The Party Is Over

This routine drama set in Argentina during the 1930s draws parallels between a family patriarch and a political despot who stoops to any corrupt means to increase his power and wealth. The parallels are easy to make because the man is the same in both cases. The grandfather in the family has a rigid, tight-fisted control over his grandchildren, who eventually begin to rebel against his authoritarian and ironically puritanical behavior. At first, there is no real awareness of his opposite, criminal behavior outside the home. But as one of the grandsons begins to mature in his political savvy, the grandfather comes under well-deserved fire at last.

Directed by Leopoldo Torre Nilsson, The Party Is Over leans on a strong ensemble — Arturo García Buhr, Lautaro Murúa, Graciela Borges — to carry a story that balances spectacle with character.

The film landed with audiences for its craft and performances, and remains one of the most talked-about drama titles of 1960.