Ending? (spoiler)

No, I don't really feel that she dies in childbirth. I think rather its an ending to Archie and Petulia's relationship, and she will have the child and stay with Richard Chamberlain's character. Which in a way will prove a different kind of death to her, as she is now trapped even further. Christie looks so beautiful in that final close-up and the music and setting is sad, it always gets to me.

Yes, scenes between Archie and Polo (and boys) can be seen as the heart of the movie. When I first saw this (in 1968 in a big San Francisco theatre), I still remember how the audience GASPED when he threw the fresh-baked cookies at her back. That's the well-crafted climax of an unforgettable scene. The superb acting and sparse writing convey the characters' almost unbearable pain and confusion and love.

The ending could be interpreted in many different ways. Definitely the ending is about death to hope of a tragic kind that Archie and Petulia had for one another. As someone else pointed out, these two didn't know each other that well. Petulia was desperately trying to escape from an unhappy life, she saw Archie as someone who could possibly help her. I understand her motivations more than I do Archie's. His marriage was ending and how he really felt was a bit of a mystery. He remained self contained consistently except for the brief scenes when he lost control. I think he was unhappy with the routine that became his life.

I think Petulia did die on that operating table, not physically but spiritually. She gave up and braced herself for a life filled with misery. Her last hope was running away with Archie and when that didn't happen I think she gave up on a functional future.

Thank you for asking the question! Obviously the ending is left largely to the viewer's imagination. I was assuming she died, but after reading the other thoughtful posts here, I suspect it was just her spirit (aka her "kookiness") that passed on. I guess she left it for her child to carry on that spirit.

I always interpereted that David - Richard Chamberlain's character was either impotent(which would help explain his animosity towards the mexican child and his beatings of Petulia out of real frustration with himself perhaps..?) or a closet homosexual.(in a sham marriage with Petulia to appease his high society parents and social circle - in which case his beatings of Petulia were to prevent her from straying with other men and bringing potential scandal to the family name)

I also feel that Petulia's baby is actually Archie's/George C. Scott's that was concieved from their night together and not actually David's.

My take on the ending is that Archie has finally managed to get over Petulia after all the months that have passed and although when he sees her again he is tempted to run away with her, he selflessly chooses not to so that Petulia and David can then lead a happier life together with the balancing presence of the new baby on their relationship.

Archie and Petulia at the start of the film are quite immature and selfish in their actions and are both running away from their responsibilities. Archie realizes this at the end and makes a decision which shows that he has matured from his past selfish whims and in doing so forces Petulia to also do the same.

Petulia will always have Archie through her baby from this interperetation and Petulia's influence on Archie has left him with a freeer spirit and a more relaxed and amenable demeanour than he had before which has thus lead him to enjoy life more.