Films & Events
A Woman Under the Influence
Arguably the supreme masterpiece in the extraordinary canon of maverick writer-director John Cassavetes, A Woman Under the Influence was a landmark film in many ways, not least because it was the first true independent film, booked into college campuses and art houses without recourse to the nationwide web of distributors that normally controlled such activity. It focuses on a housewife on the verge of a nervous breakdown whose psychotic behavior leads her confused husband to commit her for psychiatric treatment, leaving the family even more dysfunctional than before. As Mabel and Nick Longhetti, Gena Rowlands and Peter Falk deliver one of the most devastating portraits of a relationship ever committed to film. The story unspools not through melodrama but in long, painful takes that escalate in intensity as Mabel’s mental instability increases. The project came from an idea by Rowlands, who was interested in being in a play about the problems faced by contemporary women. However, when Cassavetes presented her with the script, Rowlands knew she would never be able to maintain the intensity on stage night after night so it became a film. Cassavetes had to fund the project through loans from family and friends, as the film production establishment feared no one would want to see a film about “a crazy, middle-aged dame.” When it was done this well, they most certainly did.
Sponsors:
Gucci, The Film Foundation
Cast & Crew
Director: John Cassavetes
Producer: Sam Shaw
Editor: David Armstrong, Sheila Viseltear
Screenwriter: John Cassavetes
Cinematographer: Caleb Deschanel
Awards: Golden Globes 1975 (Best Actress)
Music: Bo Harwood
Principal Cast: Peter Falk, Gena Rowlands, Fred Draper, Lady Rowlands
Filmography: Big Trouble (1986 ); Love Streams (1984 ); Gloria (1980 ); Opening Night (1977 ); The Killing of a Chinese Bookie (1976 ); Minnie and Moskowitz (1971 ); Husbands (1970 ); Faces (1968 ); A Child Is Waiting (1963 ); Too Late Blues (1961 ); Shadows (1959)
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(2 reviews)
user reviews
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Wow., Jun 07, 2009
By Ann Romeo
“Don't miss this. Peter Falk is excellent, so are the kids and other adults in the film, but Gena Rowlands is simply amazing. Has the impact of Nichols' Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolfe? and makes you think--who is really crazy (my money is not on Mabel). The scene up and down the staircase with”
… full review
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A Woman Under the Influence, Jun 10, 2009
By Alex Williams
“This wonderful piece of early American indie filmmaking is one of the best from the John Cassavetes/Gena Rowlands team (Minnie and Moskowitz is my other favorite). I went to IMDB to look up the two terrific actresses who played Mabel's mother and mother-in-law, and learned that Rowlands' real-life”
… full review
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