La noche de las elecciones

Watching this during the current lockdown of social distancing helped a little. Brilliant performances by all and full of funny lines and scenes, though bookended by the downer of real life. People go to parties to let their hair down and escape the restrictions of work and order. Yes, they make fools of themselves too. How those things are missed now...This is an Australian classic, one of the top ten Australian films in my view. Watch it.

Anybody who lived through this era will understand that this film is a quintessential snapshot of Australia's cultural reality of this time. Let alone the greatest gathering of Australian acting talent.

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.

After watching and enjoying "Travelling North', I decided to have a go at 'Don's Party'.

I moved to Canberra in 1970 and heard a lot about the play. My impression then was that it dealt with politics as it was set on the night of a Federal election.

I was rather surprised to find that the film was essentially to do with sexual relationships among the various characters.

I don't know if the film was just dated but the characters, except for the dentist, came across as totally unreal.

The arguments seemed totally fabricated. As did the sex. The humour might reflect what happens in a football dressing room but I've never seen anything like it in any party. In fact, it's hard to see why Don would have put together such a bitchy lot of people.

About 3/4 of the way through, I pulled out the DVD and went for a book instead.

Barry Qld

Just watched a "classic" that i had admittedly never heard of but was lucky enough to come across on TCM. I was really glad that I did. The film is about..well..Don's Party naturally, which is centered around a new election and the ousting of a perceivably disliked politician In 1960's Australia. At first the patrons are all well dressed and well behaved but as the booze flows and the music starts to play things begin to take a turn into a sexually charged, haymaker throwing, insult swapping disintegration reminiscent of "Who's Afraid of Virginia Wolff". The acting is fantastic, the characters a beautiful concoction of different social types that you my find in this world. The film is more of a window into what it may have been like in Australia in those times during the sexual revolution, some characters embracing it fully while others still grasping on to the more conservative values of the past. All in all this movie does have something to say and I found it a very fun couple of hours. Enjoy.