The Birthday Party

1968

Action / Drama / Mystery / Thriller

6
Rotten Tomatoes Critics - Certified Fresh 100% · 6 reviews
Rotten Tomatoes Audience - Upright 76% · 500 ratings
IMDb Rating 6.4/10 10 1388 1.4K

absurdist

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Plot summary

Based on Harold Pinter's enigmatic play about a boarder in a British seaside dwelling who is visited by two strangers. They torment him verbally, ask him idiotic unanswerable questions, force him to sit down and stand up, and give him a "party". Then, eventually, they take him away, a tongue-tied idiot. The trivial becomes the terrible, and with it a certain wonder, a certain pity.

Director

William Friedkin Photo
William Friedkin

Top cast

Patrick Magee Photo
Patrick Magee as McCann
Robert Shaw Photo
Robert Shaw as Stanley
Moultrie Kelsall Photo
Moultrie Kelsall as Petey
Sydney Tafler Photo
Sydney Tafler as Goldberg
720p.BLU
1.11 GB
1280*720
English 2.0
G
Subtitles
23.976 fps
2 hr 4 min
Seeds 7

Movie Reviews

Reviewed by Simon T 7 / 10

William Friedkin is an odd choice as director

William Friedkin is an odd choice as director of Harold Pinter's very English and claustrophobic one-set play. He casts it very well, and hones in on faces to animate the drama. Only the very particular black humour eludes him - although Sydney Tafler, Patrick Magee, Dandy Nichols and Robert Shaw are all excellent, and the production design - the small front room of a grotty seaside bed-and-breakfast - is pitch perfect. Judicious editing would have improved things too.
Reviewed by Claudio C 6 / 10

The Birthday Party (1968) Unpleasant and Depressive (11,936

The Birthday Party (1968) Unpleasant and Depressive (11,936 - 23 Sep 2025 – by Claudio Carvalho) In a British coastal town, the talkative Meg (Dandy Nichols) runs a boarding house with her husband Petey (Moultrie Kelsall). Presently, her only guest is the thirty and something years old pianist Stanley “Stan” (Robert Shaw). Out of the blue, her neighbor Lulu (Helen Fraser) receives a birthday gift for Stanley, who denies that it is his birthday. Then, the gangsters Goldberg (Sydney Tafler) and McCann (Patrick Magee) arrive at the boarding house and rent a room for them both. Further, they schedule a birthday party for Stanley. “The Birthday Party” (1968) is an unpleasant and depressive movie by William Friedkin, based on a play by Harold Pinter. The plot is never clear about the reason why the gangsters destroy Stan and whether he was the right target. In addition, Meg is an annoying and shallow character. The conclusion does not indicate the date of Stanley; therefore, a disappointing end. My vote is six. Title (Brazil): “Trágico Aniversário” (“Tragic Birthday”) My Blog: https://maniacosporfilme.wordpress.com/
Reviewed by isla s 7 / 10

This is very much a slow burner of

This is very much a slow burner of a film but I certainly felt it became quite sinister in tone and its intriguing, as a viewer we know very little about the lodger who it appears is targeted by two mysterious men. He isn't someone who is easy to like or feel sorry for, certainly at first but the tension that undoubtedly builds as things become more and more intense in terms of the constant questioning and aggravation by said mysterious men. Its one of those films in which you, the viewer, finds themself analysing whats going on and trying to guess what led to things and what may, or may not, happen next. I thought the performances were quite good - the clear distress on the lodgers face is very well put across and I'd say I felt a shiver or two down my spine. This film mainly deals with the theme of manipulation, that and control, I reckon. I felt it also made me question how much anyone really knows other people your only mildly acquainted with. This is by no means an especially visually scary film as such but it is effective in terms of putting across a sense of distinct unease, of something untowards being in the pipeline. It didn't surprise me to find out that this is a film adaptation of a play, as its pretty much all set in the same building/location. I don't doubt that its a bit too slow and subtle/boring for people who prefer their films to be fast paced, with lots of CGI and the like but that aside, its good and is worth a watch for those interested in it.
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