Faces
1968 · United States · 130 min
- Director
- John Cassavetes
- Screenplay
- John Cassavetes
- Producer
- John Cassavetes, Al Ruban
- Cinematography
- Haskell Wexler, Al Ruban
Awards: · 3 nominations
What the critics say
85 % Rotten Tomatoes positive reviewsCast
What it is about
Richard Forst, a middle-aged executive at a finance company, and his wife Maria are living through the final stretch of a worn-out marriage. A night of drinking leads Richard to Jeannie, a woman who works as a prostitute, while Maria, out with three friends, meets Chet, a young man whose easygoing approach to life could not be more different from her own. The two parallel stories reveal the gap between generations, the conventions of marriage, and the difficulty of truly reaching the person you love.
How it was made
John Cassavetes wrote, produced and directed Faces, his fourth film as a director. Financed entirely by him and Gena Rowlands from their own resources, the film was shot over several months in various Los Angeles locations, including the director's house, with long rehearsals and high-contrast black and white 16 mm stock. The cast reportedly worked without pay, in exchange for a promised share of the profits. The footage piled up and editing dragged on for years. An early cut of roughly 183 minutes was later trimmed to the 130 minutes of the general release. Lynn Carlin had no acting experience at all; she was working as a secretary for Robert Altman when Cassavetes cast her as Maria.
Reception and legacy
Critical response was somewhat divided at first, but over time Faces earned wide acclaim and is now regarded as one of the most influential works of the New Hollywood movement. At the Venice Film Festival it won the Pasinetti Prize and the best actor award for John Marley. At the Academy Awards it received three nominations: best original screenplay, best supporting actor for Seymour Cassel, and best supporting actress for Lynn Carlin. In 2011 it was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress. Roger Ebert gave it four stars.
Stills
Trailer
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Trivia
A very famous unpaid helper
Steven Spielberg worked as an unpaid runner during part of the production.
From secretary to actress
Lynn Carlin was working as a secretary for Robert Altman, and Cassavetes, who often hired her as a script reader, cast her as Maria. Her debut earned her an Oscar nomination.
Lost versions
The film was first screened in Canada at 183 minutes before Cassavetes cut it to 130. Other versions are known, and a 147-minute print later turned up at the Library of Congress.
More films by John Cassavetes
Gloria
Love Streams
A Woman Under the Influence
Opening Night
Shadows
HusbandsOriginal Cinematopedia text based on Wikipedia (es) and Wikipedia (en) and Wikidata.