Erica Benton (Jill Clayburgh) is unmarried only temporarily in that her successful, wealthy husband Martin (Michael Murphy) of seventeen years has just left her for a girl he met while buying a shirt in Bloomingdale’s. The film shows Erica coming to terms with the break-up while revising her opinions of herself, redefining that self in its own right rather than as an extension of somebody else’s personality, and finally going out with another man.
Erica refuses to drop everything for Saul (Alan Bates), an abstract expressionist painter, simply out of love for him because he expects her to. It is not so much loneliness that is her problem, and the problems that men, flitting around this newly available woman like moths round a flame, bring to her sense of independence.
Another part of the story centers around how Erica’s life is shattered by her stockbroker husband’s betrayal and what she has to do in order to rebuild her self esteem and put her life back together. The film documents Erica’s attempts at being single again, where she suffers with confusion, sadness, and rage.
As her life progresses, she begins to bond with several friends and finds herself inspired and even feels happier by her renewed liberation. The story also touches on the overall sexual liberation of the 1970s. Erica eventually finds love.
think this is Paul Mazursky’s best work. He was not afraid to explore his feminine side and write this film from a woman’s point of view. Many of the themes brought up in the film, such as loss, self-esteem, and independence still ring true today and I am hard pressed to name a recent film that explores this territory as well.
Director: Paul Mazursky
Year of Release: 1978
Character to watch: Jill Clayburgh as Erica.
Journal your answers to the following questions after you watch the movie.
- How does this particular character’s journey compare with yours?
- Did the character develop certain characteristics during the movie that you have or that you would like to have? If so, what are those characteristics?
- What obstacles did this character face? What was his or her biggest challenge?
- What would you have done differently if you had been in the same position as the character?
- Is this character the type of person you would be friends with? Why or why not?