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Faces
Overview
John Cassavetes, frustrated with Hollywood after his films TOO LATE BLUES and A CHILD IS WAITING were watered down and mutilated, revisits the low-budget terrain of 1959's SHADOWS in this powerful drama that continues to influence new generations of filmmakers. FACES documents the disintegration of the upper-middle-class marriage of a Los Angeles couple, Richard (John Marley) and Maria Forst (Lynn Carlin). When Richard confronts Maria about their deteriorating relationship, they each embark on a desperate quest to connect with another individual; for John, it is Jeannie Rapp (Gena Rowlands), a beautiful young call girl with whom he forms a genuine bond; Maria meets Chet (Seymour Cassel), a 24-year- old hustler. In a striking turn of events, Chet and Maria's meeting almost ends in disaster. FACES is unrelenting in its immediacy and brutal human interaction, as each character deals with their fragility and disappointment by lashing out at someone else. The film is regarded as the first American independent film to cross over to mainstream audiences; it was nominated for three Academy Awards, including Best Supporting Actor (Cassel) and Best Director.
Awards:
Main Cast & Crew:
John Cassavetes - Director
Frederick Draper
Gena Rowlands
John Marley
Lynn Carlin
Seymour Cassel
Christina Crawford
Darlene Conley
David Rowlands
Dorothy Gulliver
Elizabeth Deering
Details
- Format: Blu-ray
- Color Format: B&W
- UPC: 5035673011263
- Genre: DRAMA
Movie Reviews
Synopsis:
John Cassavetes's stark tale of infidelity follows a couple who abandon their marriage after fourteen years. As each turns to others for companionship, they realize life on the outside isn't what they expected, which leaves them more confused than enlightened when the film somberly concludes. Featuring standout performances by John Marley, Gena Rowlands, Seymour Cassel, and Lynn Carlin, FACES is another powerful drama from the acclaimed, and original, indie auteur.
Notes:
Theatrical release (New York City): September 1968.
FACES screened at the New York Film Festival in 1968.
Filmed in Los Angeles, California in 1966, FACES was shot in 16mm and later blown up to 35mm.
The film won four awards at the Venice Film Festival, including Best Picture and Best Director.
Reviews:
"...Packed with intimately grainy black-and-white images..." -- 3 out of 4 stars - 03/29/1996 USA Today, p.3D
"...Bracing drama....Remarkably unaffected performances....There's not a false emotion..." -- Rating: B - 05/03/1996 Entertainment Weekly, p.89
"...FACES became a beacon to filmmakers interested in social realism....[With] scripted yet alive moments of breathtaking human unexpectedness..." - 12/01/2003 Premiere, p.10
"[A]n unflinching and uncomfortable examination of a relationship on the edge of collapse." - 10/01/2005 Uncut, p.142-143
4 stars out of 5 -- "Cassavetes really hit his stride with his second film, FACES. It's a film largely told via tight, claustrophobic close-ups..." - 06/01/2012 Total Film
"FACES is remarkably timeless....Through just eight key scenes, and in lacerating detail, Cassavetes lays bare the behavioural rituals underpinning human relationships..." - 06/01/2012 Sight and Sound
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