PETULIA, Richard Lester’s neglected classic of the late sixties, is an adaptation of John Haase’s novel Me and the Arch Kook Petulia. Was this review helpful to you? 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. 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. Crime. Huggo. It is the coldest, cruelest film I can remember, and one of the most intellectual. Petulia is a 1968 romantic drama film directed by Richard Lester, starring Julie Christie and George C. Scott. 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. 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…. Dreamy. 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's pursuit of Archie is relentless - she even declaring that they will someday be married - even as Archie dates another woman named May. A young school teacher tries to master the art of flirtation using his neighbor's skills. This is also the strategy of Richard Lester's 1968 film Petulia, which was Roeg's last film as a cinematographer only. Richard Lester Liebman (born January 19, 1932), commonly referred to as Dick Lester, is a retired American film director based in the United Kingdom. A young British woman is hired as a governess by a wealthy Argentine family. Convention shattering. 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. Daring. 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 was one of the most interesting directors to emerge in the 1960s - no small claim - and "Petulia" is still his best film. George C. Scott is Archie Bollen, a divorced San Francisco doctor in the midst of "discovering himself." Drama, Certificate: M/PG Arthur Hill – Barney Shirley Night – Polo (Archie’s ex-wife) "Petulia" (Richard Lester, 1968) -- use the link to read about the opening shot. In San Francisco , recently-divorced physician Archie Bollen (Scott) and newly-married socialite Petulia Danner (Christie) are both dissatisfied with their lives. 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. George C. Scott is Archie Bollen, a divorced San Francisco doctor in the midst of "discovering himself." A US DVD was released in 2006. The film was released on VHS. Both Marcus and Turner were nominated for the Writers Guild of America Award for Best Written American Drama. An avant-garde exploration of a woman's life. Add the first question. It was adapted from the novel Me and the Arch Kook Petulia by John Haase. 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. 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. “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. Drama, Certificate: Passed 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. How I Won the War-Wikipedia. Certificate: M Form pushing. Being a child of the… 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. This FAQ is empty. (1965), it represents a wary homecoming for Lester, the Philadelphia native turned London-based expatriate. [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. You must be a registered user to use the IMDb rating plugin. Beautiful but amoral model Diana Scott sleeps her way to the top of the London fashion scene at the height of the Swinging Sixties. Overall, seems to me this film was ahead of its time in concept and execution. 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. 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. Petulia is a 1968 American drama directed by Richard Lester and starring Julie Christie, George C. Scott and Richard Chamberlain. Read More; role of