The Pumpkin Eater (1964)

Film screenwriter Jake Armitage and his wife Jo Armitage live in London with six of Jo's eight children, with the two eldest boys at boarding school. The children are spread over Jo's three... See full summary »

Director:

Jack Clayton

Writers:

Penelope Mortimer (novel), Harold Pinter (screenplay)

Stars:

Anne Bancroft, Peter Finch, James Mason

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 6 wins & 5 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Anne Bancroft	...	Jo Armitage
Peter Finch	...	Jake Armitage
James Mason	...	Bob Conway
Janine Gray	...	Beth Conway
Cedric Hardwicke	...	Mr. James - Jo's father
Rosalind Atkinson	...	Mrs. James - Jo's mother
Alan Webb	...	Mr. Armitage - Jake's father
Richard Johnson	...	Giles
Maggie Smith	...	Philpot
Eric Porter	...	Psychiatrist
Cyril Luckham	...	Doctor
Anthony Nicholls	...	Surgeon
John Franklyn-Robbins	...	Parson
John Junkin	...	Undertaker
Yootha Joyce	...	Woman at Hairdressers

Storyline

Film screenwriter Jake Armitage and his wife Jo Armitage live in London with six of Jo's eight children, with the two eldest boys at boarding school. The children are spread over Jo's three marriages, with only the youngest being Jake's biological child, although he treats them all as his own. Jo left her second husband Giles after meeting Giles' friend Jake, the two who were immediately attracted to each other. Their upper middle class life is much different than Giles and Jo's, who lived in a barn in the English countryside. But Jo is ruminating about her strained marriage to Jake, with issues on both sides. Jo suspects Jake of chronic infidelity, she only confronting him with her suspicions whenever evidence presents itself. And Jo's psychiatrist believes that Jo uses childbirth as a rationale for sex, which he believes she finds vulgar. These issues in combination have placed Jo in a fragile mental state. They both state that they love the other, but neither really seems to like ...

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Plot Keywords:

marriage | writer | abortion | children | ex husband ex wife relationship | 

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Taglines:

How many others? Six...a dozen...what does the number matter?

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Genres:

Drama

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Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

9 November 1964 (USA)

Also Known As:

Amartolos gamos

Filming Locations:

London Zoo, Regent's Park, London, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

Romulus Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

118 min 110 min (TCM Print)

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The final film project of Cedric Hardwicke.

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Goofs

The long tracking shot near end of film (in which camera begins on Jo smoking in bed, then winds through closeups of mementos in her living room) was shot backward; at beginning of shot smoke is going into her cigarette, not out of it.

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Connections

Featured in Castaway (1986)

User Reviews

Realistic and Disturbing Portrait of a Bad Marriage

This is my absolute favorite film of all time, and Anne Bancroft's performance is her best. Made in 1964 and set in London, this film tells the story of a woman who is in the middle of her third marriage, to a screenwriter, played by Peter Finch. Her character, Jo Armitage, is a woman who truly seems to find her self-worth and happiness only when she is pregnant and raising children. Once her children become even only slightly older, she seems to lose her sense of purpose, and allows herself to become quite isolated in the world. Her current husband, the screenwriter, doesn't make matters any better for her either.

This is definitely Anne Bancroft's film all the way, and she is breathtakingly beautiful in it as well. Her portrayal of Jo Armitage paints a very lonely, depressed, lost, and in many ways pathetic character...but it is also strangely my favorite performance of Bancroft. Look also for wonderful supporting performances by James Mason and Maggie Smith. This film weaves a disturbing yet very realistic portrait of a bad marriage (some might just say "marriage"), and it should be studied for its acting and its writing. In addition, Georges Delerue's musical score is superb, and I am always searching for the film's soundtrack, but have had no luck. Thanks to beautiful art direction by Edward Marshall, their home interior is also gorgeous...'60's chic. I've seen this film at least 60 times, and never tire of it. It's a quiet little masterpiece.