A fine recording of John Cassavetes, shot in Hollywood 1965, while he was editing "Faces", and 1968 in Paris, when the film was finished. A visiting TV team from France is listening to the credo of Cassavetes that you can make independent, free films in America if you dare to follow your convictions and forget about the limits of your credit card. Wonderful, life enhancing, a must for every film student. What a pity that it is not a bonus on the Cassavetes box. I saw this documentary recently on "arte" in Germany, and I was fascinated by the truth of many of his statements. The camera is attached to the man, moving around him hand-held, and the interviewer is just triggering his word-flow. A stage for this great filmmaker and some of his collaborators, including a listening Gena Rowlands.
2 Reviews
Seminal
haciendacaliente17 September 2006
First, let me say that the rating is subjective. It wouldn't be fair to place this against a feature-length film, or even a full-fledged documentary, since it isn't that type of film. What is here, however, is a wonderful treat: two interview segments with John Cassavetes, from 1965 in Los Angeles and 1968 in Paris, around the work being done on Faces.
The 1965 segment, while a bit more scatter-shot in its approach, is also a bit more revelatory in some ways. Cassavetes drives up a winding road, snapping his fingers to "California Girls" (the Beach Boys, of course) and talking a little bit about music before stopping at his house, which was the location of many moments in his films (in fact, large parts of Faces and Love Streams used the house and exterior areas). We follow him inside and meet a few members of the crew, including the camera operator George Sims, before we go into his garage and watch the editing of the early bedroom scene in progress. To see Cassavetes in such a loose state, as he jokes and clowns around a bit with the others, is quite wonderful.
The 1968 segment is more focused, and it takes place following several screenings of the film. He talks more broadly about making Faces, as well as Shadows, and also discusses the first version of Shadows (he says on film that he has allowed the first version of Shadows to be screened since the general release of the second version, and that it is allowed to be screened at any time. Curiously, Gena Rowlands is in the room while this is being said, grinning contently...but obviously not listening).
Perhaps the only unfortunate thing about this episode is the brief running time (but since it was made for television, that has to be expected), but I can't think of many things that are better than spending an hour watching a man with a masterful presence rapping freely about his art...aside from watching the films, of course.
Seminal.
The 1965 segment, while a bit more scatter-shot in its approach, is also a bit more revelatory in some ways. Cassavetes drives up a winding road, snapping his fingers to "California Girls" (the Beach Boys, of course) and talking a little bit about music before stopping at his house, which was the location of many moments in his films (in fact, large parts of Faces and Love Streams used the house and exterior areas). We follow him inside and meet a few members of the crew, including the camera operator George Sims, before we go into his garage and watch the editing of the early bedroom scene in progress. To see Cassavetes in such a loose state, as he jokes and clowns around a bit with the others, is quite wonderful.
The 1968 segment is more focused, and it takes place following several screenings of the film. He talks more broadly about making Faces, as well as Shadows, and also discusses the first version of Shadows (he says on film that he has allowed the first version of Shadows to be screened since the general release of the second version, and that it is allowed to be screened at any time. Curiously, Gena Rowlands is in the room while this is being said, grinning contently...but obviously not listening).
Perhaps the only unfortunate thing about this episode is the brief running time (but since it was made for television, that has to be expected), but I can't think of many things that are better than spending an hour watching a man with a masterful presence rapping freely about his art...aside from watching the films, of course.
Seminal.
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