Gathered myself together, and wrote a tribute – yet another one, really – to Gena Rowlands for Ebert. I did my best. It won’t be the last time I write about her. We’ll be dealing with this career, trying to get a handle on it, for generations to come.
I miss her. I am grateful to her.
Sad day on Wednesday. She was a singular person, with a unique talent. I’ve already rewatched Opening Night and Love Streams, with A Woman Under the Influence originally on the agenda for tonight. My wife says she needs a break—-“It’s too much to take in,” so I may put off AWUTI until later. She’s right. These roles are emotionally draining, but they are exhilarating at the same time.
“My wife says she needs a break” ha!!!
Yeah that’s a lot for one day!
I can’t casually watch them – Rowlands doesn’t allow you to “just” watch her. You have to have the bandwidth to go with her.
always good to hear from you.
Beautiful essay, BTW, as was your video essay included with the Love Streams DVD–which I watched again for the first time in a long while. You do wonderful work, Sheila.
Thank you!! That Love Streams video-essay was a game-changer for me personally – I was so new at this writing thing and was shocked at the opportunity. It just fell in my lap. You can’t pitch to Criterion, lol. THEY ask YOU. so it just seemed perfect that my first gig for them would be about Gena – since she was such an instrumental force in my life.
and of course I’m even more grateful now – in the wake of her passing – that I got to pay tribute to her in that way, with the help of Criterion’s brilliant editors and producers.
I was looking forward to reading your thoughts on her passing and her incredible body of work – I knew it would be you! Condolences. Thank you for this precise and loving overview – such a career to celebrate and I have so much still to see. I am a bit like DBW’s wife in that I have to parcel them out with extreme parsimony. Part of the joy I feel in watching actors is pleasure taken in the craft of make believe but I can’t do that with her – there appears to be no make believe. Like you say about Mabel in your wonderful video essay. Of course the craft and skill are there (as Ebert highlights) but all in service of levering open that space behind her eyes where the work happens. I will definitely catch up on your piece on Opening Night – I was blindsided by how eerie it was.
I must watch Gloria next!
// I have to parcel them out with extreme parsimony. //
absolutely.
I still have to gear myself up to watch Opening Night. More than any of the other films – that one knocks me flat. I re-watched for the recent essay I wrote about it and I almost felt a sense of dread when it started. lol these things have a hold on us!!
// Part of the joy I feel in watching actors is pleasure taken in the craft of make believe but I can’t do that with her – there appears to be no make believe. //
This is VERY insightful. I totally agree.
I love highly skilled actors who can do wild things, who are so inventive and free with inventiveness – Cate Blanchett comes to mind. But – and this isn’t a criticism, just an observation – I feel the inventiveness, I feel the actress being free and creative. And she is an Olympian of creativity – I love it!
But with Gena? I’m tossed into outer space with her. I don’t know which way is up. and I get WORRIED about her. Like … “is she okay??”
In interviews, she seems SO okay. I loved the quote I found where she compared acting to allowing your house to be haunted. !!!
// I was blindsided by how eerie it was. //
It’s just terrifying to me. Beyond words.
and Gloria is just a hoot. I love that they made it – proving they could create a mainstream box-office hit – and do it better than anyone. she’s such a BOMBSHELL, but with that tough steely edge. lol. the way she smokes a cigarette. she’s so TOUGH. I love that tough broad part of her.
always good to hear from you Jessie – I hope you are well!
Yes, I’m really looking forward to seeing her work in that genre – she’s a tough broad! It’s scary to me how open to the wounds of the world Sarah, Mabel, and Myrtle are and the way they survive by going through that vulnerability and not turning away from it. That’s toughness.
It’s difficult times – I feel like everyone is enduring an extended rough patch at the moment – but well enough overall! I hope the same for you!