The Wild Party (1975) on Netflix
In 1929, Jolly Grimm, a silent-screen comedy star, watches sound films take over Hollywood. He hosts a lavish party to show his new film to studio executives and revive his career.
- Netflix2.3/5
- IMDb5.3/101,025 votes
- Rotten Tomatoes40%
Trailer
Plot summary
The year is 1929, and sound has arrived in Hollywood. Jolly Grimm was once a great silent-screen comedy star. He still has his wealth, his mansion, his manservant Tex and his mistress Queenie, but the studios have lost interest in him. He has paid for a new film himself, and to sell it he throws a large party at his house and screens the footage for his guests, including a studio executive he hopes to win over. The party grows loud and alcohol-fueled. Queenie draws the attention of Dale Sword, a young actor among the guests.
Cast
Show all 15 cast
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about The Wild Party (1975)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- Raquel Welch demanded that cinematographer Walter Lassally be fired after he made an "impertinent" remark to her, and wanted James Ivory replaced as director by her boyfriend Ron Talsky. The Directors Guild became involved, threatening letters were sent to Welch, and filming continued.
- Test audiences in Santa Barbara and San Diego split over The Wild Party: University of California students liked the orgy and fight scenes but hated Perry King and the new "serious" Raquel Welch, while middle-class viewers felt the exact opposite. AIP then heavily re-edited the film.
- James Ivory said the studio "did more than recut" The Wild Party: it distributed two versions of the film, and he never knew which one audiences were being shown.
- The Wild Party was banned in the United Kingdom until 1982, when the BBFC finally gave it an 18 rating.
- The film's fading silent-comic lead was inspired by Fatty Arbuckle, and it started out as a musical, becoming a drama with music once James Ivory came on board.
