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Abigail's Party (BBC) [1977] [DVD]
 
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Abigail's Party (BBC) [1977] [DVD]

DVD ~ Alison Steadman
4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (27 customer reviews)
RRP: £15.99
Price: £4.97 & this item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions
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Frequently Bought Together

Abigail's Party (BBC) [1977] [DVD] + Life Is Sweet [DVD] [1990] + Happy-Go-Lucky [DVD] [2008]
Total RRP: £51.97
Price For All Three: £13.93

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  • This item: Abigail's Party (BBC) [1977] [DVD] DVD ~ Alison Steadman

    Usually dispatched within 7 to 13 days.
    Dispatched from and sold by Amazon.co.uk.
    This item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions

  • Life Is Sweet [DVD] [1990] DVD ~ Alison Steadman

    Usually dispatched within 6 to 10 days.
    Dispatched from and sold by Amazon.co.uk.
    This item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions

  • Happy-Go-Lucky [DVD] [2008] DVD ~ Sally Hawkins

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    Dispatched from and sold by Amazon.co.uk.
    This item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions

What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

Abigail's Party (BBC) [1977] [DVD]
94% buy the item featured on this page:
Abigail's Party (BBC) [1977] [DVD] 4.6 out of 5 stars (27)
£4.97
Life Is Sweet [DVD] [1990]
2% buy
Life Is Sweet [DVD] [1990] 4.2 out of 5 stars (4)
£3.98
Mike Leigh: The BBC Collection [DVD] [1975]
2% buy
Mike Leigh: The BBC Collection [DVD] [1975] 4.5 out of 5 stars (10)
£44.98
Happy-Go-Lucky [DVD] [2008]
1% buy
Happy-Go-Lucky [DVD] [2008] 3.3 out of 5 stars (42)
£4.98
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Product details

  • Actors: Alison Steadman, Tim Stern, Janine Duvitski, John Salthouse, Harriet Reynolds
  • Directors: Mike Leigh
  • Writers: Mike Leigh
  • Producers: Margaret Matheson
  • Format: PAL
  • Language English
  • Subtitles: English
  • Region: Region 2 (This DVD may not be viewable outside Europe. Read more about DVD formats.)
  • Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
  • Number of discs: 1
  • Classification: PG
  • Studio: 2 Entertain Video
  • DVD Release Date: 26 May 2003
  • Run Time: 102 minutes
  • Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (27 customer reviews)
  • ASIN: B000096KEQ
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 978 in DVD (See Bestsellers in DVD)

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Reviews

Amazon.co.uk Review

Originally screened as part of BBC's Play for Today series in 1977, Abigail's Party is among Mike Leigh's most celebrated pieces, with his then-wife Alison Steadman appallingly brilliant as what Alan Bennett described as the "brutal hostess" at a ghastly suburban soiree. The Abigail of the title never appears--rather, the dull thud of her lively teenage party forms a distant backdrop (and contrast) to an excruciating evening of chilled red wine, olives and the music of Demis Roussos. Steadman plays the overbearing Beverley, an Amazonian mass of frustrated sensuality in a low-cut party frock. Tim Stern is her small, stressed estate-agent husband. The guests are Janice Duvitski as Angela, a nurse whose quite spectacular gormlessness shields her from the stilted social awkwardness quietly raging around her, John Salthouse as Tony, her taciturn husband and Harriet Reynolds as Sue, the gangly and miserably nervous mother of Abigail.

Rather than play for gags, Leigh and his actors mercilessly turn the screw of embarrassment through a series of too-true-to-life exchanges of dialogue, the stuff of all our collective worst memories of encounters with neighbours, aunts and office colleagues. Often misread as a satirical parade of suburban grotesques, Abigail's Party probes deeper than that, touching on nerves of anxiety and repression that throb behind the net curtains of modern England, culminating not in farce but tragedy. Decades on, Abigail's Party is as psychologically true and close to home as ever--hard to bear but utterly brilliant.

On the DVD: Abigail's Party is perfectly reproduced here in all its 1970s garishness. The one extra is a short featurette, focussing on Alison Steadman's playing of Beverley, with comments from the original actors in the TV series and Peter York marvelling at her "paint-scraping" voice. --David Stubbs



DVD Description

Beverly wears low-cut dresses, too much make-up and has a reputation as a man-eating monster. In Mike Leigh's modern classic, Abigail's Party, she turns a social get-together between married couples into a virtual time bomb of emotional tension. Alison Steadman won two best actress awards for her portrayal of the bored, bitchy hostess in this savagely funny study of pretentious middle-class social manners. It also stars Tim Stern, Janine Duvitski, John Salthouse and Harriet Reynolds.

Running Time: 60 minutes + 6 minutes approx.

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Customer Reviews

27 Reviews
5 star:
 (21)
4 star:
 (1)
3 star:
 (5)
2 star:    (0)
1 star:    (0)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.6 out of 5 stars (27 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
47 of 48 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Black comedy at its very best..., 28 Dec 2004
By nicjaytee (London) - See all my reviews
(TOP 100 REVIEWER)   
Like "The Office" 25 years later, "Abigail's Party" is such perfectly targeted, close to the truth humour that it makes you laugh out loud and cringe with embarrassment at the same time. In a setting that represents everyone's nightmare of mid 70's middle class life it sucks you into its brilliantly drawn world and then leaves you as some sort of unwelcome voyeur in the cocktail party from hell. Like most of the people there, you want to get out but you can't leave. And as things go from bad to worse you end up totally transfixed by the sheer awfulness of the situation you find yourself in.

With characters whose lives are so desperately frustrating that real aggression lies only just below the surface, this is black comedy at its very best precisely because it's much too close to reality for comfort. You can't help but laugh but you know that you're laughing at these people and their tragically depressing lives, and by the "sting in the tail" ending you really wish you hadn't. Brilliantly written, directed and acted "Abigail's Party" is far more than a humorous period piece and, quite rightly, stands up there as one of the very best British TV plays of the past thirty years.

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34 of 35 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Stands the test of time, 6 Oct 2005
By A. Butterfield (UK) - See all my reviews
(TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)      
I hadn't seen this for quite a few years and was afraid it might have lost its impact but it hasn't. It's still just as toe-curling and awful, and hilarious, as it was back in the seventies. Steadman is the obvious star, with her incredible mannerisms and burly shoulders, but Janine Duvitski is almost as good as the drippy yet crass Angie who embarrasses her husband with every word.
Not much happens of course. Except at the end. Mostly it's just drinks being served and guests squirming, but the whole play is priceless.
As time goes by, the perfect 1970s set becomes all the more nostalgic, and this only adds to the appeal.
I was pleasantly surprised by the picture quality. Extras are limited to a short exerpt from a documentary about funny women, but there are brief interviews with most members of the cast inclusing Steadman and Duvitski .
Highly recommended. A classic.
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12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Beautifully painful, 5 Mar 2004
By Morgan Lombard (Concord, NH) - See all my reviews
Demis Roussos is on the stereo and I'm sipping cool, refreshing beaujolais straight from the fridge.

It's 1978 forever and ever and ever and ever...

Buy Abigail's Party - today!

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Every home should ahve one
if a classic is defined by its enduring quality, then Abigail's Party is a classic. Of course it pokes fun at manners, fashions and music that are out-of-date now, but the basic... Read more
Published 4 days ago by Jacques Tati

5.0 out of 5 stars Retro bliss
Buy it immediately. This is the cocktail party from hell that starts off ever so politely and descends into chaos as the drinks keep flowing. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Ms. Gillian Croll

5.0 out of 5 stars Abigail's Party
Viden received in excellent condition and on good time. I have forgotten just how dated the play is now, but it is still a good play to watch.
Published 3 months ago by Sjm Pyne

5.0 out of 5 stars Mike Leigh's film, Abigail's Party
Prompt delivery of my order which arrived securely packaged and in good condition, means the recipient has already enjoyed this comedy-of-manners. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Jennifer A. Keay

5.0 out of 5 stars Abigail's Party DVD
The product arrived quickly and was exactly what I wanted and made the recipients very happy.
Published 5 months ago by Gary J. Kiernan

5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant ! Fantastic!
This is one of the best plays ever produced. Mike Leigh is a genius as are all those taking part in the production. Read more
Published 5 months ago by Bibi

5.0 out of 5 stars Abigail's Party
Abigail's Party (BBC) [1977] [DVD]

Alison Steadman at her best. Some of the characteristics from Gavin & Stacey, but she is a wonderful actress. Read more
Published 8 months ago by Mrs. J. C. Andrews

3.0 out of 5 stars Abigail's Party
This is the first time i've seen this, it may grow on me if i watch it a few times.
Published 9 months ago by Mrs. C. A. Waight

5.0 out of 5 stars We've all encountered a Beverley...
Watching this exquisitely funny and painfully true parade of suburban nightmares, I realised that I had met at least six 'Beverleys'. Read more
Published 15 months ago by Ms. Felicia Davis-burden

5.0 out of 5 stars Mirror Mirror .......
This is quite deservedly a classic, despite the two negative reviews by "a customer". It is however excrutiating watching at times and purely because it is truly a mirror on not... Read more
Published 24 months ago by The Bellringer

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