No doubt about it, The Party is very much a product of its time. The bossanova soundtrack, the psychedelic elephant... And a browned-up Peter Sellers as an Indian actor gatecrashing a Hollywood society do.
It's somewhat uncomfortable, but Sellers thankfully only skirts stereotyping, imbuing his Hrundi V. Bakshi with a welcome dignity. Most of the humour runs to the farcical but when it's Sellers in control it doesn't grate. The improvised nature of the script shows, though; director Blake Edwards should definitely have yelled "cut" earlier.