Despite the very, very positive reviews for this film and a very high score of 7.9, this film is NOT for everyone. I think had the film been shown to a hundred people and they reviewed and scored it, it would have been a lot lower--and with a WIDELY skewed distribution. People would either love it or hate it. However, the average person also would not just pick up a film directed by John Cassavetes. They might love him in "The Dirty Dozen" or "Rosemary's Baby"--but these are his commercial projects and ones in which he only acted. His own films are very personal and don't even attempt to be commercial but are artsy and often about topics that aren't all that marketable. The bottom line is that he did films he loved to make and didn't seem to care if the public embraced them--at least that's the perception most people 'in the know' have of his movies.
As for "Opening Night", it's clearly not intended as a crowd pleaser! Like many of his film, it stars his wife, Gena Rowlands, and is VERY introspective and non-traditional in style. In many ways, it plays like an Ingmar Bergman film as made by an American. And so, if you love Bergman, you'll probably love this film--and if you think Bergman is dull, then you'll DEFINITELY think this film is as well.
The film also stars Ben Gazzara--another actor frequently used by Cassavetes. A couple other very interesting choices for major roles are Paul Stewart (a great heavy from the 1940s and 50s) and Joan Blondell (a star from the 1930s). It's nice to see these familiar faces late in their careers--as Hollywood seemed to have no interest in these veteran actors--yet Cassavetes just didn't seem to care about marketability.
"Opening Night" is a film that is about an opening night of a play. Unexpectedly, one of the star's fans VERY obsessed fans is killed outside the theater--and the star (Rowlands) begins to suffer what appears to be a nervous breakdown through the course of the movie. As far as the film's structure goes, it was VERY unconventional--with long scenes from the play interspersed throughout the movie. Also, like many Cassavetes films, it features odd camera work and occasionally use of a deliberately bad focus. Fans of Cassavetes will eat this up but the average person (if they even see the film) will be confused and probably very bored by the whole thing. I am not a typical film viewer and like a lot of artsy films--yet I must admit I did not enjoy this film. Perhaps if I see a few more of his films, then I will find myself a fan (this has happened on a few occasions with other beloved film makers). What I did like and appreciate is that at least the film took some risks and was not conventional. I really wanted to like this movie a lot more than I did.
As for "Opening Night", it's clearly not intended as a crowd pleaser! Like many of his film, it stars his wife, Gena Rowlands, and is VERY introspective and non-traditional in style. In many ways, it plays like an Ingmar Bergman film as made by an American. And so, if you love Bergman, you'll probably love this film--and if you think Bergman is dull, then you'll DEFINITELY think this film is as well.
The film also stars Ben Gazzara--another actor frequently used by Cassavetes. A couple other very interesting choices for major roles are Paul Stewart (a great heavy from the 1940s and 50s) and Joan Blondell (a star from the 1930s). It's nice to see these familiar faces late in their careers--as Hollywood seemed to have no interest in these veteran actors--yet Cassavetes just didn't seem to care about marketability.
"Opening Night" is a film that is about an opening night of a play. Unexpectedly, one of the star's fans VERY obsessed fans is killed outside the theater--and the star (Rowlands) begins to suffer what appears to be a nervous breakdown through the course of the movie. As far as the film's structure goes, it was VERY unconventional--with long scenes from the play interspersed throughout the movie. Also, like many Cassavetes films, it features odd camera work and occasionally use of a deliberately bad focus. Fans of Cassavetes will eat this up but the average person (if they even see the film) will be confused and probably very bored by the whole thing. I am not a typical film viewer and like a lot of artsy films--yet I must admit I did not enjoy this film. Perhaps if I see a few more of his films, then I will find myself a fan (this has happened on a few occasions with other beloved film makers). What I did like and appreciate is that at least the film took some risks and was not conventional. I really wanted to like this movie a lot more than I did.