mark.waltz While she had been around on stage and screen for well over a decade, the gorgeous Anne Bancroft hadn't made much of an impression, that is until she won the Oscar for her intense performance in "The Miracle Worker". Becoming known for her strong, determined women, she rarely played anyone fragile. However, in this British art house film, she played a delicate flower who turns into a Venus flytrap when pushed to the edge.Newly married to the alternately tender and brutal Peter Finch, she's unaware at first of his resentment of her previous marriages and the children from those relationships. She discovers through very subtle hints how much he secretly both adores her and hates her, that his infidelities have been pretty much right under her nose, and that they have been with women she felt she considered friends. In short, he is the one with the serious psychiatric issues, and like Charles Boyer to Ingrid Bergman, he has been gaslighting their entire relationship.This is one of those complicated adult dramas that explores the best and worst of adult relationships, showing humanity at its most vile. A key early scene has Bancroft meeting the troubled Maggie Smith who bolts in and out of her life at a huge speed, leaving behind chaos as details come forward about what was going on between Smith and Finch. Then there's a cameo by Sir Cedric Hardwicke as Bancroft's imperious father, reminding me of the father and daughter relationship in "The Barretts of Wimpole Street". A scene with Bancroft having a breakdown while shopping and another one with Bancroft in a hair dressers shop (being badgered by an obvious troubled man hating customer) are key in showing Bancroft's desperation and fragile nature. James Mason comes on as an associate of Finch's in a party scene, showing more issues behind the marriage, especially when he makes a very strange call to Bancroft while she's visited by a stranger claiming to be the new king kg Israel. Alternately strange and troubling, this is often perplexing, but as a Bergman themed drama of the complex human condition, it will leave the viewer thinking. It's also ironic how much Bancroft resembles Joan Crawford at times, considering that just the year before, Crawford accepted Bancroft's Oscar for her and that Bancroft was offered the leading role in "Mommie Dearest".

Kenneth Anderson Wow! How did I miss ever seeing this little gem? Made the mistake of watching this film as part of a "bad marriages" movie marathon that included Jean Simmons in "The Happy Ending" and Joanne Woodward in "Summer Wishes, Winter Dreams," so by the time "The Pumpkin Eater" came on, I was a tad weary of dissatisfied, wealthy wives.That being said, even in my fatigue and near-stupor, the almost radiant beauty of Ann Bancroft hit me right between the eyes. Not only is she a stunner, but she has the most expressive eyes and dramatically compelling face ever. One could watch it for hours. I really never saw her better. I wish I had watched this film first.Loved the ending, by the way. It made me cry.

Maddyclassicfilms The Pumpkin Eater is directed by Jack Clayton and stars Anne Bancroft, Peter Finch, James Mason and Maggie Smith.This underrated film is a powerful and emotionally draining experience and a triumph for all who made it.Jo(Anne Bancroft)has been married twice when she meets handsome and gentle film writer Jake Armitage(Peter Finch).They marry and he has no problems taking on her children as well.Things start to get difficult when Jake begins an affair with Philpot(Maggie Smith)and Jo discovers the affair.What is great about the first half of the film is that at first we are unsure if the suspicions are all in Jo's head or are a reality.(We never see Jakes infidelity)and very soon all the pressure becomes too much for her and she breaks down(in a heart stopping crying scene in the middle of Harrods).Jo is sent to a kindly Psychiatrist(Eric Porter)who tries to find out whats wrong with her.She's told she has depression and after some time things get back to normal between Jo and Jake.Then after a film shoot in Morocco, Jo throws a part for the cast and crew and meets Bob Conway(James Mason)and his young wife Beth(Janine Gray).Bob is shown to be a bit of a bore but Jo is polite and kind to him,however he soon contacts her and tells her Jake is sleeping with his wife and she's pregnant.James Mason is superb in this especially in the second half where he undergoes a massive character change,his infamous scene at the zoo is horrible and frightening, as well as being pitiful and moving.What follows looks at the strength of Jo and Jakes true love for each other through all the bad times and is an unforgettable look at a disintegrating marriage and the lengths that love,hate and desire make us go to.With fine support from Cedric Harwicke as Jo's father and Yootha Joyce as a customer at the hairdressers who reveals too much of herself to Jo. This is a superb look at a damaged marriage.

George Wright Directed by Jack Clayton (Room at the Top)and written by Harold Pinter, this movie is more a study than a story. It shows the memorable Anne Bancroft as the mother of eight children in a comfortable neighbourhood of London. The family benefits from the inherited wealth of the mother, who wears the finest of clothing and shops at Herrods. She dotes on her children but still has time for what appears to be a healthy marriage. Along comes her third husband (Peter Finch), who is at first entirely comfortable with the chaotic home life, but gradually drifts apart from his wife, whose time is taken up by her children. He falls into infidelity and his wife becomes seriously depressed. How this is resolved is the subject of the movie, if in fact marital conflict can ever be "resolved". The cinematography is stunning and the film cleverly works in a rather awkward party where Bancroft is moving from one guest to another amid the drunken gibberish. The on-location shooting in London and in the countryside are absolutely superb. James Mason is a professional colleague and Maggie Smith has a bit part as a dim-witted nanny. Sir Cedric Hardwicke has a brief cameo as the maternal grandfather. This was his last film. Anne Bancroft's breakdown while shopping is a powerful scene and extremely well executed. All in all, an unusual film but one that most movie buffs would want to see.