Woman Under The Influence

( 3 )

Overview

John Cassavetes' harrowing masterpiece charts the emotional meltdown of a suburban housewife and its effects on her blue-collar Italian family. Gena Rowlands stars as Mabel Longhetti, a mother of three whose husband Nick Peter Falk works as a construction worker; a mismatched couple like so many others in Cassavetes films, the Longhettis seem to be complete opposites: she's impetuous, extroverted, and fragile, while he's controlling, distant, and hard-bitten. Their differences underscore a series of domestic ...
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Overview

John Cassavetes' harrowing masterpiece charts the emotional meltdown of a suburban housewife and its effects on her blue-collar Italian family. Gena Rowlands stars as Mabel Longhetti, a mother of three whose husband Nick Peter Falk works as a construction worker; a mismatched couple like so many others in Cassavetes films, the Longhettis seem to be complete opposites: she's impetuous, extroverted, and fragile, while he's controlling, distant, and hard-bitten. Their differences underscore a series of domestic dramas, culminating in a nervous breakdown that sends Mabel to a psychiatric hospital for six months, only to return to a home environment on even thinner ice than before. The improvisational style central to Cassavetes' vision is at its most acute throughout A Woman Under the Influence. Like its title heroine, the film threatens to veer out of control at any time, its shape and scope defined not by narrative but by the emotional upheaval at its center. Embracing the full spectrum of the Longhettis' relationship, from seismic bursts of high drama to small, even trivial moments of domestic tedium, its long scenes relentlessly probe every nook and cranny of the family's life, drawing out each moment for maximum emotional impact; the film is by turns beautiful and ugly, illuminating and frustrating, and it features a performance by Rowlands as heartwrenching and unforgettable as any ever committed to celluloid.
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Editorial Reviews

All Movie Guide - Lucia Bozzola
Though "women's liberation" was never mentioned, John Cassavetes's timely dissection of a wife's coming undone wrenchingly revealed the insolvable contradictions of domesticity. With his signature "improvisational" yet scripted style, Cassavetes used hand-held long takes, close-ups, and zooms to mine the minute details of character and emotion evinced by his wife Gena Rowlands and his frequent collaborator Peter Falk as blue-collar couple Mabel and Nick, registering the complex effects of Mabel's claustrophobic existence on her "unusual" psyche. Concentrating on Mabel's protean moods, as well as on the reactions of her family and her husband, Cassavetes shies away from a pat diagnosis of madness, suggesting that the institution of marriage -- even to a husband who loves her -- is as responsible for Mabel's breakdown as her own inner turmoil. Several years in the making and funded by Falk and Cassavetes to insure creative autonomy, A Woman Under the Influence debuted to acclaim at the 1974 New York Film Festival, particularly for Rowlands's tour-de-force performance. Distributed by Cassavetes himself to avoid studio interference, it became a small-scale hit and earned Oscar nominations for Best Actress and Best Director; despite his reputation as a male-centered filmmaker, it remains Cassavetes' most successful film, both commercially and artistically.
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Product Details

  • Release Date: 10/19/1999
  • UPC: 013131073737
  • Original Release: 1974

    • Rating:

  • Source: Starz / Anchor Bay
  • Presentation: Collectors Edition / Wide Screen
  • Format: VHS

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits
Gena Rowlands Mabel Longhetti
Peter Falk Nick Longhetti
Matthew Cassel Tony Longhetti
Matthew Laborteaux Angelo Longhetti
Christina Grisanti Maria Longhetti
Elsie Ames Principal
Vincent Barbi Gino
Cliff Carnell Aldo
Katherine Cassavetes Mama Longhetti
Nick Cassavetes Adolph
Dominique Davalos Dominique Jenson
Ellen Davalos Nancy
Elizabeth Deering Angela
Frederick Draper George Mortensen
O.G. Dunn Garson Cross
John Finnegan Clancy
Mario Gallo Harold Jensen
Angelo Grisanti Vito Grimaldi
John Hawker Joseph Morton
Charles Horvath Eddie the Indian
Hugh Hurd Willie Johnson
Joanne Jordan Muriel
Jimmy Joyce Bowman
Jacki Peters Tina
Frank Richards Adolph
Lady Rowlands Martha Mortensen
Eddie Shaw Dr. Zepp
Leon Wagner Billy Tidrow
Syl Words James Turner
Technical Credits
John Cassavetes Director, Screenwriter
David Armstrong Editor
Tom Cornwell Editor
Caleb Deschanel Cinematographer
Paul Donnelly Associate Producer
Bo Harwood Score Composer, Sound/Sound Designer
Phedon Papamichael Art Director
Sam Shaw Producer
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Customer Reviews

Average Rating 4.5
( 3 )
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