Customer Reviews

Don's Party

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

It's a shame that the makers of this DVD put little to no effort into maintaining the quality of the original print. The pictue quality is below the standard of VHS (perhaps a PAL conversion?)and the sound has been mixed so poorly that you often can't hear what's being said due to the overbearing effects track. If you can manage to look past this butchering, you may be able to appreciate this great example of '70's Australian culture.

I saw Don's Party in theatrical release, then on VHS, then on DVD. The film is basically talk, so the poor sound mix on the DVD is frustrating indeed. Fortunately I kept my VHS, and will probably stick to watching that; I watchthe film about every five years.

Don's Party has become a catchphrase in Australia. Every election held for the state or federal governments is now climaxed by little suburban gatherings dubbed "Don's Parties".

The brilliant stage play by David Williamson has captured the Australian idiom in 1969 as a new generation of Australians, fresh from university and questioning the suffocation of 1950s Australia, began to express themselves.

While it would be easy to dismiss this generation as flakey old baby boomers today, back then they seemed like courageous, questioning pioneers.

The Bruce Beresford film is utterly faitherful to the play (see Beresford as the drive-in bottleshop attendant in the opening few minutes as Graham Kennedy stocks up on the way to Don's place).

It is hilarious and damning at the same time as the vast gulf between Australian men and women is explored in the midst of a remarkable political crucible of the late 1960s.

Of course, in the midst of such brilliant dialogue, one line stands out. Family values prevent me from repeating it here, but watch out for Curley's words of welcome as he arrives at Don's with a box full of beer.

Obscure but worthwhile little nugget from "Breaker Morant" director Bruce Beresford that folds in one part "Shampoo", one part "Return Of The Secausus 7" and sprinkles liberally with "Who's Afraid Of Virgina Woolf". The story takes place in Australia on election eve, 1969. Don and his uptight wife are hosting an "election party" for old college chums at thier solidly middle-class suburban home. With the exception of one self-absorbed Casanova, most of the guests range from recently divorced to unhappily married. Ostensibly gathering to watch election results, talk politics and socialize, Don's party quickly deteriorates into a veritable primer on bad human behavior as the alcohol kicks in. By the end of the night, marriages are on the rocks, friendships nearly broken and people are taking naked swims in the vacationing neighbor's pool. Yet, this is not just another wacky party story. It has a lot to say about mid-life crisis, elitism, politics, and the silly behavior between men and women in general. Savagely funny and well-acted, this is a sleeper worth seeking out. DVD notes: I would agree that the audio mix is uneven at times (the Aussie accents and slang are tough going anyway) but the picture isn't half bad if you tweak it a bit. I did an "A/B" with my 20 year old home-taped VHS copy, and it appears that the original print was a dodgy propostition to begin with, so short of a restored Criterion edition (don't hold your breath), "it is what it is".

This is a 5 star movie with 1 star disc quality. The audio is so poor that I would not recommend its purchase to others. I can't even share this movie with friends, as they won't be able to understand the dialogue - it's only because I know most of the dialogue already that I can stand watching it.

This film is an advertisement for bad behavior in which every character is arrogant, selfish, or stupid. Not one of these libidinous lunatics displays anything remotely resembling good sense or good judgment, nor do any escape unscathed. Scathing, too, is the director's venom toward an aggressive, sexist culture, captured in microcosm by an out-of-control election-night gathering during the self-absorbed 1970s. The talented actors commit completely to their director's grim vision.

Were middle-aged Australian men and women ever like this, or are they still? Don't spoil the movie by asking too many questions. Let go of any desire to sympathize with these people and instead revel in their drunken cupidity, vicious mayhem, and profound misery. Watch them lose control as their marriages and friendships disintegrate. Enjoy your ringside seat at a bloody boxing match we call society, witnessing mankind's animalistic nature without civilization's thin veneer.

This film hit me like a bolt of lightning, and it should have a similar effect on you. Simultaneously a riotous jape and an appalling tragedy, it's a shock you won't soon forget. You may find yourself both laughing and crying for these foolish mortals -- and for yourself.

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This is a GREAT movie!

This DVD is a LOUSY copy, with a difficult to hear vocal soundtrack, mostly drowned out by the music and FX.

After I advised them of my disappointment, the nice people at Amazon sent me a replacement copy, but that was just as bad as the first one.

I have copies of this movie going back over 25 years on various video (tape) formats, so I know what the David Williamson dialogue should sound like.

A wonderful piece of late 1960's Australiana, which unfortunately is spoilt.

For my money, try and get yourself one of the VHS versions, as this one is not worth the plastic it is burned into.

Don (Jon Hargreaves) and his wife host a party with friends to watch election returns (in Australia), only this party is more like a fierce battle in a hellish war than a pleasant time spent with friends. Everyone is on the make and most of the party-goers are boorish and nasty. It's reminiscent of WHO'S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF in this regard, though it's greatly magnified in the nastiness department. The acting is excellent with good character analyses, but these people are so cruel to each other that watching them becomes almost unbearable. Why would anyone stay at such a party?

Biting, unvarnished look at the state of affairs between the sexes, made no clearer or more encouraging when fueled by booze. Beresford's gift for highly personal, intimate film-making makes us flies on the wall, and what we see unfold is at once comically human and undeniably sad. A revealing, astute ensemble piece that makes you think. This wild party's worth attending

Sydney, Australia, late 1960s. A national election is being held in which the Labor party may be returned to power after 20 years of numbing right-wing rule under the so-called Liberal party. A bunch of old university friends gather excitedly at Don's place to have a party and watch the election results on the television. They're all thirty-somethings now, most of them with families, but they remember their activist, free-spirited socialist youth. That's actually pretty much how they still see themselves at the start of the party. But as the alcohol flows and the night wears on, they grudgingly admit, if only within, that they've joined the dreaded moneyed class and could hardly care less who wins the election. By turns thought-provoking and side-splittingly funny, "Don's Party" resonates disturbingly with all of us who've seen our early passions replaced by a mundane though comfortable reality, accompanied by vague feelings of self-betrayal. Bruce Beresford ably directs this superb play by David Williamson. Strongly recommended. It's that rare thing - a movie for adults.