The Party
Short description
A thirteen-year-old girl named Vic navigates the challenges of starting at a new school in Paris. While she experiences the excitement of her first romantic relationship and friendship with a peer, her home life becomes unstable as her parents face a marital crisis and eventual separation. She finds support in her great-grandmother and friends as she balances teenage romance with family turmoil.
Directed by Claude Pinoteau, this French comedy and drama served as the first film in a series that included The Party 2 and The Student. The movie features Sophie Marceau in her breakout role as Vic, alongside Claude Brasseur and Brigitte Fossey as her parents. The production was handled by Gaumont, Gaumont International, and Productions Marcel Dassault, with a screenplay written by Pinoteau and Danièle Thompson.
The film has maintained a consistent reception among viewers since its 1980 release. On IMDb, it holds a rating of 6.7/10 based on 12,000 votes. Similarly, it has a rating of 6.6/10 on TMDB from 1,233 votes.
What's left behind the scenes
- The title song of the film, "Reality" by British singer Richard Sanderson, became a colossal hit throughout Europe. It reached the top of the music charts in 15 countries, including Germany, France, Spain, Austria, and Switzerland. The single's total sales exceeded 8 million copies. Initially, the song was offered to French pianist and singer Gilbert Montagné, but he refused, saying it didn't suit his style.
- The premiere of "Boom" in Italy took place with a significant delay in 1982. By that time, the "Boom" soundtrack had become a colossal hit there, and the film's release caused a huge sensation. "Boom" also became the most successful film of the year in Italy, selling 7.8 million tickets and surpassing Steven Spielberg's "E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial."
- During filming, director Claude Pinoteau (1925-2012) gave the lead actress, thirteen-year-old Sophie Maupu, a map of Paris and asked her to choose a pseudonym. She chose Avenue Marceau to keep her initials the same, and became Sophie Marceau.
- "Boom" became the most successful film of the year in France, surpassing the second part of the Star Wars trilogy, "The Empire Strikes Back." Released in December 1980, "Boom" was only sixth in France during its first week. However, the film then topped the box office chart for a month. Its total run in France lasted thirty-five weeks.
- Filming took place from July 16 to September 20, 1980.
- The idea for the film came to screenwriter Danielle Thompson when she returned home one day to find her teenage daughter, Caroline Thompson, had thrown a party without telling her. Initially, Thompson planned to create a project similar to the series "Happy Days" (1974-1984).
- For the French actress Denise Grey, who was 84 years old at the time, the role of Grandma Vic was her first on the big screen in ten years. Throughout the seventies, the well-known actress appeared exclusively in television projects.
- In America, the film was released under the title "The Party".
- Originally, Sheila O'Connor was chosen for the role of Vic, but two weeks before filming began, the creators found Sophie Marceau, and Sheila ultimately played Vic's best friend, Penelope.
- Sophie Marceau was discovered for the role by casting director François Ménidré when the 13-year-old Marceau came to a modeling agency to apply for a job to earn some pocket money and accidentally ended up at a film audition. This role made her world-famous, and since then she has consistently been called one of the most beloved celebrities (if not the most beloved celebrity) by the French public.
Auditions in India
Casting calls in USA
Castingi w Polsce
Кастинги в Україні
