Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #23360 in DVD
• Released on: 2007-03-19
• Rating: Suitable for 15 years and over
• Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
• Formats: Anamorphic, Black & White, PAL
• Original language: Czech
• Subtitled in: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 71 minutes

Video Description
Distinguished by being banned 'forever' in its native Czechoslovakia Nemec's film The Party and the Guests is perhaps the most politically dangerous film made during the flowering of Czech cinema during the 1960's. Not only a biting allegory on totalitarianism and an unflinching satire on conformity, its astute observations of human nature make it a universally relevant film.

Voted as one of the best films of the 1960's by the New York Times film critics, this will be the first time ever released on DVD.

Synopsis
Banned in its native Czechoslovakia, THE PARTY AND THE GUESTS has been long regarded as one of the most politically-charged films of the 60s.

Time Out
" An acute piece of historical insight and a marvellous idea."

Customer Reviews

Another Essential Second Run Release
'The Party and the Guests' is one of the best films to have come out of Czech new wave cinema in the 1960s. After a colourful history of being 'banned forever' by the Communist government and then languishing largely unseen in the west, it has now been given a DVD release with a good print of the film which is a worthy addition to any collection.

The film itself centres around a well-heeled group of people attending a party in a forest. Beyond that, it's probably better to leave the plot undescribed, as this film is in any case all about atmosphere. The creeping oddness and uneasiness which increases in stages towards the end is genuinely unsettling for the viewer, and several currents of tension run through the film. Power dynamics shift among the characters and one mysteriously disappears. The climactic scene of the film is in many ways strongly reminiscent - and possibly a precursor of - Bunuel's 'Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie' which makes it all the more fascinating.

Overall this short film (it's under 80 mins long) is very watchable and even rather gripping in places. You don't need a strong knowledge of Czech history and politics to admire what the film has to say on authority, totalitarianism and the ways human society works - or even just to enjoy the absurdity of it all. Buy this DVD and delight in a nearly forgotten classic of European film.

Life's a picnic!
So you're out with your friends frolicking around in a beautiful forest glade, enjoying the summer weather, eating cake and drinking wine. You decide to leave when a group of thuggish looking men led by a bizarre, slightly menacing character, decide that you can't go home just yet! Cue Kafkaesque intrigue, surreal encounters and meaningless dialogue. Slowly the tension builds up as our guests are cajoled and entertained by the 'party' led by a man in a white suit with a penchant for candelabras. For me this film captures the mental and physical control exerted by a totalitarian regime whose sole purpose is control and conformity laced with the threat of violence (listen to the blank screen ending!). There is no escape so our guests have to conform, some willingly, others under duress - except for one silent character. This film is a remarkable allegory of repression, instilling a sense of unease and bewilderment, which is reinforced by the medium itself - there is no discernible plot, conversations are incomplete and nothing is explained. However, there are some moments of exquisite filmmaking - the women bathing in a refreshing brook, the rustle of trees in a warm breeze and the banquet scene by a lake.