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UA Film Festivalby Ari
The Killing (Stanley Kubrick, 1956)
Heist movies don’t get much better than this. It’s always nice to see this classic feature-length debut by Stanley Kubrick in theaters with a full audience. The Noir Fest at the Egyptian theater screened this last year to a great crowd, and the Film Forum has now done the same at the UA Fest. The Killing is a thrilling noir, so tightly paced and brilliantly performed by Sterling Hayden, Elisha Cook, Timothy Carey and the classic Marie Windsor. The writing is quick and sharp, the photography is impeccable, and the racetrack set-piece is one of the most expertly choreographed and executed heists you’ll see on film. One of the great directorial debuts in film history.
It’s always interesting when you go back and re-watch a childhood favorite after many years. The Party used to make me laugh so much it hurt. I didn’t expect Blake Edwards’ ludicrous ‘60s comedy to make me laugh the same way at today’s screening, but sure enough it did. The Party holds up incredibly well thanks to the wildly creative screenplay and the brilliant performance by Peter Sellers. Every sequence is good in this film. I love the way Edwards and Sellers gradually increase the absurdity of the situation. The story follows Hrundi V. Bakshi (Sellers), an actor from India who accidently blows up the set of the film he’s working on. This naturally infuriates the director, producer and head studio executive, and the solution is to make sure Bakshi never works in Hollywood again. Unfortunately the studio boss inadvertently invites Bakshi to the studio party at his hip, stylish Hollywood home. Once Bakshi arrives, chaos ensues. Things just get crazier and crazier as the film progresses, but each set-piece is perfectly handled. The comedic timing by Sellers and some of the supporting actors is as good as anything I’ve seen. And even when the house is flooded and an elephant arrives, it’s still funny. It doesn’t matter how absurd it is, The Party remains one of the classic Blake Edwards/Peter Sellers collaborations.
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