An Unmarried Woman
| An Unmarried Woman | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Paul Mazursky |
| Written by | Paul Mazursky |
| Starring |
Jill Clayburgh Alan Bates Michael Murphy Cliff Gorman |
| Music by | Bill Conti |
| Cinematography | Arthur J. Ornitz |
| Distributed by | 20th Century Fox |
Release dates |
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Running time | 130 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $2,515,000[1] |
| Box office | $24,000,000[2] |
An Unmarried Woman is a 1978 American comedy-drama film written and directed by Paul Mazursky, and starring Jill Clayburgh.
The film was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture and Clayburgh was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress.
Plot
Wealthy New York City wife Erica Benton's (Jill Clayburgh) perfect life is shattered when her stockbroker husband Martin (Michael Murphy) leaves her for a younger woman. The film documents Erica's attempts at being single again, where she suffers confusion, sadness, and rage.
As her life progresses, she begins to bond with several friends and finds herself inspired and even happier by her renewed liberation. The story also touches on the overall sexual liberation of the 1970s. Erica eventually finds love with a rugged, yet sensitive British artist (Alan Bates).
Cast
- Jill Clayburgh as Erica
- Alan Bates as Saul
- Michael Murphy as Martin
- Cliff Gorman as Charlie
- Patricia Quinn as Sue (as Pat Quinn)
- Kelly Bishop as Elaine
- Lisa Lucas as Patti
- Linda Miller as Jeannette
- Andrew Duncan as Bob
- Daniel Seltzer as Dr. Jacobs
- Matthew Arkin as Phil
- Penelope Russianoff as Tanya
- Novella Nelson as Jean
- Raymond J. Barry as Edward
- Ivan Karp as Herb Rowan
Note: The striking abstract expressionist paintings in the film were created by internationally renowned artist Paul Jenkins who taught Alan Bates his painting technique for his acting role.[3]
Awards
It was nominated for three Academy Awards including Best Picture, Best Actress (Jill Clayburgh) and Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen. Mazursky's screenplay won awards from the New York Film Critics Circle and the Los Angeles Film Critics Association.
Jill Clayburgh won the award for Best Actress at the 1978 Cannes Film Festival.[4]
The film was also nominated for several 1978 New York Film Critics Circle Awards, including Best Film, Best Direction, Best Actress (for Jill Clayburgh) and Best Supporting Actress (for Lisa Lucas).[5]
Reception
Vincent Canby wrote "Miss Clayburgh is nothing less than extraordinary in what is the performance of the year to date. In her we see intelligence battling feeling — reason backed against the wall by pushy needs."[6]
Pauline Kael in The New Yorker :" An Unmarried Woman may give Mazursky the popular success that his films Blume in Love, Harry and Tonto and Next Stop, Greenwich Village should have given him - Erica (Jill Clayburgh), the heroine, sleeps in a T-shirt and bikini panties. There are so few movies that deal with recognizable people that this detail alone is enough to pick up one's spirits...Jill Clayburgh has a cracked , warbly voice - a modern polluted-city huskiness...When Erica's life falls apart and her reactions go out of control, Clayburgh's floating, not-quite-sure, not-quite-here quality is just right."[7]
References
- ↑ Aubrey Solomon, Twentieth Century Fox: A Corporate and Financial History, Scarecrow Press, 1989 p258
- ↑ "An Unmarried Woman, Box Office Information". The Numbers. Retrieved January 27, 2012.
- ↑ Randy Kennedy (17 June 2012). "Paul Jenkins, Painter of Abstract Artwork, Dies at 88". The New York Times. Retrieved 18 June 2012.
- ↑ "Festival de Cannes: An Unmarried Woman". festival-cannes.com. Retrieved 2009-05-12.
- ↑ "An Unmarried Woman: Awards & Nominations". MSN Movies. Retrieved June 4, 2011.
- ↑ Fox, Margalit and Dennis Hevesi contributed reporting, "Jill Clayburgh Dies at 66; Starred in Feminist Roles", The New York Times, November 5, 2010. Retrieved 2010-11-05.
- ↑ Reprinted in review collection, When the Lights Go Down, Pauline Kael
External links
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