Petulia (1968)

Director:

Richard Lester

Writers:

Lawrence B. Marcus (screenplay)
John Haase (novel)
(more)

Release Date:

10 June 1968 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

...the uncommon movie.

Plot:

An unhappily married socialite finds solace in the company of a recently divorced doctor.

Plot Keywords:

Socialite | Marriage | Doctor | Abusive Husband | Flashback

Awards:

1 win & 2 nominations

Cast

Julie Christie	...	Petulia Danner
George C. Scott	...	Dr. Archie Bollen
Richard Chamberlain	...	David Danner
Arthur Hill	...	Barney
Shirley Knight	...	Polo
Pippa Scott	...	May
Kathleen Widdoes	...	Wilma
Roger Bowen	...	Warren
Richard Dysart	...	Motel Receptionist
Ruth Kobart	...	Nun
Ellen Geer	...	Nun
Lou Gilbert	...	Mr. Howard
Nate Esformes	...	Mr. Mendoza (as Nat Esformes)
Maria Val	...	Mrs. Mendoza
Vincent Arias	...	Oliver
Eric Weiss	...	Michael
Kevin Cooper	...	Stevie
Joseph Cotten	...	Mr. Danner
The Grateful Dead	...	Themselves
Big Brother and the Holding Company	...	Themselves
The Committee	...	Themselves
Ace Trucking Company	...	Themselves (as A.T.C. Company)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Rene Auberjonois	...	Fred Six (uncredited)
Bruce Chesse	...	Tourist (uncredited)
Barbara Colby	...	Patient (uncredited)
Michael Earl	...	Boy in Park (uncredited)
Mickey Hart	...	Hippie 2 (uncredited)
Howard Hesseman	...	Hippie (uncredited)
Phil Lesh	...	Hippie 4 (uncredited)
Ron McKernan	...	Hippie 5 (uncredited)
DeAnn Mears	...	Nurse (uncredited)
Josephine Nichols	...	Neighbor (uncredited)
Austin Pendleton	...	Intern (uncredited)
Danny Rifkin	...	Hippie 6 (uncredited)
Mel Stewart	...	Supermarket Clerk (uncredited)
Bob Weir	...	Hippie 7 (uncredited)

Directed by
Richard Lester

Writing credits
Lawrence B. Marcus		(screenplay)
John Haase		(novel "Me and the Arch Kook Petulia")
Barbara Turner		(adaptation)

Produced by
Don Devlin	....	executive associate producer
Denis O'Dell	....	associate producer
Raymond Wagner	....	producer

Original Music by
John Barry

Cinematography by
Nicolas Roeg		(as Nicholas Roeg)

Film Editing by
Antony Gibbs

Casting by
Fred Roos

Production Design by
Tony Walton

Set Decoration by
Audrey A. Blasdel		(as Audrey Blasdel)

Costume Design by
Tony Walton

Makeup Department
Gustaf Norin	....	makeup artist (as Gus Norin)
Vivienne Walker	....	hair stylist (as Vivian Zavitz)

Production Management
Emmett Emerson	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
John D. Bloss	....	assistant director (as John Bloss)
Michael J. Dmytryk	....	assistant director (uncredited)

Art Department
Stephen R. Ferry	....	property master (as Stephen Ferry)
Dean Tavoularis	....	associate art director

Sound Department
Don Challis	....	dubbing editor
Gerry Humphreys	....	dubbing mixer
Francis E. Stahl	....	sound

Camera and Electrical Department
Freddie Cooper	....	camera operator
Gibby Germaine	....	chief electrician
Paul Hawkins	....	light show
Paul Wilson	....	camera operator
Robert Willoughby	....	special still photographer (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Arlette Nastat	....	costumes: Miss Christie (as Arlette Nastat 'Real')
Rita Riggs	....	wardrobe
Ray Summers	....	wardrobe

Music Department
John Barry	....	conductor

Other crew
Rita Davison	....	continuity
David Hicks	....	design consultant
Harry Zubrinsky	....	location manager

Production Companies

• Petersham Pictures
• Warner Brothers/Seven Arts

Distributors

• Warner Brothers/Seven Arts (1968) (USA) (theatrical)
• Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) (1973) (USA) (TV) (original airing)
• Warner Home Video (1988) (USA) (VHS)
• Chapel Distribution (1997) (Australia) (theatrical) (35mm Technicolor print)
• Warner Home Video (2006) (USA) (DVD)

Other Companies

• Gumps  furnishings

Also Known As:

Runtime:

105 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Spanish

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound Recording)

Certification:

Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15 | USA:Approved | USA:R | Canada:14+ (Ontario) | West Germany:18 | UK:15

Filming Locations:

Trees of Mystery, Klamath, California, USA

Company:

Petersham Pictures

Trivia:

The film includes concert footage of both Big Brother & the Holding Co. (featuring Janis Joplin) and the Grateful Dead. Additionally, the hippies who observe Petulia taken out of Archie's apartment on a stretcher are members of the Grateful Dead and their communal entourage.

Goofs:

Continuity: The way Petulia holds Archie's hand in the elevator changes between shots.

Quotes:

Wilma:[to Archie, regarding his divorce] I'll let you in on a little secret; I wish I had your courage.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in A Legacy of Filmmakers: The Early Years of American Zoetrope (2004) (V)

Soundtrack:

Viola Lee Blues

Nothing says heartbreak like Petulia

I've never seen a film which captured the confusion of love gone wrong like this. The kaleidoscopic editing can be a distraction but it also helps create the torment of the main character as his life slowly ceases to make sense. Stunningly photographed by Nicolas Roeg, and a clear influence on his later BAD TIMING, in which the neurosis, present in all the characters of PETULIA, blossoms into full-blown psychosis. What this film has over Roeg's is a sharper compassion and a satiric portrait of late summer-of-love San Francisco which feels accurate and quite ahead of its time. Disillusion has already set in. George C Scott is majestic, and Julie Christie goes from irritating in the "BRINGING up BABY for the Pepsi Generation" opening sequences, to ultimately moving and affecting. The ending, where she goes under the gas (to give birth, but it feels more permanent than that), is as oddly chilling as Lester's earlier HOW I WON THE WAR (which ends with Michael Crawford eating a biscuit, and manages to make this terrifying). What can I say? If you have time and sympathy for people who are a bit screwed up, PETULIA may speak to you.