Rent The Party's Over (1965)

60's Beatnik Bohemia exploitation drama - The Party's Over review by Sandy

Melina - an American girl visiting Europe has disappeared. Carson -her fiancé - arrives from the USA to find her - coming across the teen gang of Chelsea beatniks led by Moise (played by Oliver Reed) that Melina was hanging out with at the time of her disappearance. The gang have drunken parties, hang out in jazz cellars and talk about rejecting convention. As Carson investigates the reasons for Melina's disappearance gets darker and the teen gang starts to crack - they're hiding the truth, but what is it?

Oliver Reed puts in a credible performance as an Angry Young Man outsider who has a gang that seems to follow his lead. Although he doesn't quite seem to have a destination in mind. He knows what he is against - and that's as far as his characterisation goes. The story itself barely hangs together - it gets past the teen exploitation movie concept- but only just - and the plot and resolution is missing a narrative drive. The secret once revealed is so awful, it is barely credible at all. I found myself getting frustrated at the slow narrative pace.

There is some excellent cinematography - the view of Chelsea Bridge being crossed by partied out Bohemian Beatniks for example and you get images of London as a jazz joint and some idea of the struggles between an oppressive, traditionalist culture and modern liberalism, but it is so jumbled up. The film wrestled with the censor of its day - but by today's standard it features what is about average for your standard prime-time soap opera. It's shock factor has dulled.

Worth a look, but