Petulia

Christ, this is an excellent film. It's a shame more people haven't seen it.

A haunting, almost surreally fragmented romance about a passionate, impulsive young woman and a middle-aged doctor who has divorced his wife "because one day I felt very tired of being married." Occasionally confusing (and perhaps it did not need to be so), but a richly textured, perceptive film; one which will likely reward future viewings. Excellent acting; George C. Scott scores in this atypical role, and Julie Christie's Petulia is one of her most affecting parts. Visually powerful as well.

Some audiences may find this dated, and no doubt it is very much a product of its times, but this viewer found it to be superb. It deserves to be much more widely seen and appreciated.

Petulia is astute (and prescient) in declaring that neither side really "gets it", and thus, neither will persevere. The movie is also definitive because of its non-linear, flashback-heavy plot (lifting stylistically from Godard and other art-house gurus) and deep-focus technicolor photography. The ultimate sixties film.

This picture has a cult following. I'm not a member. The most memorable thing about it, if you ask me, is the continuous lust for high fashion, urban dwelling, and what was basically Quality Living back in the late '60s