An unhappily married socialite finds solace in the company of a recently divorced doctor.
When she sees him at a hospital fundraiser, San Francisco socialite Petulia Danner, who has been married to naval engineer David Danner for six months, seems determined to have an affair with soon-to-be-divorced physician Dr. Archie Bollen, who has been married to his wife Polo for close to 10 years; many thought they had the perfect marriage. Archie doesn't even know Petulia's name; he only knows her as the woman who brought a young Mexican boy into the hospital with serious injuries. Petulia's pursuit of Archie is relentless; she even declares that they'll be married someday, even as he dates another woman, May. Archie eventually learns part of the reason why Petulia is so determined to cheat on David, as her relationship to David and his wealthy father are brought to light. Archie also learns that getting involved with Petulia in any way has consequences, both for Petulia and for him, most specifically in his relationship to Polo.—Huggo
San Francisco physician Archie Bollen is divorcing, sorting out new relationships with his ex, her new man, his sons, and friends who knew him as part of a couple. At a charity event, young and lovely socialite Petulia Danner throws herself at him, telling him they should find a hotel room and soon announcing she intends to marry him. She's quixotic, vulnerable, and not easy to dissuade. She's also married and faces her own demons. Bollen returns to his apartment one afternoon to find her unconscious, savagely beaten, most certainly by her husband. How Archie and Petulia respond to the husband's abuse is the film's conclusion.—<[email protected]>
Set during the swinging sixties in San Francisco, Richard Lester's landmark romantic drama tells of the charmingly kooky socialite Petulia (Julie Christie), who has been recently married to David (Richard Chamberlain). Unhappy with her marriage, she embarks on a love affair with a melancholy recently-divorced doctor (George C. Scott) as they try to make sense of their dispassionate lives. Through Nicolas Roeg's cinematography, the non-linear, fragmented love story loops back and forth and the dark reality emerges from the idyllic façade of sixties opulence. As the story of Petulia's abuse at the hands of her husband unfolds, the lovers try to find the courage to change the course of their lives in the face of their respective demons.
"It's a very real film about two people trying to get through to each other" - director Richard Lester (A Hard Day's Night).
