IMDb RATING
6.4/10
1.2K
YOUR RATING
The down-at-heel lodger in a seaside boarding house is menaced by two mysterious strangers, who eventually take him away.The down-at-heel lodger in a seaside boarding house is menaced by two mysterious strangers, who eventually take him away.The down-at-heel lodger in a seaside boarding house is menaced by two mysterious strangers, who eventually take him away.
- Awards
- 1 nomination
- Director
- Writer
- Harold Pinter(uncredited)
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThe movie was a passion project of director William Friedkin who called it "the first film I really wanted to make, understood and felt passionate about". He had first seen the play in San Francisco in 1962, and managed to get the film version funded by Edgar J. Scherick at Palomar Pictures, in part because it could be made relatively cheaply. Pinter wrote the screenplay himself and was heavily involved in casting. "To this day I don't think our cast could have been improved," wrote Friedkin later.
- Quotes
Stanley Webber: How would you like to go away with me?
Lulu: What?
Stanley Webber: How would you like to go away with me?
Lulu: Where would we go?
Stanley Webber: Nowhere...
Lulu: Well that's a charming proposal.
Stanley Webber: There's nowhere to go, so we could just go, it wouldn't matter.
Lulu: We might as well stay here.
- ConnectionsFeatured in Pinter's Party as Told by William Friedkin (2017)
Featured review
Brilliant
Harold Pinter's brilliant early play-on-film, The Birthday Party, is one of his best efforts, and perhaps, with The Homecoming, the pinnacle of the Theater of the Absurd. The plot itself is simple. Two men come to visit Stanley, a classical pianist who has, for unknown reasons, left his home and is staying with a provincial couple. He is visited by Shamus McCann (Patrick McGee) and Nat Goldberg (Sydney Tafler). They alternately celebrate and menace Stanley, who may or may or may not know them. Nothing is clearly stated. Most of the dialogue consists of insinuations and vague threats. Performances across the board are outstanding, with Robert Shaw outdoing himself as Stanley Weber. Moultrie Keisall as Petey is excellent but understated, and his final words really put the cherry on the birthday cake. (sorry for the pun). Nothing I can say can communicate the unique strangeness and power of this film. Top marks, 5 stars, classic.
helpful•122
- solszew-1
- Sep 20, 2012
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Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Language
- Also known as
- Harold Pinter's The Birthday Party
- Filming locations
- 7 Eriswell Road, Worthing, West Sussex, England, UK(The boarding house)
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
- Runtime2 hours 3 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 1.85 : 1
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