= THE PARTY =

Combine the special talents of a Peter Sellers, a Blake Edwards and a Henry Mancini - as has been done twice before - and you come up with the freshest and funniest of film comedies that glow with the eloquence of captivating, original musical scores. Now, his third time around with the Messrs. Sellers and Edwards, Mancini has once again dipped into his bottomless melody bag, from whence came the delights of the scores he composed for the same duo's "The Pink Panther" and "A Shot in the Dark," and provided us with another sample of his tuneful talents for "The Party." The film, in which Sellers hilariously portrays a madcap Indian actor who comes to Hollywood to star in a picture called "Son of Gunga Din", affords Mancini a perfect vehicle for another outstanding score bearing all the Mancini trademarks: elegance, wit, built-in swing and, above all, that rare talent for writing melodies that charm their way into your heart... and remain there.