The announcement just came in that the 2015’s Governor Awards will be going to Gena Rowlands and Spike Lee (what a pairing – although it seems to me Spike Lee is damn young for an Honorary Award. Strange.), and the Humanitarian Award is going to the well-deserving Debbie Reynolds.
Unfortunately, the Powers That Be have now moved the Governors Awards to another night, and don’t include them in the regular broadcast (a travesty: celebrate the history of the industry as well as the accomplishments of those who are giants in the field, and let everyone see it!). But still, the news of Gena finally being honored is so exhilarating.
Here’s a brief clip from the video-essay written/narrated by me about the work of Gena Rowlands, included in the special features on the Criterion release of Love Streams., Rowlands’ husband John Cassavetes’ final film (in which he also appears).
The film is a wild and unpredictable masterpiece and one of those films I couldn’t quite process when I was a younger woman, and now that I am no longer young, it doesn’t seem “out there” at all. It almost seems like a documentary. Purchase it at that Criterion link if you haven’t seen it already. It is not available elsewhere, and had long been un-see-able, except at festivals. In this recent post for Rowlands’ 85th birthday, I put up a bunch of links to other Rowlands essays I’ve written.
So congratulations, dame Gena. It was nice to see the excitement spreading on Twitter and elsewhere after the announcement was made.
Gena Rowlands is one of the best actresses who has ever practiced the craft. She has no heirs.
