The Birthday Party (1968)

Directed by

William Friedkin

Genre

drama film

Country

United Kingdom

Runtime

2h 03m

Rated

PG-13

Rating

6.5 of 10 from 20 voters

Elsewhere

IMDb

How it feels

A man living in a seaside boarding house has his quiet life disrupted by two mysterious strangers. They claim to know him and pressure him into joining their organization.

oppressiveunsettlingslow-burnambiguousclaustrophobicmenacingtheatricaldarkly comic

What happens

The Birthday Party is a 1968 British drama neo noir directed by William Friedkin and starring Robert Shaw. It is based on the 1957 play The Birthday Party by Harold Pinter. The screenplay for the film was written by Pinter as well. The film, and the play, are considered examples of "comedy of menace", a genre associated with Pinter. The film was a passion project for Friedkin, an admirer of the play, and he remained proud of the film after its release, though it was a box office disappointment. It influenced his later work, particularly The Exorcist. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

Trailer

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