Dramas, Family Interaction, Psychodrama, Recommended, Character Study, Mental Illness, Theatrical Release, Essential Cinema
Description
John Cassavetes's A WOMAN UNDER THE INFLUENCE is an emotionally devastating drama that charts the mental disintegration of a California housewife. Mabel Longhetti (Gena Rowlands) has no emotional or creative outlets. Instead, she pours all her energy into her family, spending her days waiting for her husband Nick (Cassavetes regular and COLUMBO star Peter Falk) to arrive home from work, and anxiously awaiting her children's return from school. This dependence causes Mabel to suffer a nervous breakdown, forcing her to spend time in a mental hospital. Meanwhile, Nick struggles mightily to keep his family together. When Mabel returns six months later, dazed and shaken, a "welcome home" party threatens to trigger another collapse.
As the confused, overwhelmed, and hypersensitive Mabel, Rowlands delivers one of the screen's most excruciatingly honest performances. This can directly be attributed to Rowlands's real-life husband Cassavetes, whose insistence on getting to the inner core of his characters' emotional states defined him as an artist. Falk portrays Nick with a harsh yet delicate pathos that is also honest and heartbreaking. A WOMAN UNDER THE INFLUENCE is an awe-inspiring work of art from a maverick American director.
DVD Features
Keep Case Widescreen 1.85 Audio: Dolby Digital 1.0 - English Additional Release Material: Additional Audio Footage - Gena Rowlands and Peter Falk Video Conversation Audio Commentary - Mike Ferris, Camera Operator; Bo Harwood, Sound Recordist/Composer Behind-The-Scenes Interview - John Cassavetes, Director; Michel Ciment, Film Historian; Michael Wilson, Film Historian - 1975 Trailer - Theatrical Trailer Text/Photo Galleries: Galleries - Stills Gallery Photos - Production Photos Additional Product: Booklet - 1. Essay by Kent Jones, Film Critic 2. John Cassavetes Interview
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At first, this is a very hard film to watch. The cinematography is choppy as is the editing, but the quick cuts and uneasy transitions work toward Cassavetes' vision of the film. John Cassavetes is a... Read the whole review at MatchFlick
Woman Under The Influence Criterion Collection DVD
