tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5703076346434344743.post6303685167637206829..comments2023-07-01T05:05:31.938-04:00Comments on Films Worth Watching: A Woman Under the Influence (1974) - Directed by John CassavetesJonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10656287096270976604noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5703076346434344743.post-72651793200042735902012-05-05T21:32:01.928-04:002012-05-05T21:32:01.928-04:00Thanks Sam!
I wonder if I do "like" th...Thanks Sam! <br /><br />I wonder if I do "like" this film better than you do. I think I was somewhat surprised the emotional heft that the film does carry even though it is quite arduous. Yes the style certainly can be tedious, but it's certainly not without purpose. I think Cassavetes knew what he was doing, although he probably also knew it would severely limit his audience.Jonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10656287096270976604noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5703076346434344743.post-73228438632065581832012-05-03T22:23:40.017-04:002012-05-03T22:23:40.017-04:00Jon (and R.D.) you both have an ally here. I have...Jon (and R.D.) you both have an ally here. I have never truly warmed to Cassevettes, and only just a few months ago I saw an off-Broadway play based on his cinematic stylistics, and it was one of the most tedious experiences I've ever endured. I've tried to follow the crowd, but there is nothing emotionally resonant to hang your hat on, a clear example of style over substance, but that style is often alienating anyway. Many do consider him a visionary of course, and you are right in your comment to broach Dogme 95, though that seems better suited to the icy philosophy of Scandinavian filmmaking. I agree that Rowlands is arresting here, and that the film has some electrifying sequences, even if it's still an uneven exercise in the Cassevettes school. Agreed on Falk and on the proposition that the film is an "ordeal" for better or for worse.<br /><br />This is a candid piece that pulls no punches. Exceptional piece here Jon!Sam Julianonoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5703076346434344743.post-84146385503645152042012-05-03T21:54:38.576-04:002012-05-03T21:54:38.576-04:00R.D.,
Thanks for your honest comment about it. I ...R.D.,<br /><br />Thanks for your honest comment about it. I don't dispute your feelings at all, actually feel many of the things you feel as well. I think I finally came to the realization that the unpleasant experience of watching it, might be the point in the end. That doesn't make it good or bad per se, but it is a point of contention and is where the line is drawn. The Dogme 95 movement is also indeed similar in tone. Stay tuned on Faces as I'm hoping to have that review up next week. I can't believe I watched both of them in the same week!!!!Jonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10656287096270976604noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5703076346434344743.post-10392595555273702182012-05-03T14:44:58.688-04:002012-05-03T14:44:58.688-04:00Jon, let me say first off that I haven't seen ...Jon, let me say first off that I haven't seen this film although like you I've been curious about Gena Rowlands's performance, which has received high praise from some. And after reading your post on it, I don't feel that anxious to see it. The only film of Cassavetes I've ever tried to watch is probably his most highly praised, "Faces." I endured about 20 min. of it--a sheer ordeal--before giving up. There was no way I was going to sit through another 2 hours of this, I told myself. <br /><br />You actually pinpointed everything that made "Faces" unwatchable to me. The unfocused, tediously unedited, seemingly improvised performances, photography, and directing I found quite off-putting. I didn't doubt that the film was sincere, but it was like watching a very pretentious home movie. I have the same reaction to the Dogme 95 films and the post-"Blair Witch Project" faux home movie style. To me it's amateurishness masquerading as honesty, a challenge to the viewer to endure something that chooses to be alienating. In any event, I appreciate your honesty about your reaction to "A Woman Under the Influence." It's one thing for a movie to deal with unpleasant or challenging subjects and quite another for the movie itself to become an unpleasant experience.R. D. Finchhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05045080274131718843noreply@blogger.com