An education!

Production Year: 1977 - Comedy - Director: Mike Leigh - Original Language: English - Classification: Parental Guidance more

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Mike Leigh's television adaptation of the play performed by the Hampstead Theatre Production focuses on a dinner party organized by Beverly (Alison Steadman), a middle-class...
more...Londoner who is married to Laurence (Tim Stern). The party's guests include new neighbors Angela (Janine Duvitski), a nurse, and her computer programmer husband, Tony (John Salthouse), as well as Susan (Harriet Reynolds), a divorced single mother whose 15-year-old daughter, Abigail, is throwing her first party next door. As the guests arrive and begin to get settled in, they run through the generic list of get-to-know-you topics of discussion, including work, family, life, and the history of how they met their partners. Gradually, the alcohol takes effect, causing Beverly and Tony to see each other in a sexual light when they begin to slow dance. All of this is disrupted when Laurence short-circuits, first going on a rampage of art appreciation, and then falling to the ground in an apparent fit of choking. The gravity of the situation finally brings sobriety and a well-needed reality check to the situation as Beverly, Tony, and Angela struggle to keep Laurence alive. Shooting the film on video, using only one location, ABIGAIL'S PARTY captures the stage production with Leigh's usual intimacy.

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An education!

A review by elinor-2005 on Abigail's Party DVD
February 25th, 2005

Author's product rating: Abigail's Party DVD - rated by elinor-2005

Did you enjoy it?	Liked it
Story	Good
Characters / Performances	Good
Special Effects	Unmemorable
How does it compare to similar films?	Good

Advantages:	Very funny comedy of 1970s manners
Disadvantages:	The actor who plays 'Lawrence', the ending

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

I wasn't around in the 70s, but chose to study this film for A-level English just out of curiosity. Mike Leigh's work never fails to impress me now, but to be honest I was a bit dubious about this before I saw it. Not being a child of the 70s, some of the cultural references went over my head a bit, but the performances bring to life characters that are still recognisable today.
However, the actor who plays Lawrence is a thorn in the side of the production, overacting and creating a one-dimensional, wooden performance. But this doesn't hinder the performaces of the other three actors, all excellent, in this ensemble piece.
After a strong script all the way through, the ending is a bit of a disapointment, and doesn't sit very well with the rest of the play.
Other than that I enjoyed 'Abigail's Party' and loved seeing the reality of the 70s 'kitsch'!

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Soundtrack	Unmemorable
How does it compare to others by the same director?	Good
Value for Money	Good
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Abigail's Party (BBC) [1977] Originally screened as part of BBC's Play for Today series in 1977, Abigail's Party is ... more among Mike Leigh's most celebrated pieces, with his then-wife Alison Steadman appallingly brilliant as what Alan Bennett described as the "brutal hostess" at a ghast...	£ 7.38	Postage & Packaging: Check Site. Availability: Usually dispatched within 2 working days...	Visit Shop > Amazon Marketplace
Abigail's Party (BBC) [1977] Originally screened as part of BBC'sPlay for Todayseries in 1977,Abigail's Partyis among ... more Mike Leigh's most celebrated pieces, with his then-wife Alison Steadman appallingly brilliant as what Alan Bennett described as the "brutal hostess" at a ghastly s...	£ 9.48	Postage & Packaging: £1.46 Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours...	Visit Shop > Amazon.co.uk
Abigail's Party Beverly wears low-cut dresses too much make-up and has a reputation as a man-eating ... more monster. In Mike Leigh's modern classic 'Abigail's Party' she turns a social get-together between married couples into a time-bomb of emotional tension. Alison Steadman...	£ 12.99	Postage & Packaging: £0.00 Availability: 3-5 Working Days	Visit Shop > Play.com (Films)

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