Review of The Pumpkin Eater (1964) by Susan P — 29 Mar 2012

This was a strange, sad movie I saw on TCM. I'm not sure how the characters were viewed in 1964 as opposed to now, because the way women were treated then as opposed to today. Not that women have it all that great now, but still.

..it's not like watching "Mad Men", and I wasn't alive in 1964. Anyway, there are some great actors here, including Maggie Smith (from "Downton Abbey") as the dumb, desperate and awful friend of Anne Bancroft, who was Mrs.

Robinson. She gets her share of men and heartbreak in this movie, burning through marriages and having lots of children while her parents scorn her and the public thinks she has this great home life. Her longest marriage is with a philandering Peter Finch (the "I'm as mad as hell!" guy from "Network"), who cheats on her like crazy and treats her as if she's crazy for being sad about this and has a mental disorder for wanting children.

Her shrinks are all terrible, I'd like to line them up and pelt them with pumpkins. Anyway, it's just weird and notable and worth a watch if you like the actors and crazy people in 1964 era England.