John Cassavetes Overview

"My characters are not violent or vile. They're everyday people. They have some money, but find themselves discontented with their own loneliness, their own mortality, the sameness of life." Championing a gritty, unencumbered approach to filmmaking, John Cassavetes directed his art... [more]

"My characters are not violent or vile. They're everyday people. They have some money, but find themselves discontented with their own loneliness, their own mortality, the sameness of life." Championing a gritty, unencumbered approach to filmmaking, John Cassavetes directed his art toward a new frontier, one removed from Hollywood's rules. Introduced to cinema as an actor, Cassavetes spent much of the 1950s portraying tough, gangster-type characters. His detour to directing occurred in 1957 when he formed an actors' troupe in New York and began to play with the improvisational techniques that would become such a unique and essential part of his subsequent films. "Shadows" (1960), Cassavetes' first film, emerged from his work with the actors' studio and gave him the authority in Hollywood to create larger, more expensive productions. However, Cassavetes soon learned that his approach to filmmaking was directly at odds with the studios'. After the release of a couple of unenchanting studio pictures, Cassavetes "went independent" and developed a personal style that was decidedly anti-studio. Returning to his improv roots, Cassavetes released "Faces" (1968) and "A Woman Under the Influence" (1974), two films that relied on the actors' personalities and abilities to ad-lib. Avoiding the controlling influence of Hollywood, Cassavetes worked with close friends and family members on both projects. "A Woman Under the Influence," a dark look at a disturbed woman played by Cassavetes's wife Gena Rowlands, was entirely financed and promoted by Cassavetes and his friend, actor Peter Falk. Although Cassavetes enjoyed commercial success in 1980 with the release of "Gloria," the film itself is the least characteristic of his work. Cassavetes gravitated toward unpolished film techniques, including jarring hand-held camera shots that highlighted his representation of suffering, flawed characters. [show less]