{"id":2565,"date":"2007-03-18T15:08:51","date_gmt":"2007-03-18T22:08:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=2565"},"modified":"2024-06-13T23:29:22","modified_gmt":"2024-06-14T06:29:22","slug":"faces-1968","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=2565","title":{"rendered":"Faces (1968)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>&#8220;I want a divorce. That&#8217;s the only thing to do, isn&#8217;t it?&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n<table>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/Faces-Poster.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/Faces-Poster-231x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"231\" height=\"300\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-31442\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/Faces-Poster-231x300.jpg 231w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/Faces-Poster-98x128.jpg 98w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/Faces-Poster.jpg 688w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 231px) 100vw, 231px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Synopsis:<\/strong><br \/>\nAfter announcing he wants a divorce from his wife (Lynn Carlin), an unhappily married businessman (John Marley) spends the night with a call girl (Gena Rowlands); meanwhile, his wife goes to a club with her friends and hooks up with a much younger man (Seymour Cassel).\n<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p>\n<strong>Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Bourgeois Society<\/li>\n<li>Character Studies<\/li>\n<li>Gena Rowlands Films<\/li>\n<li>John Cassavetes Films<\/li>\n<li>Marital Problems<\/li>\n<li>May-December Romance<\/li>\n<li>Midlife Crisis<\/li>\n<li>Seymour Cassel Films<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Review: <\/strong><br \/>\nJohn Cassavetes&#8217; first &#8220;signature&#8221; movie &#8212; after his experimental debut film, <a href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=83660\"><em>Shadows<\/em> (1959)<\/a>, and two additional studio pictures &#8212; was this utterly bleak yet cinematically groundbreaking look at a bourgeois marriage in decay. <em>Faces<\/em> features fine, natural performances by everyone involved, and provides a daringly unfiltered look at class and gender relations in 1960s America. Indeed, &#8220;unfiltered&#8221; is the operative word here: Cassavetes&#8217; first cut of the film (culled from 115 hours of <em>cinema verite<\/em> footage) was something on the order of six hours long; he eventually edited it down to 130 minutes; but, truth be told, it&#8217;s still a long haul to get through. As admirable as Cassavetes&#8217; unconventional, no-holds-barred approach is here, the story is incredibly difficult to watch: emotions are raw and exposed, women are treated abominably, and (in typical Cassavetes fashion) there&#8217;s sporadic physical violence and an emotional breakdown. Seymour Cassel&#8217;s &#8220;Chet&#8221; &#8212; a hippie living for the moment &#8212; brings the only blast of hope into this quagmire of unhappiness; but even he eventually vanishes, leaving these characters to deal, once again, with the oppression of their stultifying lives. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Redeeming Qualities and Moments: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>John Marley as the successful businessman experiencing a mid-life crisis<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/Faces-Marley.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/Faces-Marley.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"362\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-31446\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/Faces-Marley.jpg 600w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/Faces-Marley-128x77.jpg 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/Faces-Marley-300x181.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Luminous Gena Rowlands as the call girl who states, &#8220;I&#8217;m too old to be lovely &#8212; and I haven&#8217;t got a heart of gold.&#8221;<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/Faces-Rowlands.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/Faces-Rowlands.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"362\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-31447\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/Faces-Rowlands.jpg 600w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/Faces-Rowlands-128x77.jpg 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/Faces-Rowlands-300x181.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Lynn Carlin (simply wonderful in her first role) as Marley&#8217;s unhappy wife<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/Faces-Carlin.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/Faces-Carlin.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"363\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-31444\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/Faces-Carlin.jpg 600w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/Faces-Carlin-128x77.jpg 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/Faces-Carlin-300x181.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Seymour Cassel as the free-spirit who brings romance into Carlin&#8217;s life for one brief night<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/Faces-Cassell.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/Faces-Cassell.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"362\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-31445\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/Faces-Cassell.jpg 600w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/Faces-Cassell-128x77.jpg 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/Faces-Cassell-300x181.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>A painfully honest look at a marriage on the brinks<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/Faces-Unhappy.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/Faces-Unhappy.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"362\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-31448\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/Faces-Unhappy.jpg 600w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/Faces-Unhappy-128x77.jpg 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/Faces-Unhappy-300x181.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Effective, groundbreaking use of natural lighting, <em>cinema verite<\/em> camera angles, and improvised dialogue<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Must See? <\/strong><br \/>\nYes. As difficult as it is to watch, all film fanatics should see this important movie at least once. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Categories<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Historically Relevant<\/li>\n<li>Important Director<\/li>\n<li>Oscar Winner or Nominee<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p> (<span style=\"color:red;font-weight:bold;\">Listed in <a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-static\/1001Movies.htm\"><em>1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die<\/em><\/a><\/span>) <\/p>\n<p><strong>Links: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/imdb.com\/title\/tt0062952\/\">IMDb entry<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/1968\/09\/23\/archives\/cassavetess-faces.html\">NY Times Original Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.rogerebert.com\/reviews\/faces-1968\">Roger Ebert&#8217;s Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tcm.com\/tcmdb\/title\/74439\/faces\/#articles-reviews?articleId=138055\">TCM Article<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.timeout.com\/film\/66347.html\">Time Out Capsule Review<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;I want a divorce. That&#8217;s the only thing to do, isn&#8217;t it?&#8221; Synopsis: After announcing he wants a divorce from his wife (Lynn Carlin), an unhappily married businessman (John Marley) spends the night with a call girl (Gena Rowlands); meanwhile, his wife goes to a club with her friends and hooks up with a much younger man (Seymour Cassel). Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors: Bourgeois Society Character Studies Gena Rowlands Films John Cassavetes Films Marital Problems May-December Romance Midlife Crisis&#8230;<\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more\"><a class=\"btn btn-default\" href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=2565\"> Read More<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">  Read More<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2565","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-reviews"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2565","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2565"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2565\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":97729,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2565\/revisions\/97729"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2565"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2565"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2565"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}