I am looking for the title of a black and white film which I think may
have been made in the 60s. I saw a bit of it a long time ago on
television, and I think it may have been foreign - Italian or French.
In the part I saw, a group of people were at a (coktail?) party, and
every now and then someone would say it was time to go. However,
nobody went. The implication was that no-one could actually leave the
room. It has been suggested that what I saw was Satre's Huis Clos, but
that doesn't quite seem to fit.

Hello.

It sounds like you're describing "The Exterminating Angel" (1962),
also known as "El Angel exterminador."

" The Exterminating Angel - 1962
Director Luis Bunuel was a communist and good friend of Salvador
Dali... The film takes place at a dinner of upper class guests that
find that they cannot leave the room. It is never explained why they
can't leave the room, or why the crowds that gather outside the house
can never come in, it just happens to be that way. As the people
become more desperate with their plight, the story becomes more
bizarre."
source:
epinions.com
http://www.epinions.com/content_3036848260

"Plot Summary for Ángel exterminador, El (1962) 
After a lavish dinner party, the guests find themselves mysteriously
unable to leave the room..."
source: Internet Movie Database

From Amazon.com:

"A brilliant concept if I've ever heard one, Bunuel's finest film
involves a group at a dinner party who are inexplicably unable to go
home. Absolutely nothing is holding them back -- doors are unlocked,
there are no barriers -- but they just can't leave the house."
source: Amazon.com (VHS available from:)
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/6302101220/


-------
search strategy:
"they * leave the room" movie

I hope this is the movie that you had in mind. If not, please let me
know via the "request clarification" feature. Thanks.

---

Clarification of Answer by juggler-ga on 17 Nov 2004 13:13 PST

I notice that I left out the link for the Internet Movie Database entry:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0056732/

very pleased with the quick  and thorough response

Hi carol1952,

Your comments about the film remembered me an excellent French film...
Can you give more details? Was it a comic film? Was there a
protagonist? Any other details?

Thanks,

Lannaeus

Hi Lannaeus

thanks for your reply. I'm afraid I didn't watch enough of the film to
gather much information about the characters. I wouldn't say it was
comic. It had more of a surreal quality about it - although that may
have been because I only saw a bit of it and didn't understand what
was going on. The room that the characters were in, as far as I can
remember, was quite a large room - like a salon maybe.