An Unmarried Woman
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Movie Reviews of An Unmarried Woman
Movie Review: A New-York-In The-Late-70s Timecapsule
Summary: 4 Stars
It's very interesting reading the other reviews to this film. The reactions to it are very extreme. Some people love it. Some people hate it and that was exactly the reaction people had to it back in 1978 when it first came out.
The late mid to late 70s was New York's era as the 'fashionable city' in the days of fashionable cities. NYC took the torch from Swinging Sixites London as the city every fashionable person wanted to go to, live in, know...
It was the 'Disco' capital of the world. It was where the most interesting films were set. It where all the happening artists lived and Unmarried Woman caught the zeitgeist of that time. Even jogging was a new phenomenon back then and NY lead the way with it and 'everyone' wanted to know what people were up to there, even about the jogging. If you'd never been to NYC you were missing out. If you had been to NY and or knew NY, back in 1978, you bragged about it.
Unmarried Woman was a product of all this fascination with the city at the time. Trivial details about life in NY had a sort of cachet. Therefore, on reflection, what may seem trite to viewers today, had a strange sort of value back then.
Some people sneer at Erica's seemingly privileged position in society. How dare she be so miserable, have you seen where she lives? Well, guess what, wealthy women also feel sad when they are rejected by their husbands for a younger model. And guess what, some people like to look at the lives of people who live in beautiful apartments with views of the river and wizz downtown in yellow cabs on bright New York mornings. In fact it's the contrast between the material privilege and the sadness and loss that makes this film work.
Some people are also alarmed by the strong, upfront musical score. Sorry about that. Music in the 70s was strong and upfront in our lives, not just background noise. The wailing saxophone was the pop instrument of the time and the excellent, very 70s soundtrack, is one of the aspects that make watching this film such a powerful, nostalgic and enjoyable ride.
Unmarried Woman does have its flaws. It is at times somewhat simplistic and personally, I'm not so sure that Erica was as much of a catch as we're made to believe.
This is very much a film of its time and a very interesting time and place it was and I wish they still made films like this today, about adults, for adults, with strong subtle performances, without both eyes on the cash register, without some dreary, over-exposed, under talented box office 'star' drudging her way through her lines. There was something very adult and sophisticated about American cinema in the 70s and Unmarrried Woman takes its place in the long list of films that were a part of that.
Unmarried Woman is a few chapters in the story of the life of an ordinary, reasonably wealthy woman's life. It's beautifully shot. Beautifully scored. Excellently acted and I'm glad it's still there as a memory of a short but memorable time and place.
Movie Review: Insightful Look At Divorce
Summary: 4 Stars
Since I've never been married I didn't think this film would have any interest to me. That said, having a number of close friends and associates who have gone through divorce I can appreciate director-writer Paul Mazursky's insightful account of the disintegration of a seemingly perfect marriage. It's all here: the shock, the depression, the ritual dating. Jill Clayburgh, in a definitely Oscar-worthy performance, captures all the stages of a person who feels a sense of impregnability only to watch their security collapse around them. My only knocks against the film is the tedious relationship Clayburgh has with the colorful artistic type played by Alan Bates and her annoyingly precocious daughter played by Lisa Lucas.Movie Review: Playing the field.
Summary: 4 Stars
This movie is always on t.v. so finally I decided to watch An Unmarried Woman starring Jill Clayburgh. This movie is pretty darn good, I agree with one of the reviewers stating this film is dated and that's true but the performances make this movie worth while. The ending is a bit silly but this is an important film which deals with a married woman who is suddenly single after her husband walks out. I highly recommend checking out this 70's classic, enjoy!Movie Review: Dated, but relevant
Summary: 4 Stars
The sometimes sad and sometimes funny story of a woman going through divorce. The movie does a good job developing the relationship as a married couple and the aftermath of relationships, feelings, etc. We especially liked seeing some views of NYC of 30 years ago- how some things have changed so little (Rockafeller ctr) and some a lot (WTC). A good movie, which you probably won't find uplifting, but will find entertaining!Movie Review: in an unfinished screenplay
Summary: 3 Stars
The casting, production and photography could not be better in this interesting, but flawed film. The conversations between the "Sex And The City" look-alike friends are fun, but not authentic. Men can't write what women say to each other; it just does not work. One lady editor could have cured this problem.
The major disaster is the ending: There is none. And, not only is there no ending, but the writer-director threw away a beautifully crafted opportunity to write and direct a stunning ending when the errant husband comes back to beg a reunion. These two fine actors seemed to know they were throwing away a potentially monumental moment in film, but the author -director has the honesty to confess his lack by having Jill walk off down the street with an awkwardly large painting on the crowded streets of Manhattan.