Petulia (1968)

User Rating:

7.0/10   

Director:

Richard Lester

Writers:

Lawrence B. Marcus (screenplay)
John Haase (novel)

Release Date:

10 June 1968 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

...the uncommon movie.

Plot:

An unhappily married socialite finds solace in the company of a recently divorced doctor.

Plot Keywords:

Socialite | Doctor | San Francisco California | Divorce | Flash Forward

Awards:

2 nominations

Cast

Julie Christie	...	Petulia
George C. Scott	...	Archie
Richard Chamberlain	...	David
Arthur Hill	...	Barney
Shirley Knight	...	Polo
Pippa Scott	...	May
Kathleen Widdoes	...	Wilma
Roger Bowen	...	Warren
Richard Dysart	...	Motel Receptionist
Ruth Kobart	...	Nun
Ellen Geer	...	Nun
Lou Gilbert	...	Mr. Howard
Nate Esformes	...	Mr. Mendoza (as Nat Esformes)
Maria Val	...	Mrs. Mendoza
Vincent Arias	...	Oliver

Runtime:

105 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound Recording)

Certification:

Canada:14+ (Ontario) | West Germany:18 | UK:15 | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15 | USA:Approved | USA:R

Filming Locations:

2417 Franklin Street, San Francisco, California, USA

Company:

Petersham Pictures

Trivia:

The film includes concert footage of both Big Brother & the Holding Co. (featuring Janis Joplin) and the Grateful Dead. Additionally, the hippies who observe Petulia taken out of Archie's apartment on a stretcher are members of the Grateful Dead and their communal entourage.

Goofs:

Continuity: The way Petulia holds Archie's hand in the elevator changes between shots.

Quotes:

Petulia: Get stuffed, Wilma.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in A Legacy of Filmmakers: The Early Years of American Zoetrope (2004) (V)

Absolutely Cool

I adore this film and I'm so surprised that it doesn't have a higher score for user votes. I stumbled on this film on cable and was mesmerized. It's truly is fabulous - if it sounds like I'm gushing over it, it's because that's precisely what I'm doing. Julie Christie is just awesome in this film. She so kinetic, and of course, beautiful. The biggest surprise for me was watching Richard Chamberlain. I always thought of him as just the King of Television Mini-Series, and he was so utterly different in this than what I grew up thinking him to be. The film is so stylistic - wonderful the way it plays with time and images. Petulia is the best hidden surprise that I've stumbled on in the last 5 years. Now if someone would only release it on DVD - PLEASE!