Movies - John Cassavetes and Gena Rowlands Appreciation: "Dynamite, on screen and off" - BFI

**Crystal Clear** · 04-21-2021, 03:40 PM

The C a s s a v e t e s Family Appreciation Thread #1
{ John, Gena, Nick, Alexandra and Zoe }

"We keep learning how to play together,
so I can step on her toes gently and she can step on mine
and we can make a lot of noise."

~ John about him and Gena, Playboy [1971]

[source]

"I believe that any two people who disagree should really go as far as they can, and I think we do:
screaming, yelling, petty acts of hostility and cruelty — but it’s all meaningless.
It’s meaningless, if that essential love is there.
Like a rubber band that you stretch out, no matter how far you pull it — and even if it stings snapping back — it returns, the love reappears.”

~ John about him and Gena, Playboy

[+]

Joint Films
+ A Child is Waiting (1963)
+ Faces (1968)
+ Machine Gun McCain (1969)
+ Minnie and Moskowitz (1971)
+ A Woman Under the Influence (1974)
+ Two-Minute Warning (1976)
+ Opening Night (1977)
+ Gloria (1980)
+ Tempest (1982)
+ Love Streams (1984)

"John was always thinking a great deal ahead of us. He loved and adored actors.
I like knowing that there are people out there who admire the work we did together, and still consider John an example of how this can be done.
And he still is. He still is an example."

~ Gena about John, RogerEbert.com [2016]

"My dad was dead for a number of years before I made my first movie. We never really talked film theory.
My experience with him was more along the lines of how to be a man, how to be yourself;
How to free yourself from what society tells you to do, how to release yourself as an artist.
In no way shape or form can I compare myself with him, because a guy like him comes along every hundred years.
You must be satisfied to think the way you think and explore things in the manner that you think. In that position I’m much more like mom than dad.
We’re probably more reflective; our thought-processes probably occur in a quieter way than John’s. John’s thoughts exploded out of his body.
He was a wildly entertaining guy. I’m very, very lucky to have him as a father."

~ John and Gena's son, Nick Cassavetes (director of 'The Notebook'), to Filmic Passion [2007]

Articles
"A love that always snapped back"
"Fiery and tempestuous... One of cinema's great husband-wife partnerships"
"The king and queen of independent cinema"
"The core of Gena's best work is a series of films she did with her husband"
"Each other's muse"

"While we were waiting to shoot, Roman (Polanski) was discoursing about the impossibility of long-term monogamy given the brevity of a man's sexual attraction to any woman.
An impassioned John Cassavetes responded that Roman knew nothing about women, or relationships, and that he was more attracted than ever to his wife, Gena Rowlands.
Roman stared at him and blinked a few times, and for once, had no reply."

~ Mia Farrow on filming 'Rosemary's Baby', in her book What Falls Away: A Memoir [1997]

Fans
1. Crystal Clear (Gwen)

**Crystal Clear** · 04-22-2021, 07:42 AM

This little clip says it all (no words necessary) about the depth of their love. Unafraid to bask in PDA, 35 years of marital bliss

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**Crystal Clear** · 04-23-2021, 12:33 PM

Brilliant interview here, where John voices his exasperation on his type of movies not getting the recognition they deserve

also he's holding hands with Gena

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**Crystal Clear** · 04-29-2021, 04:45 PM

Movie-making was destined to run in the family!

A vintage photo of Gena with her daughters Xan and Zoe, both of whom are respected writers/directors and appeared in their parents' films as children

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**Crystal Clear** · 06-10-2021, 03:46 PM

A forever love

**Crystal Clear** · 08-05-2021, 04:32 PM

Some people in the comments of this video are pretty harsh on John, Peter Falk and Ben Gazzara for acting kinda crazy and obviously drunk but

a) they're at least partially in character, with relation to the movie they were promoting at the time
b) they're best friends in real life and I'd rather see people acting silly if they're legitimately enjoying each other's company then just pretend to tolerate each other

I loved this interview

and if the interviewer genuinely had a problem with them trying to hog the spotlight or whatever then he needed to chill. There are always other interviews where he would've gotten less interesting guests who didn't care to be funny

Anyway, enjoy!

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Click here for their chaotic trio interview on The Dick Cavett Show - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x-kPTmM_zMc&t=3s

**Crystal Clear** · 08-28-2021, 05:12 PM

Nick and Xan with their loving parents

**Crystal Clear** · 09-10-2021, 01:56 PM

I still think it's incredibly cute that Nick cast Gena as the elderly version of Allie in The Notebook.

All the behind the scenes clips I saw really proved their mutual respect for each other - him as a director, her as an actress.

John would be so proud.

**Crystal Clear** · 09-13-2021, 08:58 AM

Very sweet pic of Gena filming a scene with James Garner for The Notebook. Her character is suffering from alzheimer's and he reads to her from a journal, in the hope that she will eventually remember him

**Crystal Clear** · 09-17-2021, 03:00 PM

**Crystal Clear** · 09-20-2021, 03:46 PM

Sweethearts

**Crystal Clear** · 09-29-2021, 03:33 AM

Martin Scorsese talking about the impact of John Cassavetes:

**Crystal Clear** · 10-08-2021, 01:53 PM

**Crystal Clear** · 10-15-2021, 02:55 PM

Their good friend, Ben Gazarra in John's movie

**Crystal Clear** · 12-01-2021, 04:39 PM

John and Gena's on-screen chemistry in Opening Night is amazing.

If you can see it somehow, please do

it's a wonderfully made film.

Lots of scenes showing a play within a film. They perform it so well.

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