Directed by:
John CassavetesScreenplay:
John CassavetesCinematography:
Al RubanCast:
Gena Rowlands, John Cassavetes, Ben Gazzara, Joan Blondell, Paul Stewart, Zohra Lampert, John Tuell, Laura Johnson, Peter Bogdanovich, Seymour Cassel (more)VOD (3)
Plots(1)
On the eve of the premiere of a shaky Broadway production, a distinguished actress confronts complex and painful feelings about her life's calling, prompted by the accidental death of a fan. As her sanity begins to dwindle, she struggles to come to terms with the suppressed emotions that the on stage character she plays must reveal--which come too close for comfort. (official distributor synopsis)
(more)Reviews (3)
A psychological drama in a theatrical setting about a successful actress who struggles to connect with the character of a woman who is distraught about aging. And about the group of people who work with her on the play. Director and screenwriter John Cassavetes takes a simple theatrical and visual approach. He knowledgeably conceives the characters’ respective natures and makes great use of the colors of the interiors in which the film is set. The heart of the film is the brilliant performance of Gena Rowlands, thanks to which it is literally a fetishistic pleasure to voyeuristically examine her character’s complicated mental and psychological state. Opening Night is a psychological masterpiece for lovers of both film and theatre!
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John Cassavetes, the uncrowned king of the American independent scene, gives a glimpse into the inner workings of an ageing stage actress who doesn't have to fight any inner demons, but herself. And it's 144 minutes long, so if you don't feel beforehand that the subject matter is something for you, you'd better keep your hands off Premiere. [KVIFF 2022]
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Cassavetes works excellently with the audience. Thanks to the intertwining of the main character's real life with the role she is portraying, which is mentally destroying her and against which she is trying to defend herself, we are constantly kept in suspense through real theater performances, rehearsals, and glimpses into the personal life of the aging actress. We, in my case, try to recognize who is actually speaking to us (I was holding my breath) during this tension. Is it the real woman-actress, trying to cope with the character she is playing and thus also dealing with herself? Or are these just prescribed words from her part (which, by the way, the author of the play - also an aging woman - could be speaking)? Is it an instant improvisation or rehearsed words? Although the ending is not as catastrophic as the previous almost two and a half hours, Cassavetes as a director and actor and Gena Rowlands deserve the utmost.
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