John Cassavetes: Five Films (Criterion Collection) (Blu-ray) (Widescreen)

John Cassavetes - Five Films [BLU-RAY] 71551511171 Movies John Cassavetes was a genius, a visionary, and the progenitor of American independent film, but that doesnt begin to get at the generosity of his art. A former theater actor fascinated by the power of improvisation, Cassavetes brought his search for truth in performance to the screen. The five films in this collection - all of which the director maintained total control over by financing them himself and making them outside the studio system - are electrifying and compassionate creations, populated by all manner of humanity: beatniks, hippies, businessmen, actors, housewives, strippers, club owners, gangsters, children. "Shadows" (1959) John Cassavetess directorial debut revolves around a romance in New York City between Lelia (Lelia Goldoni), a light-skinned black woman, and Tony (Anthony Ray), a white man. The relationship is put in jeopardy when Tony meets Lelias darker-skinned jazz singer brother, Hugh (Hugh Hurd), and discovers that her racial heritage is not what he thought it was. "Faces" (1968) John Cassavetes puts a disintegrating marriage under the microscope in the searing "Faces". Shot in high-contrast 16 mm black and white, the film follows the futile attempts of the captain of industry Richard (John Marley) and his wife, Maria (Lynn Carlin), to escape the anguish of their empty relationship in the arms of others. "Woman Under the Influence" (1974) This uncompromising portrait of domestic turmoil details the emotional breakdown of a suburban housewife and her familys struggle to save her from herself. Gena Rowlands and Peter Falk give unforgettably harrowing performances as a married couple deeply in love but unable to express their ardor in terms the other can understand. "The Killing of a Chinese Bookie" (1976 Version and 1978 Version) John Cassavetes engages with film noir in his own inimitable style with "The Killing of a Chinese Bookie". Ben Gazzara brilliantly portrays a gentlemans club owner, Cosmo Vitelli, desperately committed to maintaining a facade of suave gentility despite the seediness of his environment and his own unhealthy appetites. When he runs afoul of loan sharks, Cosmo must carry out a terrible crime or lose his way of life. "Opening Night" (1977) While in the midst of rehearsals for her latest play, Broadway actor Myrtle Gordon witnesses the accidental death of an adoring young fan, after which she begins to confront the chaos of her own life. Headlined by a virtuoso performance by Rowlands, John Cassavetess "Opening Night" lays bare the drama of a performer who, at great personal cost, makes a part her own, and it functions as a metaphor for the directors singular, wrenched-from-the-heart creative method.