Petulia

R

Released Jun 10, 1968

1 hr. 44 min.

Comedy

Drama

List

86%

14 Reviews

Tomatometer

80%

500+ Ratings

Audience Score

Dr. Archie Bollen (George C. Scott) is having a midlife crisis. He's just divorced his wife (Shirley Knight) and is establishing a new life for himself. One night, he catches the eye of Petulia Danner (Julie Christie), a charming, free-spirited young woman. Petulia's vibrant personality hides her fear of her abusive husband, David (Richard Chamberlain), whose father is a powerful society figure. As Petulia and Archie's feelings for each other grow, they must decide what it is they truly want.

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steven s

Quit halfway through the movie as I had no empathy for any of the characters and could not care less for what was to become of them.

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

Audience Member

This was my first time watching this movie on the TCM website (shout out to TCM). I must say that I enjoyed watching the movie for what it was, but it was a stressful movie to watch (similar to watching a movie like Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf) because of the depth of the subject matter. From watching the film I would say that Petulia was definitely leaning more towards a romance drama tone and for it's time the subject matter that was quite apparent in the film about the complexities of being in an abusive relationship and trying to leave that relationship was something that was groundbreaking and new. Seeing this theme along with the editing cuts (which I thought were cool and incredibly 60s) along with the common occurrence of the war and literally with the movie premiering in 1968 really brings home a sense of bleakness that is all too real which was powerful but stressful to watch. Throughout the film I felt worried about the main character, and it seemed like her character whenever around her husband was always walking on egg shells. Also, the complexities of leaving an abusive relationship being front and center also is layered even deeper with the presences class and the values shared at that time. If we are looking at this in retrospect we must remember that especially in the 60s divorce and leaving your husband was incredibly taboo and looked down upon. I feel like her relation with Archie was not only a love affair but it provided her with solace to be herself and to experience what it was like to not have to be on guard even if it was for that moment. In return she gave him the ability to let his guard down, be vulnerable and let loose a bit. I would say if you're expecting a happy ending this movie will not give that to you. However, I do appreciate about it is how real and non "fairy tale" the movie is. The characters end up making decisions that a lot of us make and I appreciate the way that it makes the audience think about the depth of the situations the characters are going going through. The film is letting you know that it's not black and white at all. They are much more complex that we make these situations out to be unless one has experienced it themself.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/23/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Boring and uninvolving within the first 10 minutes. Worth it as a curio, if you can stay awake.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

05/07/19

Full Review

andrey k

Quite typical 60's movie about confusion and crumbling of traditional values and family, and to replace them came frustration and depression. George C. Scott is as always very professional in his role of a confused man, experiencing a crisis in the fast changing world of the Vietnam War era US.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

Audience Member

The story is appalling for how spineless the female characters are. But it's an interesting time capsule and the youngish George C. Scott is fun to watch.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

02/15/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Petulia (1968) tells the powerful story of two disintegrating marriages and the flowering of a love affair set against the backdrop of the Viet Nam war (waged on television screens), a potent counterpoint to the emotional chaos and violence in the characters' lives. A film way ahead of its time with exceptional performances by all the cast, especially Shirley Knight in a heartbreaking turn as George C. Scott's devastated wife and Richard Chamberlain in the unlikely role of Julie Christie's abusive husband. A vastly underrated, overlooked film, in my opinion.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

02/08/23

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Richard Lester

Director

Julie Christie

Petulia Danner

George C. Scott

Dr. Archie Bollen

Richard Chamberlain

David Danner

Arthur Hill

Barney

Shirley Knight

Polo

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Judith Crist

New York Magazine/Vulture

All is location, all is mod mood and the disappointment is bitter.

Oct 1, 2019

Full Review

Mark Bourne

Film.com

...an anti-The Graduate ... an essential film from and about America in the dying days of the '60s, yet the modernism of its style and ambitions makes Petulia impressively ahead of that time.

Jan 25, 2008

Full Review

Roger Ebert

Chicago Sun-Times

It is the coldest, cruelest film I can remember, and one of the most intellectual... It is lifeless, heartless bloodless, the expression of Lester's abstract thought about the American way of life. And it is terribly effective.

Rated: 4/4

Oct 23, 2004

Full Review

Penelope Houston

The Spectator

You may not greatly take to Petulia, but don't miss it.

Oct 1, 2019

Full Review

Fernando F. Croce

CinePassion

Jack-rabbiting technique embodies foreboding and dissonance rather than gimmicky whimsy

Mar 15, 2010

Full Review

Emanuel Levy

EmanuelLevy.Com

Innovative in narrative and style, Lester's dissection of mores and manners through marriages and affairs captures vividly the zeitgeist of the Summer of Love and the violent Vietnam War with brilliant turns from Julie Christie and George C. Scott.

Rated: A-

Jul 14, 2008

Full Review

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Synopsis

Dr. Archie Bollen (George C. Scott) is having a midlife crisis. He's just divorced his wife (Shirley Knight) and is establishing a new life for himself. One night, he catches the eye of Petulia Danner (Julie Christie), a charming, free-spirited young woman. Petulia's vibrant personality hides her fear of her abusive husband, David (Richard Chamberlain), whose father is a powerful society figure. As Petulia and Archie's feelings for each other grow, they must decide what it is they truly want.

Director: Richard Lester
Production Co: Warner Brothers/Seven Arts
Rating: R
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jun 10, 1968, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Jan 1, 2009

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