An Unmarried Woman (1978)

An Unmarried Woman is a story from a particular time and place, and its virtue is that it captures that time and place very well. Jill Clayburgh plays Erica, an upper-middle class woman on New York's upper east side who is happily married, has a precocious daughter, an engaging job in an art gallery, and a seemingly happy and tranquil life. Suddenly one day her husband Martin, played by Michael Murphy, is walking down the street with her and breaks down in tears, announcing to her that he has fallen in love with another woman. For the audience, this scene is not a big surprise, since, after all, one probably knows the premise of the movie before one goes in. For Erica, however, it is a shock, and for all of the women who have had this scene played out for them in real life, it is an iconic moment of filmmaking, as we watch Erica stagger away and vomit into a garbage can.Like most moments in An Unmarried Woman, this one is not overdone, and it brings up the central virtue of the picture--it is real. Erica goes through a number of experiences on a general arc toward independence for herself--a date with a guy who is too forward, a one-night stand with an appealing co-worker, some therapy sessions to help her right the ship, and finally a new relationship. The movie takes place amidst the huge spike in divorce after the passage of no-fault divorce laws in the early 70s, and is really a time capsule toward the era where anxiety over divorce hit an all-time high. Paul Mazursky's screenplay is meticulously written, and Clayburgh is spot-on as the unmarried woman, trying from scene to scene to find her identity amidst personal and social chaos.There are some people who might say that it seems a bit gratuitous to feel sorry for Erica, given her charmed life even after the divorce; she seems, for example, to have no money problems, she keeps her awesome apartment, has great support from her friends. However, one should make no mistake that what happened to her was a crushing blow, and her struggle to find herself is very real. Clayburgh makes her character sympathetic by finding both the genuine profound sadness in the situation and the corresponding strength inside the character that she plays. The movie is rightly called a feminist movie because of Erica's transformation within a particular social current, but it is also simply a movie about a decent, likable person who took a blow and showed courage in recovering from it. In the end, the movie is both good drama and an important document of the times. Want to know about divorce anxiety in the 70s? This is your movie. Want to be touched by a woman finding her whole self? This is also your movie.

A woman finds herself suddenly single after 16 years of marriage when her husband leaves her for a woman he met at Bloomingdale's. The film made Clayburgh into a star and deservedly so. She is simply marvelous as the woman whose secure world is shattered. Murphy is excellent as her weak-willed husband. Bates's character is not well developed, nor is the relationship between him and Clayburgh. In fact, the film works best before he enters the picture, as it focuses on Clayburgh's relationship with her daughter and friends. Mazursky's script incisively explores sexuality and his lively direction makes the film seem fresh even decades later.

Somehow I missed "An Unmarried Woman" when I was a senior in college, but I remember hearing about it. Finally, about five years ago, I was flipping through the channels, and I happened upon this gem. I realize some people might consider this film "dated," but other than period pieces, all movies are eventually "dated" in one aspect or another.I thought Jill Clayburgh was gorgeous and showed herself to be quite a feisty "Erica Benton." Michael Murphy as her husband Martin was extremely annoying and self-centered, but that was his role and the whole reason wife Erica was sent into the world of unmarried women.I enjoyed the music, the setting, and the general feeling of having lived through that time (1977-1978). Sadly, several key actors from the film are gone (Alan Bates, Cliff Gorman, Penelope Russianoff), but this movie will live on as it captured the post-Vietnam era quite well. It sounds odd now to say the movie was a breakthrough for women, but for its time, it was pretty controversial.It's nice to see Jill Clayburgh active on Broadway and the silver screen once again. I'm looking forward to her role on the upcoming TV series "Dirty Sexy Money." I can't wait to see her in scenes with "Six Feet Under" star Peter Krause!

She was an unmarried woman, she used to be married with a man who left their 16 years marriage for another young woman. The disruption of their marriage began in a slow way, firstly no one awared there were some problems had emerged even when i watched this film and I slightly knew a bit of the gut beforehand but still thought they were quite good couple with a lovely daughter, but who knew, suddenly another woman she had never seen before brought her husband away, she was just a poor divorced woman being left behind.I like the scene when her husband abruptly told her the affair and decided to leave her. Like a thunderbolt, Jill Clayburgh's performance is heartbreaking and powerful! Life sometimes is so ridiculous, and mankind are always unsatisfying, we're inevitably getting tired of something old, trying to find something new, eventually find the old one is the perfect but what a shame! Not everyone has a second chance, and if you give someone one second chance, they know you can offer a third, fourth....and more. So don't be so cruel to yourself, The sky above is much bigger than your heart.She met a painter and developed a romantic relationship with him, they loved each other but the story did not end with another good marriage. At last, the painter left and she didn't follow him because she was still an unmarried but happy woman. She got a big painting from the painter as a souvenir of him and her growth.Very charming drama full of wisdom and humor, the whole story is not so comedy though. An excellent performance from Jill Clayburgh deserves her Oscar nomination that year. Alan Bates is drop-dead charming in this film. Also recommend the crooning piano score, especially ecstatic.