Don's Party (1976)

I don't have all the words right now but this film is a work of art.

Don't listen to the negative reviews

A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.

Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.

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 !!)

Don is holding a party to celebrate the ousting of the hated long standing liberal government in late 60's Australia. What starts as a serious political debate degenerates into your typical drunken fumbling and fighting as the booze flows and high-browed ideas are replaced with attempts to wife swap and skinny dip in the neighbours pool. Some of the funniest moments are when Cooley starts reminiscing about some of his sexual conquests - "When I was 18 i knocked up a 50 year old barmaid in my dad's pub and all she said all night was thank you....THANK YOU!!!" Mack: He once took pity on a woman with a wooden leg. Cooley: She wasn't a bad $£%&....Once you got past the knee cap squeak! All in all a great example of a David Williamson play. Directed by Bruce Beresford (Breaker Morant, Driving Miss Daisy)

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.