''The Party's Over'' is a black-and-white

British film The United Kingdom has had a significant film industry for over a century. While film production reached an all-time high in 1936, the "golden age" of British cinema is usually thought to have occurred in the 1940s, during which the directors D ...

directed by

Guy Hamilton Mervyn Ian Guy Hamilton, DSC (16 September 1922 – 20 April 2016) was an English film director. He directed 22 films from the 1950s to the 1980s, including four James Bond films. Early life Hamilton was born in Paris on 16 September 1922, w ...

and starring

Oliver Reed Robert Oliver Reed (13 February 1938 – 2 May 1999) was an English actor known for his well-to-do, macho image and "hellraiser" lifestyle. After making his first significant screen appearances in Hammer Horror films in the early 1960s, his ...

. Filmed in 1963, it was censored in the UK over scenes of implied necrophilia, which delayed its release until 1965. It was produced by Anthony Perry, with music by John Barry. Guy Hamilton asked for his name to be removed from the credits in protest at the censorship of the film.

Synopsis

A troubled young American woman, Melina, visits

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

and encounters a group of beatniks in

Chelsea Chelsea or Chelsey may refer to: Places Australia * Chelsea, Victoria Canada * Chelsea, Nova Scotia * Chelsea, Quebec United Kingdom * Chelsea, London, an area of London, bounded to the south by the River Thames ** Chelsea (UK Parliament consti ...

who live lives very different from her own. One of the beatnik group, the devil-may-care Moise (pronounced like Louise), is determined to seduce her, but she resists. The group believe in free love and spend their time smoking and listening to

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...

in windowless rooms. Uncertain what she wants in life, she has been avoiding transatlantic phone calls from her fiancé, Carson, who is eventually sent to London by her wealthy father to bring her back for her wedding. The beatniks use diversionary tactics to misdirect Carson, and Melina continues to evade him, although he comes close to finding her several times. The beatniks hang around in an old theatre. One (Phil) gets depressed and goes to the rooftop. The group variously taunt him or shout at him from the ground and he falls forward to his death. His suicide is blamed on failing his university exams but the group know differently. The suicide is then explained: Milena has passed out at a party and the crowd decide to bury her as a joke. They dig a grave on a building site, but when they go back for "the body" Milena has disappeared (but Phil is still there). Meanwhile one of the female beatniks, Nina is spending a lot of time with Carson and he falls in love with her. Milena's father arrives to help Carson search, but it appears that Milena really is dead at the point where they sign for "the clothes of the deceased" at a morgue. Nina admits she has known this all along. When Carson finally confronts Moise it is revealed that Milena truly was dead, having fallen off the balcony, but the party-goers simply presume she has passed out. Only Phil (who kisses her o the ground) realises she is dead. The mock funeral is therefore accidentally real. It eventually appears that Moise loved Milena, and Carson loves Nina more than Milena. At the end, a coffin (presumably holding Milena) is placed on a train to

Southampton Southampton () is a port city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. It is located approximately south-west of London and west of Portsmouth. The city forms part of the South Hampshire built-up area, which also covers Po ...

by Carson and her father. Moise appears and threatens Carson that he will tell her father the truth. Ultimately all he says is "I'm sorry". There is no explanation as to why the cause of death was not established at the morgue. Carson leaves arm in arm with Nina.

Cast

as Moise *

Clifford David Clifford David (June 30, 1928 – November 30, 2017) was an American actor, singer, and coach. His career began in the 1950s, with early live television appearances leading to roles in Broadway musicals. He also played character roles in tele ...

as Carson *

Ann Lynn Elizabeth Ann Lynn (7 November 1933 – 30 August 2020) was a British actress, especially prominent during the British New Wave of the 1960s, appearing in many films that represented what is known as kitchen sink realism. Lynn's career spanne ...

as Libby * Katherine Woodville as Nina *

Louise Sorel Louise Jacqueline Sorel (née Cohen, born August 6, 1940) is an American actress. She is perhaps best known for her role as Vivian Alamain in '' Days of Our Lives'' from 1992 to 2000, 2009 to 2011, 2017 to 2018, and 2020, Augusta Wainwright on '' ...

as Melina * Mike Pratt as Geronimo the drummer *

Maurice Browning Maurice Browning (11 May 1919 – 4 December 1983) was a British television actor. He appeared in several cult television series, including '' The Avengers'', '' The Saint'', ''The Champions'' and ''Doctor Who''. His film credits included role ...

as Tutzi * Jonathan Burn as Phillip *

Roddy Maude-Roxby Roderick A. Maude-Roxby (born 2 April 1930) is a retired English actor. He has appeared in numerous films, such as Walt Disney's ''The Aristocats'', where he voiced the greedy butler Edgar Balthazar (his only voice role); ''Unconditional Love''; ...

as Hector * Annette Robertson as Fran * Alison Seebohm as Ada *

Barbara Lott Barbara Dulcie Lott (15 May 1920 – 19 December 2002) was a British actress probably best remembered as Ronnie Corbett's character's mother, Phyllis Lumsden in the BBC television sitcom '' Sorry!''. She also appeared in '' Coronation Street ...

as Almoner *

Eddie Albert Edward Albert Heimberger (April 22, 1906 – May 26, 2005) was an American actor and activist. He was twice nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor; the first nomination came in 1954 for his performance in ''Roman Holiday'', ...

as Milena's father, Ben

Censorship

The film was submitted to the

British Board of Film Classification The British Board of Film Classification (BBFC, previously the British Board of Film Censors) is a non-governmental organisation founded by the British film industry in 1912 and responsible for the national classification and censorship of f ...

(BBFC) in March 1963. John Trevelyan, the Secretary of the Board of the BBFC, called the film "unpleasant, tasteless and rather offensive". The BBFC requested three rounds of cuts, before granting an

X certificate An X rating is a rating used in various countries to classify films that have content deemed suitable only for adults. It is used when the violent or sexual content of a film is considered to be potentially disturbing to general audiences. Aust ...

and allowing the film to finally reach cinemas in the UK in 1965. Two big changes were incorporated: a voice-over by Oliver Reed and a happier ending focusing on Nina and Carson. Director Guy Hamilton, the producer, and the executive producer all had their names removed from the credits in protest.

DVD & Blu-ray Release

''The Party's Over'' was released on Dual Format Edition in the UK as part of the

BFI The British Film Institute (BFI) is a film and television charitable organisation which promotes and preserves film-making and television in the United Kingdom. The BFI uses funds provided by the National Lottery (United Kingdom), National Lot ...

's Flipside series.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Party's Over, The 1965 films 1965 drama films British black-and-white films British drama films Film censorship in the United Kingdom Film controversies in the United Kingdom Films scored by John Barry (composer) Films directed by Guy Hamilton Films set in London Films shot at Pinewood Studios Necrophilia in film 1960s English-language films 1960s British films