Don's Party DVD

Don's Party
Early in his career, Australian director Bruce Beresford helmed Don's Party, which closely mirrors Shampoo in its basic premise and its edgy correlations between sex and politics. One pivotal election night, Don, played by John Hargreaves, throws a party for a group of friends, ostensibly so that everyone can watch the ballots roll in on television. But when booze is consumed in quantity, inhibitions are kicked downstairs. Particularly boorish under the influence of alcohol are Don's male friends, who indulge in a barrage of insulting verbal attacks on each other when they aren't trying to get each other's wives into bed. Unapologetically adult in its content and themes, Don's Party was adapted from a play by David Williamson; it marks one of the earliest classics of Australian New Wave cinema. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Cast Ray Barrett as Mal Clare Binney as Susan Pat Bishop as Jenny Graeme Blundell as Simon Jeanie Drynan as Kath John Gorton as Himself John Hargreaves as Don Henderson Harold Hopkins as Cooley Graham Kennedy as Mack Veronica Lang as Jody Candy Raymond as Kerry Kit Taylor as Evan

Crew Rhoisin Harrison - Art Director Anna Senior - Costume Designer Bruce Beresford - Director William M. Anderson - Editor Donald M. McAlpine - Cinematographer Phil Adams - Producer Rhoisin Harrison - Set Designer David Williamson - Screenwriter Leos Janácek - Featured Music David Williamson - Play Author

Don's Party
Bruce Beresford's adaptation of David Williamson's coruscating lack comedy on the dashed political hopes of a group of thirtysomething friends is a sort of Australian Big Chill, albeit far more penetrating and honest. When Don Henderson (John Hargreaves), a partisan of Australia's Labor Party, invites some like-minded friends over to celebrate an anticipated victory in the national election of 1969, their mood turns ugly after their candidate's loss is announced. As the drinking continues apace, the men's thin veneer of civility also begins to wear away. Mack (Graham Kennedy) brandishes a naked photo of his recently divorced wife, while the others are intent on pursuing any woman not their spouse. More tellingly, the playful comic jabs exchanged by the men earlier in the evening give way to increasingly vicious personal attacks, as they gradually reveal the disillusionment of compromised lives, with the women equally disenchanted, if more ruefully amused by the childish behavior of their husbands. Resolutely unamused by her mate is the most grounded of these characters, Don's long-suffering wife, Kath (Jeanie Drynan), and one wonders if their marriage will survive the party. The playwright's take on the way in which personal goals are displaced into the political realm blends with a more universal vision of the sobering effect of aging in a film of lasting impact. Although its stage origins may be evident in the unity of time and place, Beresford's deft editing, Williamson's scathing dialogue, and an excellent cast are enough to efface these apparent limitations. While some of the slang will remain a mystery to non-Australians, a surprising number of the funnier and less subtle idioms can be inferred from context. ~ Michael Costello, All Movie Guide
 

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General Specifications: Language Options: Subtitle Options: Sound Processing: Additional Features: Interactive menus Filmographies Scene access Production credits MPAA Rating: NR DVD Discs Included: 1 DVD Sides: 1 DVD DVD Region Code: 1 Content Length: 90 min   DVD Chapters: Side #1 -- 0. Scene Access 1. Labor vs. Liberal [3:20] 2. The Duck Hunt [13:10] 3. The Party Picks Up [9:39] 4. How To Pick A Up A Girl [17:02] 5. To The Swimming Pool [13:33] 6. The End Of The Party [14:00]