A Woman Under the Influence (1974)

User Rating:

8.0/10   

Director:

John Cassavetes

Writer:

John Cassavetes (written by)

Release Date:

18 November 1974 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

Mabel, a wife and mother, is loved by her husband Nick but her madness proves to be a problem in the marriage. The film transpires to a positive role of madness in the family, challenging conventional representations of madness in cinema.

Plot Keywords:

Fight | Marriage | Dinner Guest | Mental Illness | Child Nudity

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 7 wins & 4 nominations

Cast

Peter Falk	...	Nick Longhetti
Gena Rowlands	...	Mabel Longhetti
Fred Draper	...	George Mortensen
Lady Rowlands	...	Martha Mortensen
Katherine Cassavetes	...	Margaret Longhetti
Matthew Laborteaux	...	Angelo Longhetti
Matthew Cassel	...	Tony Longhetti
Christina Grisanti	...	Maria Longhetti
O.G. Dunn	...	Garson Cross
Mario Gallo	...	Harold Jensen
Eddie Shaw	...	Dr. Zepp
Angelo Grisanti	...	Vito Grimaldi
Charles Horvath	...	Eddie
James Joyce	...	Bowman
John Finnegan	...	Clancy
Vincent Barbi	...	Gino (as Vince Barbi)
Cliff Carnell	...	Aldo
Frank Richards	...	Adolph
Hugh Hurd	...	Willie Johnson
Leon Wagner	...	Billy Tidrow
Dominique Davalos	...	Dominique Jensen
Alexandra Cassavetes	...	Adrienne Jensen (as Xan Cassavetes)
Pancho Meisenheimer	...	John Jensen
Sonny Aprile	...	Aldo
Ellen Davalos	...	Nancy
Joanne Moore Jordan	...	Muriel
John Hawker	...	Joseph Morton
Sil Words	...	James Turner
Elizabeth Deering	...	Angela
Jackie Peters	...	Tina
Elsie Ames	...	Principal
N.J. Cassavetes	...	Adolph

Directed by
John Cassavetes

Writing credits
John Cassavetes		(written by)

Produced by
Sam Shaw	....	producer

Original Music by
Bo Harwood

Cinematography by
Mitch Breit		(uncredited)
Al Ruban		(uncredited)

Film Editing by
David Armstrong
Sheila Viseltear

Art Direction by
Phedon Papamichael

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Jack Corrick	....	first assistant director
Roger Slager	....	second assistant director
Gary Graver	....	second unit director (uncredited)

Art Department
Steve Hitter	....	graphics
Kevin Joyce	....	props

Sound Department
Michael Denecke	....	sound mixer (as Henry Michael Denecke)
Nick Spaulding	....	boom operator (as Nick Spalding)
Bo Harwood	....	sound (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Mitch Breit	....	in charge of lighting (as Mitchell Breit)
Cliff Carnell	....	key grip
Merv Dayan	....	lighting technician
Caleb Deschanel	....	additional photographer
Frederick Elmes	....	assistant camera (as Fred Elmes)
Michael Ferris	....	camera operator (as Mike Ferris)
Gary Graver	....	additional camera operator
David V. Lester	....	gaffer (as David Lester)
David B. Nowell	....	camera operator (as David Nowell)
Leslie Otis	....	assistant camera
Anthony R. Palmieri	....	assistant camera (as Tony Palmieri)
Larry Silver	....	assistant camera
Bo Taylor	....	lighting technician
Chris Taylor	....	lighting technician
Brian Hamill	....	still photographer: special assignment (uncredited)
R. Michael Stringer	....	additional photographer (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Carole K. Smith	....	wardrobe (as Carole Smith)

Editorial Department
Tom Cornwell	....	supervising editor
Robert Heffernan	....	executive in charge of post-production

Other crew
Elaine Goren	....	continuity
Carole K. Smith	....	production secretary (as Carole Smith)

Production Companies

• Faces

Distributors

• Cinéma International Corporation (CIC) (1976) (France) (theatrical)
• Criterion Collection, The (2004) (USA) (DVD)
• Criterion Collection, The (2008) (USA) (DVD)
• Faces International
• Touchstone Home Video

Other Companies

• American Film Institute (AFI)  thanks

Runtime:

155 min | USA:146 min (TCM print)

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Italian

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Norway:16 | Brazil:12 | Australia:M | Argentina:16 | Finland:K-16 | Portugal:M/12 | Sweden:15 | UK:15 (video rating) (1992) | UK:AA (original rating) | USA:R

Filming Locations:

1741 N. Taft Avenue, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Faces

Trivia:

Last film of Elsie Ames.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Nick pulls up to the construction site in his pick up truck, the truck comes to a complete stop in the wide shot. In the close-up on the opposite side of the truck, it's still moving.

Quotes:

Mabel Longhetti: All of a sudden, I miss everyone...

Movie Connections:

Featured in Los Angeles Plays Itself (2003)

A Bruising Portrait of Mental Illness

Eeesh, what a tough movie to sit through.

This two and a half hour movie left me sweaty, exhausted and hollowed out. In its own way it's an extremely well done film, but I don't know that it's an experience I want to repeat. Director John Cassavetes follows a few months in the life of a family whose mother and wife (Gena Rowlands) is suffering from mental illness, and the movie consists of one long scene after another of her cracking up, or trying not to crack up, and the various family members' reactions to her cracking up. Peter Falk plays the husband and father who thinks that mental illness is just some silly nonsense his wife should be able to stop if she just tried hard enough. Rowlands has the showier role, but Falk is the revelation here. His depiction of a husband who blusters and shouts to hide his overwhelming sense of helplessness and fear is superb.

Cassavetes's camera is relentless. We watch Rowlands suffer again and again in long takes and intimate closeups. There are times when you simply want to look away from the screen to help this poor woman preserve a shred of dignity. The highlight of the film (or low point, depending on your point of view) comes when Rowlands's character returns home from a stay in an institution, and her family works overtime to convince themselves that everything's fine when the audience can see clearly that everything is not.

Bruising is the best word I can think of to describe this film.

Grade: A-