1974 ‧Drama ‧ 147m
Though lately this site has been focusing on films from 1984, 1974 had its fair share of great films as well. Many films celebrating their 50th anniversary are currently playing in cinemas. John Cassavetes’ A Woman Under the Influence is seeing such revival. With the recent death of the film’s star, Gena Rowlands, now is a great opportunity to view the 70s masterpiece.
Mabel Longhetti (Rowlands) is a suburban housewife in southern California. She is married to Nick (Peter Falk), a foreman of a construction team, and they have three school age children. Nick works long hours and often Mabel feels neglected. Early in the film, he gets called into an all-night job and will thus miss a date night with Mabel, who has sent the children to her mother’s for the occasion. Annoyed, Mabel goes out for a night of drinking. The next day, Nick returns home with his team and has Mabel make them a spaghetti dinner. Mabel’s behavior seems unusual and strange during the meal. This behavior continues, reaching to a more concerning level at a children’s birthday party. After a night of further erratic behavior, Nick has a doctor friend come to sedate Mabel and she is committed to a mental health facility. The film’s crescendo is centered on her return home.
The film had its origin as a play for Rowlands, Cassavetes wife, but she didn’t think she could put herself through that kind of role 8 times a week. Cassavetes would finance it himself, with friends such as Falk investing. Eventually he would also distribute it himself. Sending it to film festivals and college campuses, often accompanied by Falk for post screening Q and As. A Woman Under the Influence is one of the few films that really can be called “fiercely independent.” That alone cements its importance to cinema, even before showcasing one of the greatest acting performances in film history.
The late Rowlands is the reason to see this, of course. Despite the limited release, Rowlands would be nominated for best actress. The limited release probably kept her from winning. When compared to what won best actress that year, Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, both films deal with mothers and complex relationships. Rowlands’ role however gets to go to darker depths than Ellen Burstyn’s titular role in Scorsese’s film. Rowlands gives the performance of her career, in a role tailor made for her. Though great throughout, she really shines when Mabel returns home. A truly devastating and moving last 35 minutes.
In many ways this is a fascinating, if disturbing, snapshot into mental health and misogyny of the era. 50 years later, one wonders how this would have played out differently today. Mabel has symptoms that suggest a bipolar disorder, but it could just be that the banality of domesticity and neglect is crushing her. Though Rowlands likely contributed, Cassavetes is the writer of the film and there is a noted feeling of focus on how this is affecting the men in Mabel’s life. That is one of the more dated aspects of the film. For what it is worth, Cassavetes treats Mabel with utmost empathy, and just because there is a focus on how it is affecting the men, does not mean he is condoning or saying it is Mabel’s fault.
Cassavetes films are generally character driven, and he was often seen as an “actor’s director.” He is known to general audiences as an actor, famously playing the husband in Rosemary’s Baby, so his focus on acting tracks. His directorial work can be difficult for audiences. His films tend to eschew traditional plot and pacing and instead focus on raw realistic portrayal. Not that his films lack plot and pacing, they are not as important and verisimilitude, nuance, and personal relationships. With this in mind, it is no surprise that many find his films difficult to get through. At 2 and a half hours, the high drama of A Woman Under the Influence might be difficult. It is, however, quite rewarding.
Grade: A
~Andrew