The Dinner Party (Paul Watson, England, 1997)

British documentary filmmaker Paul Watson's provocative The Dinner Party aims to show what the "people's point of view on politics" is on the eve of the British general election in 1997. An undeniably attention-grabbing film, it is nonetheless weak in terms of content, and actually not very intelligent.

Conceived as an invitation to a group of East Anglia conservatives to "speak their mind on politics on TV", this polemical work draws from both experiential documentary and reality television. The scene is set to put the participants at ease, and to conduce them to share their most personal--perhaps never before revealed--political views before the public's gaze. Surrounded by top-quality silverware, high-class cuisine and food service and observed by the panning, but apparently non-intervening camera, the eight individuals candidly reveal frequently adamant, even rude, attitudes: anti-immigration sentiments, the revival of capital punishment, or a rejection of equal income distribution…the list goes on. The film includes separate black & white vignettes, where each individual is interviewed. These are mixed up with the main dinner-table thread, to fashion a kinetically edited documentary charged with energetic dialogue and unashamed bias, and tailored for controversy.

With such a style, there is little question that this documentary will achieve what it wants-- to provoke its viewers. Exploiting the immediacy of the screen, it tantalises them with its exclusive insider point-of-view on what are apparently some people's "true opinions". These blatant opinions, which theoretically may be otherwise unheard, certainly pique the viewers' curiosity.

But while the film retains the viewers' attention without fail, it does not go far enough to actually engage their mindsThe film aims for emotional impact and is less interested in prompting the viewers to consider and question the issues that are raised. There is no hint as to what ramifications such overt conservative attitudes would have over society in general, or over the outcomes of the upcoming general election in particular. Furthermore, there is insufficient background information from the emotional participants to support their opinions. While it is certainly likely that people form political opinions based on emotions as much as on actual knowledge and awareness, the fact that these very participants remain nameless and mysterious, and have vaguely defined personalities as if they were fictional personae, undermines the credibility and weight of their views. This effectively reduces the acrid declarations, such as "homosexuality is a freak of nature", to gossip, which possibly has little relevance to real conservative views. How seriously can one take the statements that are being made? As it becomes questionable whether the documentary shows the "truth", its persuasive powers weaken, and soon it may even stop making much sense.

So it turns out that what starts off as a clever and daring idea only ultimately culminates in largely insincere and superficial hyperbole. Ironically, to witness this daredevil attempt gradually mutate into something rather dumb is exactly the reason why The Dinner Party is worth watching.