Pumpkin Eater

Thus we have the elements of tragedy: success that is a fall from grace; Jo's dilemma at the time of her pregnancy; the tragic insight that allows Jo to reconnect with her husband, as he truly is.

I have rarely been so moved by a film. Surely, this film is unsurpassed in its visual beauty. The acting is uniformly great, and Bancroft delivers one of the touchstone performances in screen history. The lyrical nature of the screen writing is enchanced, particularly in the opening and closing scenes, by the exalted music of Georges Delarue. For me, this lyricism is also the essence of the Penelope Mortimer novel.

Final kudos though must go to Harold Pinter. His style is peculiarly effective. It is as if he writes half the scene, forcing the viewer through intuition and interpretation to supply the other half; for example, the scene with the psychiatrist. This is a most intelligent way to engage the audience. His treatment of the issue of abortion will probably not win him fans. He demonstrates how politically correct and fashionable ideas can be used in perversely selfish ways.


LIFE SLICES........   August 6, 2001
Jack Clayton! What a director - from "The Innocents" through "Room at the Top" to "Something Wicked Comes this Way" this man is genius.

In this slice of life scripted by harold Pinter [brilliant] based on the novel by Penope Mortimer, we experience a woman very much on the edge, but coping bravely and very elegantly with her philandering spouse. Anne Bankcroft [very much missed today] defines this lady dealing with a major domestic breakdown, we are guided through this in detail. Peter Finch is the careless husband, but it's the close-ups of James Mason [perfect camera work, black and white naturally]that remain vivid - that confrontation with Bancroft!

Also noteworthy is "fragrant" Maggie Smith as the au-pair....... and that odd episode with unforgettable faced Yootha Joyce [under the drier].

Could be viewed with by cynical eyes as a comedy of sorts today, but still frank and fresh!

There should be a future DVD boxed set of Mr. Clayton's works - he cannot go unnoticed!


A Forgotten Gem.   January 11, 2001
swinginglondon (London)
It is a tribute to Amazon.com that this film is available.

Pumpkin Eater is an intelligent,sensitive,adult movie about the break down of a marriage.

Beautifully shot. Stylish. Intelligent. Superbly acted. Well written (Pinter screenplay).

It is the absolute antithesis of the empty,shallow,'mis-nick' movies of today.