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

Cassavetes' approach to production as told by Sam Shaw

Sam Shaw is a famous photographer who has taken many photographs of actresses such as Marilyn Monroe and New York jazz musicians, but he is actually known for his works such as ``A Woman Under the Influence'', `` Opening Night '', and `` Gloria '' (1980). He also served as a co-producer on `` Husbands '' (70).

I met him in 1993. A retrospective exhibition called ``The Cassavetes Collection'' was held at three Saison-style mini-theaters in Tokyo, and `` Faces ,'' ``A Woman Under the Influence,'' and `` The Killing of a Chinese Bookie '' were shown for the first time. At the same time, his photo exhibition was held at a gallery in Shibuya, and he came to Japan for that purpose. In fact, I had already communicated with Cassavetes via fax and other means before coming to Japan for a magazine article, but in the face-to-face interview, he told me the following about Cassavetes himself. He said he met Cassavetes in 1952.

“At that time, I was hanging out at the Actors Studio, where Tennessee Williams, Elia Kazan, and others were trying to do a project called Actor's Freedom/Freudian Psychodrama. One day, I went to the Cort Theater to see a play directed by George Luft.There was a young actor, John Cassavetes, who was moving comically and talking comically while doing handstands. .This is what I thought of as ``actors' freedom!''

Come to think of it, isn't this ``actor's freedom'' what Cassavetes was pursuing in his own works?

It is said that Shaw and Cassavetes hit it off and frequented jazz clubs at the time. ``In the 1950s, a new style called bebop was attracting attention, and people like Miles Davis and Dizzy Gillespie were playing it in clubs,'' Shaw said, but the two found inspiration in New York music at the time. Looks like I got it.

Cassavetes' debut film, `` American Shadows, '' was entirely improvised, and if you think about it, improvisation is what's important in jazz. Cassavetes' directing style, which pursues freedom for his actors, may have been influenced by the jazz of the time. On the other hand, the photographs of Cassavetes displayed at the Shaw photo exhibition also had a noticeable flowing touch, and I was able to find similarities with Cassavetes' films, which favor improvisational movement.

When you listen to anecdotes from Shaw and Cassavetes's youth, you can see something like the origins of Cassavetes' films. It's not about the beauty of the visuals, it's about the freedom of the performers, like jazz improvisation! As a result, he created a raw emotional expression that was unconventional to Cassavetes' films.

In order to pursue such freedom, Cassavetes disliked the constraints of Hollywood studios, as mentioned above, and dared to raise production funds by appearing as an actor in Hollywood entertainment films (which seemed to pay well?). By doing whatever means necessary to achieve his goals, he maintained an independent attitude without flattering studios.

Cassavetes also left behind these words during his lifetime: ``I don't want to call my work entertainment. Movies are explorations, and they always include questions about humans. How much do you know? Do you know the truth? Can you handle the problem? A good movie poses unknown questions that we don't know how to answer. Movies are a part of our lives. (From the Summer 1992 issue of “Visions”)

As a producer, Shaw continued to watch over him as he continued to make films from an independent standpoint, maintaining a deeply personal attitude. Shaw passed away six years after this visit to Japan, but he was a very generous man, and I am personally very grateful to him. He seemed to like my interview and asked me, ``Would you be interested in writing an article for an American magazine?'' When I said yes, I received a request for a manuscript from an independent magazine in New York, and was able to publish my first article in English.

Give a Being There to a writer you met (by chance) in the East. Could this open-mindedness be a reflection of the independent spirit he shared with Cassavetes? The free spirit of Cassavetes' films was also realized by producers who understood Cassavetes' creative approach.

Interview and text: Sawako Omori

Movie journalist. His books include "Lost Cinema" (Kawade Shobo Shinsha) and other books, and his translations include "Woody" (by D. Evanier, Kinema Junposha). Contributes to magazines such as ``Music Magazine'' and ``Kinema Junpo.'' A research book based on the web series, ``Mini Theater Revisited,'' is also scheduled to be published.

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``A Woman Under the Influence''

"John Cassavetes Retrospective Reprise"

Released nationwide from June 24th (Saturday) at Theater Image Forum and other locations

Distribution: Zaji Films

(c)1974 Faces International Films, Inc.