“A Woman Under the Influence” The strength of Cassavetes’ film as it penetrates into the characters’ inner lives.

“A Woman Under the Influence” was a new era women’s film.

If ``A Woman Under the Influence'' had been screened in Japan in the 1970s, I think it would have received slightly different reviews than it does now. In Japan, this film gained serious acclaim in the 1990s and beyond, with European cineastes evaluating it, but if we look at it in the context of American films, we can see that there is a huge societal impact on the fact that this film was made in 1974. It has a meaning.

In the United States, a series called “ Academy Awards: Oscar Annual ” is published, which summarizes the flow of the Oscars that year, and when you look at the 1975 edition (written by Robert Osborne), you can see that the period of this movie I understand the significance. Gena Rowlands is nominated for the Best Actress award at this year's Oscar, and her page includes the following statement: ``The fear that women must be feeling today...'' John perfectly captures the suffocation and emotions that cannot be expressed outside, and I think it's really amazing that a man, not just him, can portray a woman's inner world to this extent."

Looking at the production year of 1974, I think that the depiction of "broken emotions" was certainly new for a women's film at the time.

Rowlands only received a nomination, but it was Ellen Bernstein who won the Oscar for her role in Alice's Love (1974). In both `` Alice's Love '' and ``A Woman Under the Influence,'' the main character is a housewife. The former depicts Alice searching for a second life after losing her husband, while A Woman Under the Influence depicts Mabel, who loves her husband and children, losing her mental balance and experiencing conflict with her husband and parents. You can see him worrying and trying to figure out who he really is. I think it was only after the feminist movement of the late 1960s that it became possible to depict the loneliness of housewives who are not understood by those around them, and the feeling of having nowhere to go, for the first time in film.

The image of a housewife confused about her life was also portrayed in Francis Ford Coppola's ``Woman in the Rain'' (1969) and ` `Wanda '' (1970), which was finally released in Japan in 2022. However, both `` Alice's Love '' and ``A Woman Under the Influence'' continued this trend of new women's films.

“A Woman Under the Influence” (c) 1974 Faces International Films, Inc.

As a young actress, Rowlands was well-received as an actress for her stage work, but after marrying Cassavetes, she wanted to prioritize her family and prioritized appearing in her husband's films so she could work at her own pace. The work that fulfilled his wife's wish to write a drama with a woman as the main character was a stage play with Mabel as the main character, and by making it into a movie script, ``A Woman Under the Influence'' was created. (The story was made into a movie because it was difficult to play the neurotic protagonist on stage every day.)

The main character, Mabel, is a housewife who lives a normal family life and deeply loves her two children and husband, but sometimes cannot control her own intense feelings.

The production that realistically captures the ups and downs of her raw emotions is innovative. According to Cassavetes, at the time, there were no Hollywood studios interested in women's inner issues, so he raised money personally and made it as an independent film, but it ended up being a huge hit and he even won an Oscar for directing it. She was nominated for the Best Actress Award. “I was a maverick director, and a lot of studios were like, ‘Fuck you! ``Even when I say, I choose to move forward.'' That's what Cassavetes says in the aforementioned Oscar book.

If you look at it a little more closely, you can see that Mabel's behavior, where she sometimes goes berserk because she doesn't get the understanding of those around her, is in fact similar to Cassavetes, a director who was struggling as a lone wolf in Hollywood.

The bold portrayal of women by him and his partner Rolands was highly praised, and it became one of their masterpieces.

If it had been imported to Japan in the 1970s, would its strong image of a housewife have been as well-received as it is now? Only a few people appreciate it, and then it is shown at a masterpiece theater and is buried. It may have happened that way. She is unable to control her emotions, has difficulty being understood by her husband and family, and has nowhere to go for her emotions. The image of Mabel was a new image of a housewife that had not been able to be depicted head-on in established Hollywood movies until then.

Rowlands' strong performance leaves a big impact, but Peter Falk's excellent performance as a husband who is confused by the unstable wife she plays but still loves her deeply also adds to the film's unforgettable charm. It has become. He is a man who works at construction sites and values ​​the bonds he has with his friends, and his presence brings a warm humor to the film (the scene where Mabel makes a huge amount of spaghetti for his friends makes me laugh). ). Additionally, Rowlands' biological mother plays Mabel's mother, and Cassavetes' biological mother plays Faulk's mother. The cast of close family members brings vivid realism to the theme of family conflict.

The film also showcases Cassavetes' skill as a director, who has always loved themes of family and marital relationships.

Influence on New York School writers