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The Birthday Party

Play trailer Poster for The Birthday Party G,  1968,  2h 3m,  Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist 100% 6 Reviews Tomatometer 78% 500+ Ratings Popcornmeter
100% Tomatometer 6 Reviews 78% Popcornmeter 500+ Ratings
Two British mobsters (Patrick Magee, Sydney Tafler) drive a mob deserter (Robert Shaw) mad at a seaside resort.

Critics Reviews

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Roger Ebert Chicago Sun-Times Oct 23, 2004
3/4
It probably wasn't possible to make a satisfactory film of The Birthday Party. On the other hand, it's impossible to imagine a better film of Pinter's play than this sensitive, disturbing version directed by William Friedkin. Go to Full Review
Eddie Harrison film-authority.com Nov 30, 2023
4/5
…faithful to the letter of play, dragging things out for a painful but rewarding two hours plus… Go to Full Review
Harold Clurman The Nation Oct 3, 2023
Pinter’s ear is so keen, his method so economic and so shrewdly stylized... that his play succeeds in being both funny and horrific. He is aided in this by Friedkin’s direction. Go to Full Review
Tim Stevens The Spool Sep 8, 2023
[T]he filmmaker ratchets up the claustrophobia to near-unbearable levels and brings in several techniques that suggest a certain unreality within the small tale. Go to Full Review
Dennis Schwartz Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews Jul 7, 2015
B+
I couldn't resist its strangeness. Go to Full Review
Emanuel Levy EmanuelLevy.Com Jul 15, 2005
3/5
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Audience Reviews

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Hermione S Apr 14, 2017 This is a glacially paced, stagy, and confusing mess of a film.
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The Birthday Party

My Rating

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Cast & Crew

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William Friedkin

Director

Robert Shaw

Stanley Webber

Patrick Magee

Shamus McCann

Sydney Tafler

Nat Goldberg

Dandy Nichols

Meg Bowles

Moultrie Kelsall

Pete Bowles

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The Birthday Party

The Birthday Party (1968) The Birthday Party (1968) View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis Two British mobsters (Patrick Magee, Sydney Tafler) drive a mob deserter (Robert Shaw) mad at a seaside resort.
Director
William Friedkin
Producer
Max Rosenberg, Milton Subotsky
Rating
G
Genre
Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (DVD)
Sep 5, 2017
Runtime
2h 3m
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