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Criterion Collection: John Cassavetes - Five Films [8 Pack] - DVD

SKU: 6802766 | Release Date: 9/21/2004

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Format: DVD
Length: 945 minutes
Screen Formats: Black & White/Enhanced Widescreen for 16x9 TV
Genre: General Dramas
Studio: Criterion
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1/1.66:1

Synopsis

Includes:

Shadows (1959)

Faces (1968), MPAA Rating: R

A Woman Under the Influence (1974), MPAA Rating: R

The Killing of a Chinese Bookie (1976), MPAA Rating: R

Opening Night (1977)

A Constant Forge (2000)

Shadows
Shadows was John Cassavetes' first directorial effort. Like his later critically acclaimed films Faces and Husbands, Cassavetes fills the screen with probing, unflattering closeups. Unlike his other films, however, Shadows zips along at 87 minutes, avoiding the pitfall of putting the director's nonfans to sleep. The film is a straightforward account of a biracial romance (a far less common film subject in 1960 than today). Light-skinned African-American Lelia Goldoni falls in love with a white man Anthony Ray, who spurns her when he meets the rest of her family. Far from subtle, Shadows benefits from the undisciplined energy of its direction and the excellence of its individual performances. Costing a scant $40,000 (less than the average half hour TV episode of the era), Shadows won the Critic's Award at the Cannes Film Festival and led to more expensive studio assignments for John Cassavetes. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Faces
Faces is right: this definitive John Cassavetes film consists almost exclusively of tight, uncomfortable close-ups. It takes place in the fourteenth year of the marriage of Richard (John Marley) and Maria (Lynn Carlin). Neither husband nor wife is content with the conditions that prevail; Maria joins her friends looking for romantic satisfaction elsewhere, while Richard secures the services of a prostitute (Gena Rowlands). Maria herself has a one-night stand with a hippie (Seymour Cassel), but this is no more satisfying than her dead-end marriage. If you think that Faces is an exhausting experience in its current 130-minute length, imagine what it looked like in Cassavetes' original six-hour cut. Alternately clumsy and profound, it is nonetheless a work of deep sincerity, as recognized by the Venice Film Festival, which bestowed no fewer than five awards on the film, and it perfectly exemplifies Cassavetes' improvisational, cin�ma v�rit� style and searching explorations of modern relationships. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

A Woman Under the Influence
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. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Movie Guide

The Killing of a Chinese Bookie
John Cassavetes takes a contemporary film noir turn (which he would return to in Gloria) after exploring domestic melodrama in A Woman Under the Influence with The Killing of a Chinese Bookie. Ben Gazzara plays Cosmo Vitelli, the owner of a sleazy Los Angeles strip joint, who loses $20,000 at a mob gambling club owned by a small time gangster (Seymour Cassel). Since Cosmo doesn't have the $20,000, he is forced to murder a Chinese bookie in order to clear his debt to the mob. What Cosmo doesn't know is he's part of a set-up. The bookie is actually a West Coast mob boss protected around the clock by bodyguards. The mobsters figure that Cosmo will be killed in an impossible hit and they can take over his nightclub. But Cosmo proves luckier than the mobsters think -- he manages to kill his target, and now the mobsters have to track down Cosmo and kill him. Initially, at 133 minutes, the movie was subsequently re-edited by Cassavetes to 109 minutes. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide

Opening Night
John Cassavetes' Opening Night stars Gena Rowlands (Mrs. Cassavetes) as end-of-tether Broadway actress Myrtle Gordon. She is about to open in a play written by her old friend Sarah Goode (Joan Blondell), but a series of pre-show setbacks and disasters threaten to destroy not only the production but Myrtle's sanity. The actress is especially rattled when one of her staunchest fans dies in an accident. In the face of bleak reality, just how important is the old "show must go on" ethic? Supporting Gena Rowlands are such veterans of the New York-Hollywood shuttle as Ben Gazzara, Zohra Lampert, Paul Stewart, James Karen, and several friends and relatives of the principals. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

A Constant Forge
No synopsis available.

Version Details

Screen Formats

Black & White/Enhanced Widescreen for 16x9 TV

Subtitle Languages

Eng

Additional Features

New high-definition digital transfer of all films, with restored image and sound, and, where applicable, enhanced for widescreen televisions More than two hours of new video interviews with Lynn Carlin, Seymour Cassel, Peter Falk, Ben Gazzara, Lelia Goldoni, Gena Rowlands, and Al Ruban Two versions of The Killing of a Chinese Bookie: Cassavetes' original 135-minute cut, on home video for the first time, as well as his subsequent 108-minute re-edit Faces alternate opening: 17 minutes of footage not included in Cassavetes' final cut Cin�astes de Notre Temps (1968): A 48-minute episode of the French television series, dedicated to Cassavetes Workshop footage: Rare silent clips from the Cassavetes-Lane Drama Workshop, from which Shadows emerged Audio commentary on A Woman Under the Influence by sound recordist and composer Bo Harwood and camera operator Mike Ferris Restoration demonstration for Shadows Audio interviews with Cassavetes by film historians Michel Ciment and Michael Wilson "Lighting & Shooting the Film": A study of the techniques and equipment used on Faces by Al Ruban Original theatrical trailers Stills galleries: Rare behind-the-scenes photos, publicity shots, and posters Biographical sketches of the actors Cassavetes frequently cast in his films, written by Tom Charity (John Cassavetes: Lifeworks) Plus: A 68-page book featuring new essays on Cassavetes and the films by writers/critics Gary Giddins, Stuart Klawans, Kent Jones, Phillip Lopate, Dennis Lim, and director Charles Kiselyak, as well as reprinted writings by and interviews with Cassavetes, and tributes to the filmmaker by director Martin Scorsese, Cassavetes' secretary Elaine Kagan, and novelist Jonathan Lethem

Chapters

Side #1 -- John Cassavetes' - Shadows
1. The Pickup [:18]
2. The Rehearsal [6:19]
3. The Act [7:31]
4. The Sculpture Garden [5:45]
5. Literary Party [6:27]
6. The Date [5:21]
7. The Family [10:18]
8. A Few Cats Come By [11:33]
9. Lucky Day [8:19]
10. Slow Dance [6:45]
11. The Happiness Boys [5:06]
12. Color Bars [8:16]
Side #2 -- John Cassavetes' - Faces, Disc 1: The Film
1. Morning Meeting [:15]
2. Loser's Club/Jeannie's House [3:13]
3. "Jeannie With the Light Brown Hair" [12:15]
4. Home for Dinner [6:17]
5. Not All That Funny [10:58]
6. Unexpected Request [2:24]
7. Love Conquers Man [3:23]
8. Kid With Sneakers [3:16]
9. Dickie's Return [9:00]
10. Chairman of the Board [5:37]
11. "You Get to Me" [6:54]
12. At the Whisky [2:46]
13. Chet and the Ladies [5:58]
14. "Fools of Ourselves" [4:54]
15. Alone With Chet [7:13]
16. Lousy Eggs [15:06]
17. Tears of Happiness [3:56]
18. Ready [5:16]
19. Color Bars [2:03]
Side #4 -- John Cassavetes' - Woman
1. An Unbreakable Date [:17]
2. Garson Cross [10:40]
3. Morning [6:21]
4. Spaghetti Breakfast [8:55]
5. Arias [8:33]
6. Anything [5:48]
7. The Wake-Up [4:14]
8. After School [6:52]
9. Mr. Jensen [4:49]
10. Waiting for Zepp [9:17]
11. House Call [4:50]
12. Five Points [4:22]
13. Accident [2:17]
14. Beach [6:49]
15. Sleep Like Rocks [5:05]
16. Six Months Later [4:50]
17. Mabel's Return [4:43]
18. Make it Like a House [10:37]
19. Good Times From Now On [6:00]
20. End of the Jokes [5:27]
21. On the Couch [6:24]
22. A Tough Night [5:32]
23. Color Bars [5:24]
1. "As Green as Grass" [:17]
2. Learning on the Job [10:40]
3. "It Was Us" [6:21]
4. Family [8:55]
5. Gena Takes Off [8:33]
6. Editing With John [5:48]
7. John's Instincts [4:14]
8. "Singularly Different" [6:52]
9. "Just Feel It" [4:49]
10. Peter Falk [9:17]
11. Pins and Needles [4:50]
12. Technique Doesn't Interfere [4:22]
13. Genuine Time [2:17]
14. "Part of the Gang" [6:49]
15. No Limitations [5:05]
16. Peter's Hat/"You Can Do It" [4:50]
17. Nominations/Didn't Rehearse [4:43]
18. "You're on Your Own, Cookie" [10:37]
19. Bo and Mike [6:00]
20. Visiting With John [5:27]
21. Camera, Lighting, and Sound [6:24]
22. Undisputable Love [5:32]
23. Color Bars [5:24]
Side #5 -- John Cassavetes' - The Killing of a Chinese Bookie, Disc 1: The 1976 Cut
1. Paid in Full [:17]
2. Scotch and Water [4:29]
3. Crazy Horse West [4:20]
4. "It'll Pick Up" [4:30]
5. Picking Up the Girls [7:44]
6. Casino [4:54]
7. Audition [11:01]
8. Gay Paris [9:07]
9. Debt Reduction [8:51]
10. Further Instruction [5:02]
11. En Route [7:15]
12. Killing [1:19]
13. Damage Control [6:26]
14. "Imagination" [9:02]
15. Shootout [7:43]
16. A Rose for Betty [4:52]
17. Backstage [13:14]
18. A Whole New Trip [7:24]
19. Color Bars [7:11]
Side #6 -- John Cassavetes' - The Killing o a Chinese Bookie, Disc 2: The 1978 Cut
1. "It'll Pick Up"/Paid in Full [:17]
2. Scotch and Water [3:25]
3. Picking Up the Girls [4:22]
4. Casino [4:11]
5. Audition [10:28]
6. Gay Paris [7:45]
7. Deb Reduction [6:01]
8. Further Instruction [8:55]
9. En Route [5:49]
10. Killing [6:18]
11. Damage Control [2:20]
12. "Imagination" [:55]
13. Shootout [4:07]
14. A Rose for Betty [6:49]
15. Backstage [4:47]
16. A Whole New Trip [10:04]
17. Color Bars [6:35]
Side #7 -- John Cassavetes' - Opening Night
1. Older People [:17]
2. To Be Loved [3:16]
3. "All We Can Think About Is Dinner" [4:49]
4. A Boring Man [5:54]
5. Lost Reality [5:46]
6. Changes [8:10]
7. The News [4:43]
8. A Sense of Humor [3:56]
9. "What You Dream About" [2:32]
10. Only a Play [4:22]
11. "How Old Are You?" [5:40]
12. What it's All About [7:15]
13. A Smooth Beginning [6:09]
14. Hu-mil-i-a-ting [3:22]
15. The Problem [3:40]
16. The Spiritualist [3:10]
17. Unnerving Occurrence [3:03]
18. The Next Morning [1:09]
19. "Get Me Someone Else" [4:55]
20. "There You Are" [6:17]
21. Old Flame [2:55]
22. Waiting [3:23]
23. I'm Late [3:57]
24. Scene One [5:18]
25. Stress Backstage [5:25]
26. "I Am Not Me" [6:50]
27. Celebration [6:44]
28. Color Bars [4:45]
Side #8 -- John Cassavetes' - A Constant Forge
1. When Is it Interesting? [7:45]
2. A Brief History [2:48]
3. The Films [9:40]
4. "All Mere Complexities" [9:16]
5. The Men [5:08]
6. The Women [9:41]
7. Films As Dissections [5:58]
8. De-Canning Film [4:54]
9. A Fearless Director [3:24]
10. Waiting for the Miracle [8:46]
11. Gena's Mabel [5:38]
12. "Right There With You" [8:46]
13. Make it Ring True [4:47]
14. What He Wanted [7:52]
15. A Great Football Coach [5:13]
16. The Things That Made it Work [8:40]
17. Family Filmmaking [4:59]
18. The Importance of the Struggle [4:29]
19. In the Theater [5:42]
20. The First Independent [3:59]
21. Have a Good Time [7:54]
22. A Wonderful Madhouse [9:06]
23. He Believed in Miracles [3:29]
24. Offensive in the Best Sense [5:41]
25. Adult Films [5:33]
26. The Techniques to Capture Life [4:50]
27. Strip it All Away [5:27]
28. No Entertainment [2:47]
29. The Music [5:12]
30. Laugh Right Up to the End [6:31]
31. "Cassavetes Is a Place" [5:59]
32. "Mechanical Men" [5:29]
33. End Credits [5:17]
34. Color Bars [:01]

Criterion Collection: John Cassavetes - Five Films [8 Pack]: AMG Review
AMG

Includes:

Shadows (1959)

Faces (1968), MPAA Rating: R

A Woman Under the Influence (1974), MPAA Rating: R

The Killing of a Chinese Bookie (1976), MPAA Rating: R

Opening Night (1977)

A Constant Forge (2000)

Shadows
John Cassavetes' Shadows is one of the most important and influential movies of American independent cinema. Shot on location in New York City in gritty, naturalistic black-and-white, it was one of the first American efforts to exhibit the urgent, spontaneous look and feel of French New Wave films. Cassavetes had been a reasonably well-known actor, but his first directorial effort was a world apart from the popular dramas of the era. Shadows set the tone for personal, independently made features for decades to come: it tackled controversial subject matter, featured a cast of unknowns, and had a distinctly unprofessional veneer in most technical aspects. The candidness of the performances and the audacity of the director set it apart: the script was largely influenced by the actors during their rehearsals. In initial screenings, Shadows was shunned by audiences; Cassavetes reworked much of it and re-released the film to greater success. ~ Brendon Hanley, All Movie Guide

Faces
The maturation of his maverick "home movie" ethos, John Cassavetes's Faces (1968) incisively explores the disintegration of an upper middle-class marriage. Shot in 16mm black-and-white, Cassavetes's mobile long takes capture the shifting character dynamics as John Marley's Richard walks out on Lynn Carlin's Maria for a night with Gena Rowlands's prostitute Jeanie, leaving Maria to find temporary solace with Seymour Cassel's young swinger Chet. Punctuating those long takes with extreme close-ups, the actors' brief moments of silent emotional revelation allude to the feelings masked by the jokes, songs, and dances that constitute their interactions. Filmed over eight months and edited over several years, the final form of Faces is hardly off-the-cuff, yet Cassavetes's cin�ma v�rit� style and reliance on improvised performances of scripted lines created a feeling of spontaneous intimacy to match the "realistic," mundane truth of marital boredom. Independently produced by Cassavetes after two frustrating Hollywood experiences, Faces became a critical hit. Along with prizes from the Venice Film Festival and the New York Film Critics Circle, Faces received Oscar nominations for Cassavetes's script and Cassel's and Carlin's supporting performances, confirming Cassavetes's place as one of the most innovative and influential American filmmakers of the 1960s. ~ Lucia Bozzola, All Movie Guide

A Woman Under the Influence
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. ~ Lucia Bozzola, All Movie Guide

The Killing of a Chinese Bookie
John Cassavetes's elliptical mid-1970s picture walks a fine line between self-indulgent and inventive. Fascinating in its originality, the film is somewhat undercut by an unsteady blend of naturalism and artifice. Originally developed with Martin Scorsese, the movie is ostensibly a gangster film, but the genre is bent into a demented character study. Cassavetes regular Ben Gazzara delivers an absorbing performance as the man forced into a moral quandary and barely aware of it. The movie was originally released in 1976 at 135 minutes, but it was re-edited in 1978 to 109 minutes. ~ Brendon Hanley, All Movie Guide

Opening Night
John Cassavetes, one of the film business' first truly independent directors, specialized in a kind of semi-improvised, emotionally wrenching brand of naturalism, which usually tended to polarize audiences. Opening Night, along with A Woman Under the Influence (1974) and Love Streams (1984), all starring his wife, Gena Rowlands, could be thought of as his trilogy on a woman's emotional disintegration. The loosely constructed script concerns the eagerness of the cast of a play in rehearsal to avoid confronting the lead actress about the damage her alcoholism is doing to the production. When a possibly imagined tragedy spins the actress into a sort of breakdown, no one seems to be able to help. As usual, Cassavetes gives the actors free rein, and there are some overindulgent scenes. Yet there is far more truth in this gritty film than in a year of Hollywood's output combined. Rowlands is brilliant as the actress, and her agonized ordeal becomes a powerfully moving experience. Likewise, the rest of the impressive cast, which includes Cassavetes (as her husband), Ben Gazzara, Joan Blondell, Peter Falk, and Paul Stewart, all turn in memorable performances. While possibly lacking the unified impact of A Woman Under the Influence, this is still very much a film worth seeing. ~ Michael Costello, All Movie Guide

A Constant Forge
No reviews available.

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Criterion Collection: John Cassavetes - Five Films [8 Pack] - DVD

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