It was adapted from the novel Me and the Arch Kook Petulia by John Haase. Petulia had been listed to compete at the 1968 Cannes Film Festival,[2] but the festival was cancelled due to the events of May 1968 in France. A US DVD was released in 2006. Petulia: “Say something warm.” Archie: “Like what?” Petulia: “I mean it.” Archie: “Your hair, it gleams.” Petulia: “Oh, Archie!” De Amerikaanse regisseur Richard Lester is vooral bekend om de Beatle-films A hard day’s night en Help!. 28 of 36 people found this review helpful. It was scored by John Barry. Director Richard Lester is best remembered for his delightfully mod films of the sixties, including the Beatles classics A Hard Day’s Night (1964) and Help! Richard Lester Liebman (born January 19, 1932), commonly referred to as Dick Lester, is a retired American film director based in the United Kingdom. At the time of its release in 1968, Petulia was a modest success earning Warner Bros. a decent profit, but since that time the movie has grown to become a Top 10 mainstay by many critics ranking films of the 1960s. In San Francisco , recently-divorced physician Archie Bollen (Scott) and newly-married socialite Petulia Danner (Christie) are both dissatisfied with their lives. Form pushing. The film was released on VHS. Some of our favorites stars share the women's stories that they turn to for inspiration and motivation during Women's History Month and beyond. [5], Learn how and when to remove this template message, http://www.avclub.com/article/steven-soderbergh-13624, The Running Jumping & Standing Still Film, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Petulia&oldid=1008158495, Articles needing additional references from February 2020, All articles needing additional references, Pages using infobox film with unknown empty parameters, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 21 February 2021, at 21:41. Mr. Lester was still best known as the director of the first two Beatles films, ‘A Hard Day’s Night’ (1964) and ‘Help’ (1965), and his pop instincts had not abandoned him. Experimental. Read More; role of He is best remembered for the two films he helmed starring The Beatles: A Hard Day's Night (1964) and Help! It was scored by John Barry. Being a child of the… Archie eventually learns part of the reason why Petulia is so determined to cheat on David as her relationship to David and David's wealthy father are brought to light. Bathsheba Everdene, a willful, flirtatious, young woman, unexpectedly inherits a large farm and is romantically pursued by three very different men. Richard Lester was one of the most influential directors of the 1960s, and continued his career into the 1970s and early '80s. View production, box office, & company info. Crime. Archie becomes involved with Petulia (Julie Christie), a clichéd "kooky" young woman of a type that often appeared in films of this period. A lazy, irresponsible young clerk (Sir Tom Courtenay) in provincial Northern England lives in his own fantasy world and makes emotionally immature decisions as he alienates friends and family. Richard Lester was one of the most interesting directors to emerge in the 1960s - no small claim - and "Petulia" is still his best film. Petulia is Richard Lester's ode to the Swinging Sixties: a time of psychedelic instability when neither those who were square, nor those who were hip, really had it right. Archie also learns that getting involved with Petulia in any regard has its consequences, both for Petulia herself and for him, most specifically in his relationship to Polo. Through her position, she slowly sees how the upper class of society is slowly crumbling, and how a popular ... See full summary ». Keep track of everything you watch; tell your friends. When she sees him at a hospital fund-raiser, newlywed San Francisco socialite Petulia Danner, who has been married to naval engineer David Danner for six months, seems determined to have an affair with soon to be divorced physician Dr. Archie Bollen, who has been married to his wife Polo for close to ten years, their marriage which many saw as being perfect. Giving the film four stars, Roger Ebert wrote in his Chicago Sun-Times review of 1 July 1968: "Richard Lester's Petulia made me desperately unhappy, and yet I am unable to find a single thing wrong with it. The aimlessness of its cast only hints at darker, neurotic motives. PETULIA, Richard Lester’s neglected classic of the late sixties, is an adaptation of John Haase’s novel Me and the Arch Kook Petulia. Petulia's pursuit of Archie is relentless - she even declaring that they will someday be married - even as Archie dates another woman named May. Beautiful but amoral model Diana Scott sleeps her way to the top of the London fashion scene at the height of the Swinging Sixties. Archie doesn't even know Petulia's name, but only knows her as the woman who brought in a young Mexican boy into the hospital with serious injuries. Richard Lester's "Petulia" (1968) belongs on any list of the classics of American filmmaking, and a beautifully produced DVD belongs in any serious cinephile's collection. Petulia is a strange, lovely, nervous little film, very jaggedly cut (by Richard Lester, who also directed Help! But when people inquire about my favorite American movie, I have a ready answer—Petulia. Archie eventually learns part of the reason why Petulia is so determined to cheat on David as her relationship to David and David's wealthy father are brought to light. In Richard Lester >Petulia (1968), a comparatively straightforward account of an extramarital affair in contemporary San Francisco that starred Julie Christie and George C. Scott, Lester’s other 1960s movies—the “swinging London” spoof The Knack…and How to Get It (1965), the Broadway adaptation A Funny Thing Happened on the…. At the time, it seemed quite a leap forward for Lester, who was simply thought of as a director of comedies and musicals. Petulia and Archie embark on a quirky, desperate, and ultimately tragic affair. (1965) as well as The Knack . Mr. Was this review helpful to you? Petulia (1968) sits at a crucial juncture in American/British director Richard Lester’s career. How I Won the War-Wikipedia. Written by Arthur Hill – Barney Shirley Night – Polo (Archie’s ex-wife) Petulia is a 1968 American drama film directed by Richard Lester and starring Julie Christie, George C. Scott and Richard Chamberlain. A young school teacher tries to master the art of flirtation using his neighbor's skills. Petulia is a 1968 American drama directed by Richard Lester and starring Julie Christie, George C. Scott and Richard Chamberlain. Petulia is a 1968 romantic drama film directed by Richard Lester, starring Julie Christie and George C. Scott. Archie doesn't even know Petulia's name, but only knows her as the woman who brought in a young Mexican boy into the hospital with serious injuries. Richard Lester's "Petulia" made me desperately unhappy, and yet I am unable to find a single thing wrong with it. Julien is an electronics professional who is down on his luck when he decides to enter a sailing competition. There she begins a nearly nymphomaniacal pursuit of a mystery-fantasy man called Gregory (Michael Sarrazin). The film utilizes fast forward and backward cuts, which at the time seemed avant-garde and unconventional, but today it … Challenging. Filmed on location throughout San Francisco, Petulia included scenes at the apartment building located at 307 Filbert Street, the Cala Foods on Hyde, and in the lobby of the Fairmont Hotel where Janis Joplin was filmed lip-synching to a pre-recording in May 1967. This ranking was unexpected because, while Petulia received respectable reviews when it was released in 1968, it did not get the acclaim of Coppola's epic and other titles on the list. Petulia's pursuit of Archie is relentless - she even declaring that they will someday be married - even as Archie dates another woman named May. The screenplay by Lawrence B. Marcus is based on the novel Me and the Arch Kook Petulia by John Haase. Petulia is a 1968 American drama directed by Richard Lester and starring Julie Christie, George C. Scott and Richard Chamberlain. Ditto Scott's restless character.The graphics are subtle and rich at the same time. Both Marcus and Turner were nominated for the Writers Guild of America Award for Best Written American Drama. George C. Scott is Archie Bollen, a divorced San Francisco doctor in the midst of "discovering himself." By that I don't mean it's filled with philosophy, like Bergman, or with metaphysics, like "2001." . Petulia is Richard Lester's ode to the Swinging Sixties: a time of psychedelic instability when neither those who were square, nor those who were hip, really had it right. PETULIA (1968) 50th Anniversary Screening Thursday, September 20 at 7 PM Royal Theatre Q&A with Actors Shirley Knight and Richard Chamberlain Laemmle Theatres and the Anniversary Classics Series present a screening of one of the groundbreaking movies from the tumultuous year of 1968, Richard Lester’s PETULIA. Huggo. It seems the players' purposelessness is the point; not so. Young Catherine Morelli (Julie Christie), who lives in Rome, goes to Geneva to find romance at her father's wedding. Jerry Garcia also appears in duplicate on a large mural and in triplicate on a bus bench both times in stylized solid black and white. The film has a screenplay by Lawrence B. Marcus from a story by Barbara Turner and is based on the novel Me and the Arch Kook Petulia by John Haase. Set in post-nuclear-holocaust England, where a handful of bizarre characters struggle on with their lives in the ruins, amongst endless heaps of ash, piles of broken crockery and brick, ... See full summary ». (1968). A young British woman is hired as a governess by a wealthy Argentine family. . Archie is in the process of divorcing his wife Polo, sifting through relationships with the new man in his ex's life, his estranged sons, and well-to-do friends who only know Archie as one-half of a couple. Watch trailers, read customer and critic reviews and buy Petulia directed by Richard Lester for £7.99. The film has a screenplay by Lawrence B. Marcus from a story by Barbara Turner and is based on the novel Me and the Arch Kook Petulia by John Haase. Read our editors' picks for the movies and shows we're watching in March, including "The Falcon and the Winter Soldier," Boss Level, and Zack Snyder's Justice League. “It’s a very real film about two people trying to get through to each other,” director Richard Lester (A Hard Day’s Night) says of his landmark romance Petulia, which is set in summer of love-era San Francisco. "The State of Things" (Wim Wenders, 1982) -- one of the best movies about movies ever. Want to share IMDb's rating on your own site? An unethical lawyer, with an older brother he wants to help, becomes a partner with a client in the numbers racket. Lester uses the current West Coast musicians of the time: Janis Joplin with Big Brother and the Holding Company, the Grateful Dead playing "Viola Lee Blues", The Committee, and Ace Trucking Company are briefly featured in club sequences. Petulia is married to an abusive, wealthy husband, David, played with suitable evil by Richard Chamerlain. Archie also learns that getting involved with Petulia in any regard has its consequences, both for Petulia herself and for him, most specifically in his relationship to Polo. The actual Summer of Love in San Francisco served as the backdrop during the 1967 filming of Richard Lester's Petulia. Richard Lester’s underappreciated masterpiece is 20 years old this summer, a milestone marked by the film’s belated release on videocassette and two special screenings on Thursday and Friday, May 26 and 27 [1988], at the Hirshhorn Gallery. This film uniquely rides on nuances, from reflections to innuendo. Richard Lester, Director: A Hard Day's Night. Petulia was an influence on filmmaker Steven Soderbergh.[4]. Characters have plans but don't know or admit them. Drama, Certificate: Passed Petulia Richard Lester, USA/UK, 1968, 35mm, 105m This is, for many, Lester’s masterpiece, and certainly the work that confirmed him as a mature filmmaker. ", In her 1969 essay "Trash, Art, and the Movies," Pauline Kael wrote that "I have rarely seen a more disagreeable, a more dislikable (or a bloodier) movie than Petulia."[3]. Title: Funny. Surprising. Talkabout "Walkabout": Exclusive Interview With Luc Roeg, Escape from the Planet of the Pandemic Parade, In Memoriam: Oscar Nominated Character Actress Shirley Knight. The film's release was delayed by six months as Richard Lester went on to work on Petulia (1968), shortly after completing How I Won the War. It strikes and often deters many as no more than a Frisco fresco in Pepsi red, polo white and penguin black. 'Petulia' has appetites, but for not what she knows. Richard Lester's Petulia (1968) is a fragmented film about a fragmented society, a disorienting film about disorientation. This is also the strategy of Richard Lester's 1968 film Petulia, which was Roeg's last film as a cinematographer only. An inept British World War II commander leads his troops through a series of misadventures in North Africa and Europe. You must be a registered user to use the IMDb rating plugin. It was scored by John Barry. This is a cause of continuing sadness to his ex-wife Polo, wonderfully played by Shirley Knight. Trees of Mystery - 15500 US-101, Klamath, California, USA. But the great film in this grouping is Richard Lester's 1968 "Petulia," a moving romantic tragedy with comic detailing that was released to largely uncomprehending audiences. with. I suppose that is high praise. Petulia Richard Lester's 1968 drama Petulia, from a screenplay by Lawrence B. Marcus who adapted John Haase's novel Me and the Arch Kook Petulia, must've shaken up everyone who encountered it in the late 60’s. Grateful Dead members Jerry Garcia, Mickey Hart, Bob Weir, Phil Lesh, Ron "Pigpen" McKernan, and Bill Kreutzmann appear in cameos during the movie's apartment house medical emergency scene as onlookers. (1965), it represents a wary homecoming for Lester, the Philadelphia native turned London-based expatriate. George C. Scott is Archie Bollen, a divorced San Francisco doctor in the midst of "discovering himself." Daring. Coming off his larky Beatles movies, A Hard Day's Night (1964) and Help! Add the first question. Petulia - WikiMili, The Free Ency When she sees him at a hospital fund-raiser, newlywed San Francisco socialite Petulia Danner, who has been married to naval engineer David Danner for six months, seems determined to have an affair with soon to be divorced physician Dr. Archie Bollen, who has been married to his wife Polo for close to ten years, their marriage which many saw as being perfect. Stylistically and thematically, it's Lester's deepest plunge, a challenge still. Petulia 1968 Directed by Richard Lester Cinematography Nicholas Roeg Screenplay: Lawrence B. Marcus, from the novel Me & The Arch Kook Petulia, by John Haase Music by John Barry George C. Scott – Dr Archie Bollen Julie Christie – Petulia Danner Richard Chamberlain – David Danner. Convention shattering. Use the HTML below. Drama, Certificate: M/PG Petulia is a movie of suggestion and inference, something rare for movies of its time. A tale of torrid and forbidden love between a couple in the English countryside. At a benefit concert for victims of traffic accidents, she meets Dr. Archie Bollen, with whom she became smitten as he treated an injured Mexican boy. After a decade of helming mod British films, American Lester delivered a stinging portrait of his homeland in the late 1960s, where trends and mores change faster than people can adjust to them. This FAQ is empty. Petulia Danner is a young socialite married to a savagely abusive architect. Overall, seems to me this film was ahead of its time in concept and execution. "Petulia" (Richard Lester, 1968) -- use the link to read about the opening shot. The track "All Things To All Men" by The Cinematic Orchestra begins with a sample of John Barry's haunting saxophone theme from the film. Comedy, Certificate: GP It is the coldest, cruelest film I can remember, and one of the most intellectual. An unhappily married socialite finds solace in the company of a recently divorced doctor. Directed by Richard Lester, with Nicolas Roeg as cinematographer - who gives the film an artier look than it really deserves - Petulia skewers time like a knife. Certificate: M He is known for his work with the Beatles in the 1960s and his work on the Superman film series II and III in the 1980s. and How to Get It (1965) and Petulia (1968). Some elements of its filigreed and somewhat hyperactive style relate it clearly to the often kinetic films that precede it – such as A Hard Day’s Night (1964), The Knack… and how to get it (1965), Help! Number three, however, was Richard Lester's Petulia, ahead of Annie Hall, Mean Streets, and 2001: A Space Odyssey. Hope it makes its way to dvd... Get a sneak peek of the new version of this page. Chamberlin's the most overt character, with his barely-contained lust for the little boy. Most of all – beyond sexy. Dreamy. But the great film in this grouping is Richard Lester’s 1968 ‘Petulia,’ a moving romantic tragedy with comic detailing that was released to largely uncomprehending audiences. An avant-garde exploration of a woman's life. Find release information for Petulia (1968) - Richard Lester on AllMovie