. It's aggressively tacky in décor and costuming and vulgar in dialogue, but has a nice clipped pace and contains many interesting exchanges between the characters. Also, there are considerable doses of skin on display to keep things spicy. Four of the men and three of the women have nude scenes of varying exposure. Though some of the actors are not well-known apart from their work Down Under, the cast is made up of several of the country's most popular performers of the era. Sadly, Hargreaves died of AIDS in 1996.
critic_at_large Don's Party is a really funny film. It also is a glimpse at how the 60's sexual revolution invaded suburban Australia. The dialogue is taut and sharp, the characters both quirky and realistic, and the setup funny in a tawdry, Blake Edwards kind of way. A fun rental well worth seeing.