Tweet
Released by: BFI
Released on: 5/15/2010
Director: Guy Hamilton
Cast: Clifford David, Ann Lynn, Oliver Reed, Louise Sorel
Year: 1963/1965
Purchase From Amazon
The Movie:
The Party's Over follows a beautiful young American woman named Melina (Louise Sorel) who, through a few missteps and mistakes, winds up hanging out in Chelsea with a gang of beatniks. Melina, being a rather fetching looking lady, winds up catching the eye of Moise (Oliver Reed), the leader of the group and a troublemaker in his own right. Unfortunately for Melina, Moise's girlfriend, Libby (Ann Lynn), is none too pleased with her presence, and for that matter, neither is Melina's fiancé, Carson (Clifford David). When he starts trying to figure out just what exactly is going on with the woman he's supposed to be marrying, he starts poking around and soon uncovers what's really going on, but not before Melina's father (played by none other than Eddie Albert) shows up. Before it's all over, people will get drunk, lounge about, fool around with one another… and even shuffle off this mortal coil.
Set to a fantastic score John Barry and presented completely uncut for the first time ever, Guy Hamilton's The Party's Over is still pretty strong stuff even by the standards of the modern day. It's easy to see how this film ran head first into censorship problems when it was first submitted for BBFC classification, as it not only deals with the sex, drugs and rock and roll lifestyle associated with beat films but also a few 'edgier' themes that, well, if we go into too much detail it'll just lead to unnecessary spoilers. Let it suffice to say that the twist ending that Hamilton and screenwriter Marc Behm employ and the finale of the picture will definitely surprise you.
The direction here is quite solid. Hamilton, best known for Goldfinger (and a few other Bond classics), keeps things moving at a good pace and manages to coax some entirely believable performances out of a talented cast. Oliver Reed, here still young and full of piss and vinegar, is excellent as Moise, a young man with a big axe to grind against a society he doesn't understand or care to comprehend. His relationship with Melina is the film's spine and it's make for some interesting cultural and thematic contrasts as the picture plays out. Sorel is good as the female lead, she's easy on the eyes and fits into the role very well. It's easy to see why Moise would become attracted to her. Supporting performances from Clifford David and Ann Lynn are also quite good, and while Eddie Albert is fine in his part, it's hard not to associate him with Green Acres which makes it just a bit tricky to take him all that seriously.
Filmed with loads of style, the film has a weird sort of disenfranchised look to it that suits the story well. Shots of various youths looking bored and uninterested give some of the characters an almost zombie-like presence, and the high contrast black and white photography somehow further accentuates this. The whole thing comes together rather well, and while some of the sixties era elements inherent in the film provide some unintentional camp value, the story holds up really well. It's a pretty dark, engrossing affair that not only provides some welcome time capsule footage of mid-sixties London but which also tells a genuinely interesting, enthralling story.
Video/Audio/Extras:
NOTE: This review is based off of a test disc that may or may not differ from finished, retail product.
The BFI's 1.66.1 anamorphic widescreen 1080p high definition transfer, taken from the film's original negative, is excellent. There's a healthy coat of natural looking film grain present throughout but no real print damage and the tonal reproduction of the black and white image is very strong and natural looking, without ever looking artificially pumped up. Though it does look like a bit of DNR has been applied in some shots, eliminating some fine detail along the way, this is sporadic and not constant and really not that big of a deal. Shadow detail is also strong, with nice inky black levels staying strong and consistent without smearing the backgrounds or hiding anything from the camera. Close up shots of the actors are very crisp and even the frequent scenes that take place in dreary, smoky, dark night clubs look quite good.
The Audio:
The English language 48 kHz/24 bit PCM 2.0 Mono track, which comes with optional closed captioning in English only, doesn't have a ton of range and shows the limitations of its source but is otherwise fine, especially when the music kicks in. There are no problems with hiss or distortion to complain about nor are there any issues with the levels. The film's soundtrack in particular (which from a technical stand point is one of the more important aspects of the production - lots of jazz here for those who dig it) sounds quite good with a nice, strong low end and some really impressive clarity showing off every instrument in every song. On top of that, the dialogue is always crisp and clear and perfectly balanced.
Aside from the feature, the Blu-ray disc also includes two short films, the first of which is The Party, a sixteen minute short from 1962 directed by R. A. Ostwald which covers an 'art school get-together' of the period. It's an interesting piece that at least gives us a glimpse into the culture of the era. The second short is Emma, directed by Anthony Perry (who served as the producer for The Party's Over) in 1964 and running twelve minutes in length.
Rounding out the disc are some animated menus and chapter stops. All of the extras on the disc are in high definition. The BFI have also included a very nice booklet of liner notes that features essays from Guy Hamilton, Andrew Roberts, William Fowler and Vic Pratt which address the history and censorship issues surrounding the movie. The book also includes biographical and credit information for the feature and the included short films.
The Final Word:
The test disc doesn't feature all of the extras that the finished version reportedly contains so it's hard to really give a final recommendation to an unfinished package, but the transfer is strong, as is the audio, and the film itself is a pretty interesting look at British beat culture of the sixties that features some strong performances and great soundtrack.