Review of Petulia (1968) by Dave S — 07 May 2009

Probably the most devastating film of the sixties. Shot in San Francisco, just as the Haight-Ashbury scene was beginning to turn nasty, it charts an affair between the unhappily married arch kook Petulia (Julie Christie) and a recently divorced surgeon (George C.

Scott). It?s the antithesis of the typical romance film, however, as its theme is the vast distances that exist between people who are ostensibly intimate. It depicts a modern society in which personal relationships have been replaced by interfaces with machines, and all of the characters seem to have lost touch with the world around them -- a theme that is boldly explored through a cut-up editing style of flashbacks and flashforwards.

Christie and Scott are excellent in navigating this rocky terrain; and Richard Chamberlain is particularly impressive as Petulia?s callous and abusive husband, a man torn apart by his own vacant beauty.

The exquisite photography is by Nicolas Roeg, who would borrow heavily from this film?s editing style in his own future work as a director. Petulia is a difficult film -- it requires several viewings, and will leave you in a funk after every one -- but it?s essential nonetheless.