Jo is a twice-divorced, mother of six whose recently met and fallen in love with her third husband, Jake, an aspiring screenwriter. Living in a home paid for by her aging father, Jo and Jake appear to be the heads of a happy family, athough looks can be deceiving. As Jake reaches new levels of success, he begins to begins to fraternize with other woman, leaving o home alone with six children. Jack Clayton's The Pumpkin Eater is a profound domestic drama that beautifully and tragically explores the emptiness of love when it isn't reciprocated. This is a film that many would consider depressing but what makes The Pumpkin Eater so impressive is its ability to explore many aspects of domestication. This is a film that explores the gender roles which are so often placed on individuals, with Jake being a man who expects Jo to be his domesticate housewife, placing nearly all responsibility solely on her. Jo doesn't see things this way, wanting to share responsibily and be more of a family because of it. Many of the film's arguments revolving around gender roles are impressive and quite frankly ahead of their time given The Pumpkin Eater's release date. The film also subtlely explores the impact of children on a relationship, capturing the strain they put on independence, which of course drives Jake towards other woman as well. Stylistically, Jack Clayton shoots the film more like a horror film than domestic drama, capturing this trapped, almost claustrophibic feel which Jo feels being in a loveless marriage with no decernible way out. Between Anne Bancroft's astonishing performance and Clayton's superb direction, The Pumpkin Eater is a powerful and poigant domestic drama that shows the true horror of loving but not being loved back.
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AuthorLove of all things cinema brought me here. Archives
June 2023
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