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| Gena Rowlands looks like a tough lady with a revolver, sheltering a little boy on this effective poster for John Cassavetes' Gloria |
When his whole family gets murdered by the mob over a threat, his father has made, small Puerto-Rican boy Phil winds up in the care of his mother's friend Gloria, who has her own mob connections ...
Gloria is written and directed by New-Yorker master filmmaker John Cassavetes (Shadows (1958)), whose 10th film it was.
In Gloria he presents an unusual and strong plot, which is vividly accelerated through the use of cat-and-mouse dynamics, along with the two main characters' varying wish to engage with each other and the inherent, irresistible suspense that lies in the life of a small innocent child being endangered.
The film is shot on New York locations in an exemplary, marvelous way. Gena Rowlands (She's So Lovely (1997)) is fabulous and awards-worthy as the bad-ass and highly empowering title character, a woman who is tougher than the mob. Little John Adames is deeply, deeply adorable as Phil: The crew and filmmaker must have fallen hard for him, - which excuses that he doesn't, - in some scenes at least, - act very naturally. His performance is wonderful nonetheless.
Gloria is both enormously exciting, funny and mock-romantic between the two, (it is kept sweet and innocent, of course.) SPOILER The ending may be a bit overstrung melodramatically, - but thank God at least it's a happy one. (Few audiences would be able to bear to see Gloria or Phil get killed.) Gloria is another Cassavetes/Rowlands collaboration bull's eye.
Related posts:
John Cassavetes: The Fury (1978) - De Palma's telekinetic powers run amuck! (co-starring actor)
Top 10: Best dramas reviewed by Film Excess to date
A Woman Under the Influence (1974) or, Family Dysfunction (writer/director)
Faces (1968) or, John Cassavetes' LA Misery circa 1968 (writer/director)
The Dirty Dozen (1967) - Aldrich's rough WWII super-entertainment (co-starring actor)
Edge of the City (1957) - Poitier gleams in Ritt's idealistic debut (co-starring actor)
Watch a trailer for the film
Cost: Unknown
Box office: 4 mil. $ (North America only)
= Uncertain, - but likely at least a big hit
[Gloria premiered 5 September (Venice Film Festival) and runs 122 minutes. Shooting took place from July - September 1979 in New York and New Jersey. If made on a realistic 1 mil. $ budget, the film would rank as a big hit with its domestic gross alone. It was nominated for an Oscar; Best Actress (Rowlands), lost to Sissy Spacek in Coal Miner's Daughter. It was also nominated for a Golden Globe, won the Golden Lion award in Venice, among other honors. Roger Ebert gave it a 3/4 star review, translating to a notch under this one. The film was remade with the same title in 1999 with Sharon Stone, by Sidney Lumet, a film that was a box office disaster. Cassavetes returned with Love Streams (1984). Rowlands returned in Tempest (1982). Gloria is fresh at 93 % with a 7.10/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]
What do you think of Gloria?
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