This film was proposed by not one, but two members of the cinema. Brandon Hu writes: 'The greatest performance of all time by Gena Rowlands comes to its 50-year anniversary. The film is a mirror that reflects the brutality of married life. By using the simplest skills inherited from stage experiences, John Cassavetes brings up the strongest tension of a relationship. It just reminds you how pure a cinema can be. It is something really worth watching on a big screen.'
It was also proposed by John Perivolaris, who recommended it alongside The Killing of a Chinese Bookie: 'Two films made by Cassavetes at the height of his powers and at a turning point for American independent cinema. Cinematography at its most grittily fluid and authentically human, close-ups of landmark performances by Gena Rowlands, Peter Falk, and Ben Gazzara, supported by unforgettable secondary characters. A fitting tribute to a film maker whose work fuelled the emerging work of Scorsese, Hopper, and Coppola, and resonates with avant garde cinema of the period, such as that of Andy Warhol and Jonas Mekas.'
This uncompromising portrait of domestic turmoil details the emotional breakdown of a suburban housewife and her family’s struggle to save her from herself. Gena Rowlands and Peter Falk give unforgettably harrowing performances as a married couple deeply in love but unable to express their ardor in terms the other can understand. This landmark American film is perhaps the most beloved work from the extraordinary John Cassavetes.
Cast:
Gena Rowlands, Peter Falk