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Gloria
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Gloria (1980) -- Rowlands garnered an Oscar nomination for her fierce portrayal as an ex-mob mistress who takes care of a young boy after his family is wiped out by the Mafia. Gloria must rely on all her street-savvy to prevent bother herself and the boy from being the mobster's next target.

Overview

User Rating:
6.8/10   2,699 votes
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MOVIEmeter: ?
Up 36% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Writer:
John Cassavetes (writer)
Contact:
View company contact information for Gloria on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
19 September 1980 (West Germany) more
Genre:
Tagline:
She attempted to beat the mob at their own game. more
Plot:
Jack Dawn and his family are eliminated by the mob, because he was their accountant and was keeping a personal copy of their records... more | add synopsis
Awards:
Nominated for Oscar. Another 3 wins & 1 nomination more
NewsDesk:
(9 articles)
Christmas and new year TV films
 (From The Guardian - Film News. 18 December 2009, 5:30 AM, PST)

Christmas and new year TV films
 (From The Guardian - TV News. 18 December 2009, 5:30 AM, PST)

User Reviews:
An American Classic more (34 total)

Cast

  (in credits order) (complete, awaiting verification)

Julie Carmen ... Jeri Dawn

Gena Rowlands ... Gloria Swenson
John Adames ... Phil Dawn
Tony Knesich ... 1st Man / Gangster
Gregory Cleghorne ... Kid in Elevator
Buck Henry ... Jack Dawn
Lupe Garnica ... Margarita Vargas
Jessica Castillo ... Joan Dawn
Tom Noonan ... 2nd Man / Gangster
Ronald Maccone ... 3rd Man / Gangster
George Yudzevich ... Heavy Set Man
Gary Howard Klar ... Irish cop (as Gary Klar)
William E. Rice ... TV Newscaster
Frank Belgiorno ... Riverside Drive Man #5
J.C. Quinn ... Riverside Drive Man #4
Alex Stevens ... Riverside Drive Man #7
Sonny Landham ... Riverside Drive Man #8
Harry Madsen ... Riverside Drive Man #6
Shanton Granger ... Car Flip Cabbie
John Pavelko ... Bank Teller

Ray Baker ... Assistant Bank Manager
Ross Charap ... Ron / Vault
Irvin Graham ... Clerk / Adams Hotel
Michael Proscia ... Uncle Joe
T.S. Rosenbaum ... Desk Clerk / Star Hotel
Santos Morales ... New York Cemetery Cabbie
Meta Shaw Stevens ... Hostess (as Meta Shaw)
Marilyn Putnam ... Waitress

John Finnegan ... Frank
Gaetano Lisi ... Mister
Richard M. Kaye ... Penn Station Hood #3
Steve Lefkowitz ... Penn Station Hood #5
George Poidomani ... Penn Station Hood #4
Lawrence Tierney ... Broadway Bartender
Asa Adil Qawee ... 104th Street Cab Driver
Vincent Pecorella ... Boy in Bitch Mother's Apt
Iris Fernández ... Bitch Mother #1
Jade Bari ... Bitch Mother #2
David Resnick ... Subway Person #2
Thomas J. Buckman ... Man in Newark Station
Joe Dabenigno ... Man in Newark Station
Bill Wiley ... Bellman
John M. Sefakis ... Greek Cashier

Val Avery ... Sill
Walter Dukes ... Newark Cabbie
Janet Ruben ... Lincoln Tunnel Cabbie
Ferruccio Hrvatin ... Aldo

Edward Wilson ... Guillermo D'Antoni
Basilio Franchina ... Tony Tanzini
Carl Levy ... Milt Cohen
Warren Selvaggi ... Pat Donovan
Nathan Seril ... The Baron
Vladimir Drazenovic ... Tonti
Edward Jacobs ... Desk Clerk / Newark Hotel
Brad Johnston ... 1st Traveler
Jerry Jaffe ... Pittsburgh Cabbie
rest of cast listed alphabetically:

Jerry Schram ... Bank Customer (uncredited)
Filomena Spagnuolo ... Old Lady (uncredited)
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Directed by
John Cassavetes 
 
Writing credits
(in alphabetical order)
John Cassavetes  writer

Produced by
Stephen F. Kesten .... associate producer
Sam Shaw .... producer
 
Original Music by
Bill Conti 
 
Cinematography by
Fred Schuler 
 
Film Editing by
George C. Villaseñor 
 
Casting by
Vic Ramos 
 
Production Design by
Rene D'Auriac 
 
Art Direction by
Rene D'Auriac 
 
Costume Design by
Peggy Farrell 
Emanuel Ungaro 
 
Production Management
Stephen F. Kesten .... production manager
 
Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Michael Haley .... first assistant director
 
Art Department
Dave Weinman .... lead man
 
Sound Department
Stan Gordon .... sound
Jack C. Jacobsen .... sound mixer
Tod A. Maitland .... boom operator
James Perdue .... sound recordist (as Jim Perdue)
 
Stunts
Victoria Vanderkloot .... stunt double
Sonny Landham .... stunt driver (uncredited)
Harry Madsen .... stunt driver (uncredited)
Alex Stevens .... stunt driver (uncredited)
 
Camera and Electrical Department
Ricki-Ellen Brooke .... second assistant camera
Dennis Gamiello .... key grip
Tom Kerwick .... grip
Gábor Kövér .... first assistant camera: "b" camera
Robert Paone .... assistant camera
 
Music Department
Tommy Tedesco .... musician: guitar
Dan Wallin .... score mixer
 
Transportation Department
Robert Buckman .... driver
Thomas Buckman .... driver
James Giblin .... transportation coordinator
Richard Holston .... driver
 
Other crew
Chip Cronkite .... production assistant
 

Production CompaniesDistributorsOther Companies
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Additional Details

Runtime:
123 min
Country:
Language:
Color:
Color (Technicolor)
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Certification:

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
The title character's name Gloria Swenson, is almost identical to that of actress Gloria Swanson. more
Quotes:
Gloria Swenson: You let a WOMAN beat ya, huh?
[yelling at mobsters in the subway as she and the boy are escaping]
more
Movie Connections:
Referenced in My Mistress Electra (1983) more

FAQ

Who's this Mr. Tanzini?
more
35 out of 38 people found the following review useful.
An American Classic, 24 August 2003
Author: noreaster13 from Massachusetts

There must be a million woman like Gloria. They never got educated but they're smart. They're good looking, but not enough to get that gangster boyfriend to leave his wife. They hostess or maybe they just are table dressing for as long as they can. They make enough to have a decent apartment, and they hock the gift jewelry and furs and stick the money in a safe deposit box for the day they just can't do it any more. Can't smile and nod and be sweet, and the goombas look to the younger girls for attention. They try to keep quiet and keep their nose clean and ignore the young punks that treat them a little worse every year.

But life can mess up your plans, as it does for Gloria when it dumps an orphaned kid in her lap and some of her p***ed gangster pals at her door. And the decision she makes to save the kid's life means she can never go back.

"Gloria" isn't really about stuff like violence or mobsters or guns at all. It's about the hopes and wishes and loneliness of a life that represents the lives of many invisible woman. Gloria has always been a "broad" as she says. Never the Madonna, to be worshipped and respected. Always the Whore to be stepped on. And it sucks to be at the mercy and whim of men. Especially cruel, stupid thugs who don't have the brains or guts to do anything but lie, cheat, steal, and kill women and children.

Gloria reluctantly gives up her old life. She gave years of her life to these slobs and she doesn't want to lose the little she got for her troubles. She just wants peace and quiet and to be left alone. Why give it up to help some annoying kid?

But when she makes the decision to do just that, her rage and resentment explode.

Gena Rowlands gives a flawless performance that burns bright and makes the viewer feel the rage of those who hide their intelligence and personality and try to "get by" in a world of lesser men. Gloria's got more balls and brains than any of the suits that run the racket. And now she's going to prove it.

"Gloria" is what happens when adults make movies for adults. No childish chatter, no idealized and airbrushed world, no moralizing and preaching. This movie has blood in its veins.

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This is the worst film ever. smeghead44
The Waitress bluehelix
The ending at the cemetary gbolton08060279
Kid JAG2005
Buck Henry as the hot girl's husband: MISCAST of CENTURY! Zewolf
Bill Conti's score suegrantmayaseth
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