The local reporatory movie house next month is doing a mini-retrospective of Cassavettes. This is what they're showing:

SHADOWS
HUSBANDS
A WOMAN UNDER THE INFLUENCE
KILLING OF A CHINESE BOOKIE
LOVE STREAMS

I have never seen a Cassavettes movie in my life.

If you guys were going to recommend one Cassavettes as an introduction, what would you suggest? (I'm probably not going to have time for more than one.)

I was flirting with CHINESE BOOKIE, but descriptions sound like it's not really a good introduction to his work, so I'm more than open to suggestions.

thanks,

doug

If you've got only one choice, go for HUSBANDS. This is classic, dictionary definition Cassavetes, a buncha middleaged guys hanging out as if they were still a teenage buncha guys. How far can they run away from their wives and lives (a death among them sets them on this flight, and his bell is tolling for them too); how well can the core-Cassavetes repertory gang (director himself, Ben Gazzara, Peter Falk) improv their way into and out out of some very odd situations?

Some of how they riff off of 'found actors' in documentary seeming situations may appear cruel and unusual explotation of skidrow naturals, but, give them credit, the actors appear every bit as degraded, it's a level playing field here with "Columbo" spewing chunks! Brave camera-rolling improv or "acting"? You decide.

What's beyond doubt for me is how expertly controlled the tempos of scenes are, the rhythms of the whole (a wake-dirge group celebration and gravity bound slouch jazzy blues number), however left to chance the particulars. Scorsese had to be majorly influenced by the excitingly natiralistic-yet-wildly stylized ensemble acting approach taken, as well as the on the fly camerawork which hits prechoreographed marks even as it wobbles.

That's my recollection, anyhow.

Since you said you'll only be able to see one, I'll refrain from the obvious answer "all of them".

I'd probably vote for SHADOWS as a first Cassavetes out of the five listed, but if availability is at all a consideration, LOVE STREAMS is not readily available on video and it's infrequently screened in repertory.

Dave

I can't add much to James' recomendation of HUSBANDS. If it's representative Cassavettes you're after, then that's the way to go.

CHINESE BOOKIE is a wonderful movie, one of my 100 favorite films of all-time, but it's not as representative of John's work, which was by design I believe.

What city do you live in? Perhaps there are others on this board who live near you and could benefit from the tip.

You really can't go wrong, Doug -- all five are interesting films in their own ways -- but if I had to pick one as an introduction, I'd go with SHADOWS. It was really a groundbreaking American film for its time, released just as the French New Wave was beginning to rumble with experimental low-budget verité-style films that challenged old guard cinema. Cassavetes was doing the same kind of loose, experimental cinema in New York City that Truffaut and Godard were doing overseas. SHADOWS is also notable for having a context of race, which, for a 1959/1960 film, is interesting to consider from our vantage point 45 years (and much tumult) later.

Hi --

I live in Philadelphia, the retrospective will be at the International House (or I-House) in November.

Thanks for all of the suggestions -- I will definitely make time for either HUSBANDS or SHADOWS. Hell, maybe if I'm very lucky I'll be able to squeeze in both. :)

doug

Go for KILLING OF A CHINESE BOOKIE, it's the most 'genre' like of his films, and if it doesn't do it for you, yr more than likely not gonna like the rest of his ouvre, BUT if you DO like it, then yr Cassavetes addiction will more than likely start here. HUSBANDS is a great film, but might be difficult for some viewers to watch 3 drunk guys roll around crying about their lives for the first hour or so. LOVE STREAMS by all accounts is supposed to be Cassavetes 'masterpeice' (I haven't seen it) and is a rare as hens teeth film to track becuase of it's Golan-Globus/MGM ownership.