Start with Faces, then watch Woman Under the Influences and The Killing of a Chinese Bookie.
what matt said. and stay away from husbands.
Make sure to see A Woman Under the Influence. It’s his masterpiece and it was the first one of his that I saw. After that, watch Shadows and Faces. Good thing you have Minnie & Moskowitz on your DVR b/c that one isn’t available on DVD.
Here is how I’d rank his films (there’s a couple missing that I haven’t seen):
1. A Woman Under the Influence
2. Faces
3. Husbands
4. Shadows
5. Mikey and Nicky (directed by Elaine May but who cares)
6. Opening Night
7. Minnie and Moskowitz
8. The Killing of a Chinese Bookie
To the novice, I think A Woman Under the Influence is one of Cassavetes’ more accessible films while also displaying what he did best. Falk and Rowlands give riveting performances in a damn compelling domestic drama. I think from there, once you get a sense of his style, you can move on to some of his more difficult films (difficult in terms of conventional narrative structure). Husbands is not for everyone (it might be his most indulgent film) but it’s probably his most playful.
1. Stay away from Ray Carney. MILES away!
2. Begin at the beginning with “Shadows.”
3. Next "A Woman Under the Influence, “The Killing of a Chinese Booke” and “Opening Night”
4. If you can land a video of “Love Streams” do so as it’s his best film, IMO.
5. “Mike and Nicky” uis afilm by Elaine May keyed to Cassvetes and Falk’s acting relatioship. It’s teriffic but no a Cassavetes film per se
6. If you want to know more about Casavetes the actor-for-hire see “Edge of the City,” “Rosemary’s Baby” and “The Fury.”
I would listen to Ehrenstein (especially about The Fury). Add the Etude in Black episode of Columbo too while you’re at it. Also, Mickey and Nickey is excellent not just for the actual friendship on screen, but for the amazing film Elaine May crafted.
Also, Ray Carney’s Cassavetes on Cassavetes book I personally like, but you’re just going to have to edit Carney himself. His opinions on cinematic art are a bit too dogmatic and the films he seems to go nuts for always have the argument of understanding small emotions and how people work, etc, etc.
“If you can land a video of “Love Streams” do so as it’s his best film, IMO.”
wow, never read before :-)
I’d take Husbands over Faces personally but overall i co-sign the other recommendations on this list
But Minnie and Moskowitz annoys me. It’s not the film, its Cassel. His performance almost ruins the entire film
What’s the word on MACHINE GUN MCCAIN?
I hope they release Love Streams on DVD someday. :(
I would agree about being cautious about Ray Carney. As Mark and Ehrenstein said, he’s a bit harsh in my opinion. I can’t say I’ve read a lot of his stuff but from what Mike Spence used to say about Carney, it made me extremely wary of him and the sort of limited scope of what cinema should be. John Cassavetes is one of my favorite filmmakers and probably has had the most impact on my own development as a filmmaker, but I think I would shoot myself if every movie was a Cassevetes-type film. lol
And The Fury sucked.
I was lucky enough to see the very last thing Cassavetes did. It was a play called “A Woman of Mystery.” Gena Rowlands, Carol Kane and Ray Brocksmith starred. It was obviously designed to be a film but Cassavetes knew he’d never live to make it. it concerned a woamn vagrant and a woman who claims she is her daigher — a notion our heroine violently rejects until the play’s end. Scenes were bracketed with vadeille numbers.
Cassavetes was present — rail thin with an edema that bulged his stomach out like preganancy. He was, however, in very high spitrits. At the llttle theatre on La Cienega where it was performed I found myself seated between Lelia Goldoni and Seymour Cassel.
In other words I saw it in “Cassavetes-vision.”
DO NOT stay away from Husbands- it’s probably his ballsiest film.
David – How was it?
It was really really great.
“The Fury” is FABULOUS!
In that scene Amy Irving expresses precisely how I feel about Republicans.
^^It’s the only good scene in the film too :-)
Yes, it really is the only good scene in the movie. De Palma has made a lot of stinkers and The Fury is one of the stinkiest.
Btw, how do you know when a film is going to expire? I just looked at some Cassavetes films on Netflix, and there is no obvious indication on any of them. (I rent only, no streaming, if that makes a difference.)
Ricky, don’t stay away from HUSBANDS, but don’t make if first…grueling, sad comedy (longer than its runtime). I think FACES is the best starting point.
ricky richtoffen
There’s a few John Cassavetes flicks on netflix that expire on 8/3. (I think it’s just the five from the Criterion set expiring, though one more, A Child is Waiting, is on there too.) I’ve got Minnie & Moskowitz dvred too. if I get the time, I’m going to try to watch them.
The only Cassavetes-directed film I’ve seen is Gloria, so I’m pretty much a rookie here. Is there anything that ought to be prioritized? I probably won’t have time for all of them. Knowing there’s different cuts of some of these out there, is there any reason NOT to watch the versions on Netflix ?
I’ve been meaning to get to Cassavetes, but have kind of put him off. I’m not sure I’ll get the time, but I’d appreciate the guidance anyway.