film of the week
Gloria (80)
written and directed by John Cassavetes, starring: Gena Rowlands
Gloria Swenson: "...Had to shoot me with a Magnum!"
Forget the dreadful remake (98, which was unforgivably directed by the great Sidney Lumet) and stick with the original. The late, great John Cassavetes wrote the role of a lifetime for his long-time love and wife, Gena Rowlands. He also directed her in the film to one of her finest and least talked about performances (despite being nominated here for a second Oscar for Best Actress). As the title character, Rowlands is nothing short of genius. It's simply one of those things you have to see to believe. And for once, the kid in the film (John Adames in his only film appearance - who also tied with Laurence Olivier in The Jazz Singer 80, for the first-ever Worst Supporting Actor Razzie Award) isn't cloying or annoying either (if only a bit inexperienced in front of the camera).
That may be part of the charm of the film - the trademark on-the-fly Cassavetes film-making approach. The relationship in the film is real too, and whether or not you find Cassavetes' work to be over-long or overly cryptic - this is probably the least 'theatrical' of all of his major screen works, and remains my personal favorite of the films he directed in his lifetime. If you aren't holding your breath throughout the entire opening sequence, than you must be dead. Luc Besson owes more than a little to Gloria in designing his masterwork: Leon (The Professional) and if you're a fan of gun molls, sexy blondes and films with unofficial motto's like: 'paybacks are a bitch', than I don't see how you can possibly go wrong with this film. It's violent, it's gritty, it's life-affirming and it's everything you'd expect from a master film-maker and a world-renowned actress. There's a reason Sidney Lumet tried to catch lightning in a bottle twice, he just backed the wrong pony with Sharon Stone, that's all. Gloria (80) is also available on DVD (region 1) in widescreen and worth every damn penny.
Gloria (80)
written and directed by John Cassavetes, starring: Gena Rowlands
Gloria Swenson: "...Had to shoot me with a Magnum!"
Forget the dreadful remake (98, which was unforgivably directed by the great Sidney Lumet) and stick with the original. The late, great John Cassavetes wrote the role of a lifetime for his long-time love and wife, Gena Rowlands. He also directed her in the film to one of her finest and least talked about performances (despite being nominated here for a second Oscar for Best Actress). As the title character, Rowlands is nothing short of genius. It's simply one of those things you have to see to believe. And for once, the kid in the film (John Adames in his only film appearance - who also tied with Laurence Olivier in The Jazz Singer 80, for the first-ever Worst Supporting Actor Razzie Award) isn't cloying or annoying either (if only a bit inexperienced in front of the camera).
That may be part of the charm of the film - the trademark on-the-fly Cassavetes film-making approach. The relationship in the film is real too, and whether or not you find Cassavetes' work to be over-long or overly cryptic - this is probably the least 'theatrical' of all of his major screen works, and remains my personal favorite of the films he directed in his lifetime. If you aren't holding your breath throughout the entire opening sequence, than you must be dead. Luc Besson owes more than a little to Gloria in designing his masterwork: Leon (The Professional) and if you're a fan of gun molls, sexy blondes and films with unofficial motto's like: 'paybacks are a bitch', than I don't see how you can possibly go wrong with this film. It's violent, it's gritty, it's life-affirming and it's everything you'd expect from a master film-maker and a world-renowned actress. There's a reason Sidney Lumet tried to catch lightning in a bottle twice, he just backed the wrong pony with Sharon Stone, that's all. Gloria (80) is also available on DVD (region 1) in widescreen and worth every damn penny.
