Gena Rowlands in “A Woman Under the Influence,” 1974, directed by John Cassavetes
The great Gena Rowlands is being honored with a Career Achievement Award from the L.A. Film Critics Association.
The 84-year-old actress is still working. Known primarily for the films she made with her husband, John Cassavetes, in the 60s, 70s, 80s, she’s never stopped. She has a unique position in the industry. One of the greatest actresses who has ever practiced the craft. She is outside the mainstream (although she has appeared in a couple of gigantic mainstream hits, mainly The Notebook, which brought Rowlands to a whole new generation.). But still, while she was nominated for many awards (including an Oscar nomination in 1974 for her performance in Woman Under the Influence), she has never been one of those actresses whose name is regularly in the pot come awards season. That is an indictment of the industry, not of her work.
This Career Achievement award is thrilling news for those of us who have always looked to Rowlands as one of the greatest, who will see whatever she does, who cherish not only her work … but what her work seems to mean.
The award ceremony will be held on January 15. Wish I could be there.
Gena Rowlands has been all over the place recently, her name in the news, what with the recent re-release of Cassavetes’ Love Streams (his final film,) by the Criterion Collection. You can buy a copy here, or elsewhere, Amazon, etc. Superb strange film. Extraordinary acting. And of course, there’s my video-essay included in the special features on Gena Rowlands’ career, and what it is that makes her HER.
It is the kind of career that gives me hope.
I watched her in Opening Night a few weeks ago and was stunned by the depth of her performance. Having only seen her in Gloria and The Notebook, I knew she was good, but I didn’t fully understand what she could do. I don’t know exactly how to explain this, but in most movies you see people play at acting, you can see the gears turning. To me, what she does is true acting, because you never catch her performing.
So excited you saw Opening Night!! Yes – that film is a masterpiece.
That’s one of my points in my video-essay too – that what she is doing does not look like acting, which is why (in my opinion) she has been under-rated in the past.
If you can, check out Woman Under the Influence!!