Don's Party

1976 "What a helluva night!"
6.8| 1h30m| en
Details

On the night of the 1969 federal election, Don Henderson invites a group of friends to celebrate a predicted Labor Party victory, much to the dismay of his wife, Kath. The Hendersons and their nine guests drink, joke, make love, and fight, all while coming to terms with their individual struggles in life.

Director

Producted By

Australian Film Commission

AD
AD

Watch Free for 30 Days

Stream on any device, 30-day free trial Watch Now

Trailers & Clips

Reviews

SparkMore n my opinion it was a great movie with some interesting elements, even though having some plot holes and the ending probably was just too messy and crammed together, but still fun to watch and not your casual movie that is similar to all other ones.
Sammy-Jo Cervantes There are moments that feel comical, some horrific, and some downright inspiring but the tonal shifts hardly matter as the end results come to a film that's perfect for this time.
Nayan Gough 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.
Delight Yes, absolutely, there is fun to be had, as well as many, many things to go boom, all amid an atmospheric urban jungle.
two-roses 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
Tim Kidner 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.
Al The summary title might be embarrassing to a modest man like Williamson but he really does have an uncanny knack of exposing human foibles that I have found astonishing for many years.Don's Party is well recognised as a work of genius portraying the hopes of Australians on Election Night in 1969 who wanted to see the end of successive Liberal Governments for over 20 years. This election did not provide a change but established Whitlam as a very real threat to the Liberals' perceived right to rule. He was successful 3 years later.The characters are of real interest in this film as they lose control due to the unlimited flow of alcohol. Had they been in a more restrictive environment there may have been some very interesting thoughts exchanged.Intelligent and beautiful actresses are the sober ones whose presence as human beings with feelings and opinions goes woefully unappreciated by the "Ugly Australian" in the males. The male behaviour becomes more tribal as the evening degenerates and the gorgeous enchanting women are left to themselves.
ormas 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.