I love this film. Great Pinter script, Clayton following up his stunning “The Innocents” with a story of a woman haunted but not by ghosts. And of course Anne topping herself post Oscar win. Finch has never been better(maybe Sunday Bloody Sunday). Would you consider some of Douglas Sirk’s films to be in this category? “All That Heaven Allows” immediately came to mind. Perhaps Ophul’s “The Reckless Moment” in a noir setting.
I saw this film when I was in college, before seeing The Graduate. I immediately fell in love with Anne Bancroft. Who wouldn’t? She, and the film, made an indelible impression on my young mind. Thanks for posting this analysis.
AB is def one of the old school actors who acted with her eyes...it's a lost art! She should have gotten an Oscar for this, her best work...However, she really should have gotten it for the Graduate...Can you imagine a more perfect performance? She was a truly great actress, gone too soon. Watch her cameo in Malice. She got better with age! Thanks for showcasing this great performance.
I just watched this (found it on the interwebs) thanks to Larry's recommend. It's something that seems rare these days--an adult film made by adults for adults. The real showstopper is Yootha Joyce's cameo in the scene in the hair salon.
Nice video - this concept of "woman's ennui film" seems useful; it would be nice to see it explored further, in its own video maybe - I can think of earlier films depicting a state of dissatisfaction, ranging from Sirk to Bunuel, but it looks like this term is more specific, maybe focusing more on the florid lashing out - also nice shoutout to Shoot the Moon, a superb film rarely mentioned nowadays
The Pumpkin Eater came out two years after Anne Bancroft won her Oscar for The Miracle Worker and A Woman Under the Influence was another example of this.
Agree she should've won, she's really the whole show. Agree, too, it's in the same genre as MAD HOUSEWIFE, but the movie it made me think of was A WOMAN UNDER THE INFLUENCE.
