Faces (1968/I)

Director:

John Cassavetes

Writer:

John Cassavetes (written by)

Release Date:

24 November 1968 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

An old married man leaves his wife for a younger woman. Shortly after, his ex-wife also begins a relationship with a younger partner. The film follows their struggles to find love amongst each other.

Plot Keywords:

Love | Housewife | Girls Night Out | Beer | Dancing

Awards:

Nominated for 3 Oscars. Another 3 wins & 2 nominations

Cast

John Marley	...	Richard Forst
Gena Rowlands	...	Jeannie Rapp
Lynn Carlin	...	Maria Forst
Fred Draper	...	Freddie Draper
Seymour Cassel	...	Chet
Val Avery	...	Jim McCarthy
Dorothy Gulliver	...	Florence
Joanne Moore Jordan	...	Louise Draper
Darlene Conley	...	Billy Mae
Gene Darfler	...	Joe Jackson
Elizabeth Deering	...	Stella
Ann Shirley		(as Anne Shirley)
Dave Mazzie
Anita White
Julie Gambol

Also Known As:

The Dynosaurs (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

130 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Iceland:L | Australia:M | UK:15 (video rating) (1992) | UK:X (original rating) | USA:PG-13 (DVD re-rating)

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Trivia:

While filming a part on "Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre" (1963), John Cassavetes saw Steven Spielberg lurking around the set, as he was then in the habit of doing. Cassavetes approached Spielberg and asked what he wanted to be. When Spielberg replied he wanted to be a director, Cassavetes allowed the young man to direct him for the day. He later invited Spielberg to work on this film (Faces), Spielberg serving as an uncredited production assistant for two weeks.

Quotes:

Chet: Like Christ said, you know, Help thy neighbor, man.
Billy Mae: He's the one that said that?
Louise: Billy Mae, what difference does it make who said it?
Chet: What difference does it make who said it? It could've been, uh, it could've been him, it could've been Gandhi, it could've been Buddha, it could've been Spooda, it could've been your daddy, it could've been your mama, it could've been your uh-uh, it could've been your huh-huh... What difference, man?

Movie Connections:

References La dolce vita (1960)

Soundtrack:

Love Has Conquered Man

This is the story of an aging business man, his quirky wife, an escort and a gigolo on an unpredictable evening in LA.

John Cassavetes had impressed me with Shadows, charmed me with Minnie and Moskowitz, and disturbed me with Husbands and The Killing of A Chinese Bookie, but Faces evoked all of these reactions simultaneously. The film balances the spontaneous vision and participation of the camera as it dances around the characters with the relentless exploration of awkward human contact. After watching Faces, it is difficult to return to some of the French New Wave films, with which Cassavetes' early work holds much in common. He simply embraced an akin visual style without diminishing psychological facets of his characters' abandon. Faces is truly Cassavetes' masterpiece and a work that brings to light all of his talents and contributions in the cinematic medium.