An Unmarried Woman (1978)

Director:

Paul Mazursky

Writer:

Paul Mazursky (writer)

Release Date:

26 May 1978 (France)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama

Tagline:

She laughs, she cries, she feels angry, she feels lonely, she feels guilty, she makes breakfast, she makes love, she makes do, she is strong, she is weak, she is brave, she is scared, she is... an unmarried woman.

Plot:

A wealthy woman from Manhattan's Upper East Side struggles to deal with her new identity and her sexuality after her husband of 16 years leaves her for a younger woman.

Plot Keywords:

Painter | Midlife Crisis | Divorce | Empowerment | Nudity

Awards:

Nominated for 3 Oscars. Another 5 wins & 9 nominations

Cast

Jill Clayburgh	...	Erica
Alan Bates	...	Saul
Michael Murphy	...	Martin
Cliff Gorman	...	Charlie
Patricia Quinn	...	Sue (as Pat Quinn)
Kelly Bishop	...	Elaine
Lisa Lucas	...	Patti
Linda Miller	...	Jeannette
Andrew Duncan	...	Bob
Daniel Seltzer	...	Dr. Jacobs
Matthew Arkin	...	Phil
Penelope Russianoff	...	Tanya
Novella Nelson	...	Jean
Raymond J. Barry	...	Edward
Ivan Karp	...	Herb Rowan
Jill Eikenberry	...	Claire
Michael Tucker	...	Fred
Chico Martínez	...	Cabbie (as Chico Martinez)
Clint Chin	...	Chinese Waiter
Ken Chapin	...	Man at Bar
Tom Elios	...	Ice Vendor
Karen Ford	...	Executive Secretary
Alice J. Kane	...	Waitress
Paul Mazursky	...	Hal
Pamela Meunier	...	Hat-Check Girl
Donna Perich	...	Sophie
Vincent Schiavelli	...	Man at Party
John Stravinsky	...	Bartender
Ultra Violet	...	Lady MacBeth
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
David Rasche	...	(uncredited)
Alison Tucker	...	Alison (uncredited)

Directed by
Paul Mazursky

Writing credits
Paul Mazursky		(writer)

Produced by
Paul Mazursky	....	producer
Anthony Ray	....	producer (as Tony Ray)

Original Music by
Bill Conti

Cinematography by
Arthur J. Ornitz		(as Arthur Ornitz)

Film Editing by
Stuart H. Pappé

Production Design by
Pato Guzman

Set Decoration by
Edward Stewart

Costume Design by
Albert Wolsky

Makeup Department
William A. Farley	....	hair stylist (as Bill Farley)
Mike Maggi	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Terence A. Donnelly	....	unit production manager (as Terry Donnelly)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Terence A. Donnelly	....	assistant director (as Terry Donnelly)
Thomas John Kane	....	second assistant director (as Tom Kane)

Sound Department
Les Fresholtz	....	sound re-recording mixer
Dennis Maitland	....	sound recording mixer
Michael Minkler	....	sound re-recording mixer
Arthur Piantadosi	....	sound re-recording mixer
Sharron Miller	....	sound editor (uncredited)
Sam F. Shaw	....	sound effects (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Louis Cappeta	....	key grip (as Louis Cappeto)
Willie Meyerhoff	....	gaffer
Joseph Di Pasquale	....	first assistant camera (uncredited)
Sal Martorano	....	electrician (uncredited)

Casting Department
Sylvia Fay	....	extras casting

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Beverly Cycon	....	wardrobe: women
Max Soloman	....	wardrobe: men (as Max Solomon)

Editorial Department
Patrick McMahon	....	assistant editor
José Antonio Torres	....	assistant editor (as José A. Torres)

Music Department
Robert H. Raff	....	music editor
Dan Wallin	....	music scoring mixer (uncredited)

Other crew
Robert Bechtle	....	art works
Frank Bramblett	....	art works
John Chamberlain	....	art works
Kay Chapin	....	script supervisor
John Clem Clarke	....	art works
Colette	....	art works
Robert Cottingham	....	art works
John DeAndrea	....	art works (as John Deandrea)
Porfirio DiDonna	....	art works (as Porfirio Didonna)
Tom Folino	....	assistant to producers
Marilynn Gelfman Pereira	....	art works
Ralph Goings	....	art works
Yan Hsia	....	art works
Paul Jenkins	....	art works
John Kacere	....	art works
Lila Katzen	....	art works
Tony King	....	art works
P.J. Kresnar	....	art works
Ralph M. Leo	....	production auditor (as Ralph Leo)
Marsha Liberty	....	art works
H.N. Nan	....	art works
Toshio Odate	....	art works
Peter Saari	....	art works
John Salt	....	art works
Andy Warhol	....	art works

Thanks
Paul Jenkins	....	special thanks

Production Companies

• Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation

Distributors

• Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation (1978) (USA) (theatrical)
• Magnetic Video (1980) (USA) (VHS)
• American Broadcasting Company (ABC) (1980) (USA) (TV)
• Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment (2006) (USA) (DVD)
• Fox Video (USA) (VHS)

Other Companies

• Juliet Taylor & Associates  casting
• Sam Shaw Enterprises  sound effects
• Pacific Title  titles and opticals

Runtime:

124 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

Norway:16 | Iceland:12 | Argentina:16 | Finland:K-16 | France:U | Sweden:11 | USA:R | Netherlands:16

Filming Locations:

New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation

Trivia:

Director Cameo: [Paul Mazursky]attempting to place an order in a restaurant.

Quotes:

[first lines]
[Martin and Erica are jogging along the river]
Martin: Jesus Christ! Look at this - my sneaker's ruined!
Erica: They're only thirty-five dollars.
[Erica takes Martin's shoe and cleans it off for him]
Martin: Fucking city's turning into one big pile of DOG SHIT!
[shouting at passing traffic]
Martin: Come on out and take a crap on me - everybody else is. Fuck.
[Martin lights a cigarette]
Erica: ...been jogging for 2 1/2 miles - you're giving yourself lung cancer.
Martin: I'll tell you something Erica - the longer I'm married to you the more you sound like my mother.
Erica: Clean your own sneaker.
[throws shoe at Martin]
Martin: I think you wanted me to step in it.
Erica: [laughing] You're going crazy Martin.
Martin: I am?
Erica: [laughing] Yes.
[Martin tosses his shoe over his shoulder into the river. Erica jogs away, and Martin jogs after]

Movie Connections:

References "Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman" (1976)

Soundtrack:

I'm Yours

An Uninteresting Woman...

Paul Mazursky's AN UNMARRIED WOMAN belongs to a minor genre of films from the late 1970s/early 80s mockingly referred to as survivor pictures. The said survival was of, well, everyday life -- dating, marriage, divorce, child custody battles, etc. -- as endured bravely by upper middle class urbanites. In essence, the movies finally recognized the day-to-day life that real people had been coping with since the beginning of civilized time -- and which television had been dealing with for decades on "As the World Turns," "Days of Our Lives" and "All My Children." Some of these attempts to find nobility in everyday survivors where okay (STARTING OVER), some tiresomely self important (KRAMER VS. KRAMER) and some just barely bearable, like AN UNMARRIED WOMAN.

WOMAN deals with Erica (Jill Clayburgh), a middle aged, middle class Manhattan housewife who suddenly discovers that her husband has fallen in love with a younger woman and wants a divorce. She responds with predictable anger and outrage, before settling down to the business of "surviving." Divorce is never easy, but as divorcees go, Erica has it awfully good. She is blessed with, in no particular order, a guilt-ridden ex-husband who churns out the checks; a supportive teenaged daughter, who apparently has little interest in her dad; an ad hoc support group made up of girlfriends who cheerfully share in male-bashing self-righteousness; and an indulgent female therapist adept at nodding her head in mechanical approval and dispensing dime-store encouragement. And when it comes time to get back into action, she has no trouble findings a couple of hunky guys, who, by the way, are artists, not boring old businessmen like her ex-hubby, Martin. In short, female bonding goes on all over the place and men are put in their place as convenient sex objects.

Indeed, divorce seems to be a blessing in disguise. Compared to the heroines of films like ALICE DOESN'T LIVE HERE ANYMORE or NORMA RAE, Erica seems to have it pretty darn good. And that is a major problem in the film: it is noticeably lacking drama. Had the film been played more for humor, then Erica's newfound awaking might have had a joyous kick. Instead, Mazursky labors to make serious, i.e., feminist statements about the travails of being a woman in contemporary America. But, boy did he pick the wrong woman to use as a poster child. Since Erica really doesn't have any discernible hardships in her life, the film falls back on the last refuge of feminist self-pity: self-esteem. AN UNMARRIED WOMAN is about Erica learning to feel good about herself. ZZZZZzzzzzzzz.....!

Maybe because I am a male, I found Erica's journey to self-awareness boring. Jill Clayburgh, who plays Erica, was the actress du jour of the era. She had the curious ability to seem sad even when she was happy and vulnerable even as she was being hard-bitten. Unfortunately, this is the way she came off whether the role required it or not. It is what the role of Erica required, but even so I have never found Clayburgh to be a particularly likable actress; she behaves like she is in the movies because she doesn't have a choice. She is not a giving actress. Erica seem perpetually annoyed that she even has to "survive" and Clayburgh acts as though she has something else she'd rather be doing.

Again, perhaps because I am a man, I found the relatively minor character of Erica's husband to be more compelling and more complex. Played by Michael Murphy like an extension of his role in Woody Allen's MANHATTAN, Martin is a cliche -- a middle-aged man walking away from a comfortable marriage in search of something to revitalize his life -- but as cliches go, it is a valid one. Murphy gives a glimpse of a man in emotional and philosophical turmoil; it is a performance that vividly reveals more in a few short scenes than Clayburgh does with all of Erica's tiresome whining. We see why he wanted out of his marriage to Erica, but not why he'd want back in.

Mazursky is not a great director or a particularly skillful writer, but he is even worse as an editor. He has no sense of pace and loves to let scenes ramble far beyond their point of impact. But in his best films, such as BOB & CAROL & TED & ALICE, MOSCOW ON THE HUDSON and DOWN AND OUT IN BEVERLY HILLS he gently mocks self-absorbed, trendy twits. Here, instead of teasing the foibles of his New Yorker of choice, he embraces her. He wants us to know he understands feminine/feminist angst. In a strange way, AN UNMARRIED WOMAN is less about a woman or even women, than about a man trying to prove his liberal credentials by pandering to feminist stereotypes. As such, a film that strives to be realistic ends up being condescendingly phony.