John Cassavetes: Five Films (The Criterion Collection) [Shadows / Faces / A Woman Under the Influence / The Killing of a Chinese Bookie / Opening Night]

There’s never been anyone quite like John Cassavetes and his friends that accompany him acting out these titles with flair and elegance and drama and all the tension and all the emotional pyrotechnics. A wonderful addition to any library.

Fantastic packaging and collection. Where do I find the Constant Forge doc? Thanks.

I think all serious film fans with any sense of the history of independent cinema will regard this as a standout addition to their collections. (1)It is nothing short of amazing what has been done here to restore Shadows. (2)Faces is particularly outstanding for its life-saving scene with Seymour Cassel and Lynn Carlin; you would have to be a paramedic not be drawn in to the gut-wrenching intensity of it. (3)I saw A Woman Under The Influence on its original theatrical release in 1974 and it still holds up. (I judge Woman to be Gena Rowlands' greatest performance and I believe there are many others who feel the same about it.) (4)The Killing of A Chinese Bookie is a strange case: I like it less with each subsequent viewing. (I don't think it belongs in this collection except for the purpose of showing it's mediocrity when compared with the other four films; it has to be the dullest crime story ever told.) (5)Opening Night is serious as well as entertaining without being as rough on the viewers' nerves as most Cassavetes movies tend to be.

John Cassavetes has affected me in a big way, he had changed the way I view and appreciate MoviesI think Love Treams became one of the greatest Movies I have ever seenFollowed with three other magnificent films a woman under the influence, Opening Night and the Killing of a Chinese Bookie.Now this is a guy that challenged the whole Industry by going the opposite side of Hollywood mainstream and reflected his own vision.Highly recommended

It's sad that some peolple (most infact) don't want to see films like these, they couldn't handle them. The're people out there who worship cassavetes' films. I've only ever gotten two kinds of replies from showing people his movies - it either bowled them over and changed what they thought cinema could do or just recoiled in boredom or disgust for one reason or the other. I've read cass on cass by Carney and tried to make films with the same punch and it's very hard to do, most film makers are chicken s**t and alot of actors are even worse. If you are an idealistic film maker out there still about to make something like this or your own equivelant - a long desparate and dissapointing road awaits you.Anyone reading this - please buy the box set and track down the other films - cherish them - there may never be another film maker like him again.

I HAD BEEN PROMISING MYSELF THIS CRITERION COLLECTION FOR QUITE AWHILE AND FINALLY I BOUGHT IT AND IT IS WORTH EVERY PENNY! IT BROUGHT BACK MY MEMORIES OF WHEN I FIRST SAW THE MOVIES IN A CINEMA. A DVD TRIBUTE TO CASSAVETES HAS BEEN LONG OVERDUE. JUST SIT BACK AND ENJOY THE WORKS OF A GENIUS. SO MANY FILMMAKERS OF TODAY HAVE BEEN INFLUENCED AND INSPIRED BY HIS DISTINCTIVE STYLE, GIVING AMERICAN MOVIES A CINEMA VERITE LOOK. AS A BONUS THERE IS AN EXCELLENT DOCUMENTARY "A CONSTANT FORGE" AND LOTS OF EXTRAS ON EACH DVD TOO. A PRIZED POSSESSION FOR CASSAVETES FANS!

Typical that there are so few reviews for this amazing set from Criterion and yet every nerd on the planet feels the need to add a comment about the Star Wars boxed set or the Lord of the Rings collection. True film connoisseurs know that THIS is THE DVD release of the year! It's a beautifully packaged, incredibly comprehensive collection of Cassavetes' work; some of the greatest, most emotionally shattering films ever made. If you've got half a brain in your head, you'll get this set while you have the chance. To the rest, may the force continue to sap your wallet and your intelligence. You aren't worthy of these films.

A VERY FINE COLLECTION OF HIS FILMS. I HAPPEN TO KNOW A FEW OF THE PEOPLE IN THE FILMS. HE WAS AN ABSOLUTE GENIUS. THERE'S A BIO OUT ON HIM THAT I READ, (IN HARD COVER) CALLED "THE ACCIDENTAL GENIUS". A REALLY CONCISE BIO. I RECCOMEND IT VERY HIGHLY...THANKS AMAZON FOR ALL GREAT EFFORT IN MAKING THESE BIO'S ACCESSIBLE. I CAN'T WAIT TO START READING THE BIILIE BURKE BOOK. SHE HAD TO BE THE FUNNIEST WOMAN AROUND AT THAT TIME. AND SHE'S STILL FUNNY ALL THESE MANY YEARS LATER. FRANK COLLETT TAGLIERI

John Cassavetes was arguably one of the key American independent filmmakers and this box set, an overview of his most important movies, was long overdue...but well worth the wait. The "usual suspects" are present and correct from his bravura debut Shadows to the heart-wrenching Faces, the stunning A Woman under the Influence, the patchy Killing of a Chinese Bookie and the underrated Opening Night. Content-wise, this set includes pretty much what you'd expect it to and many of this movies (Faces in particular) are still exceptional to this day. The added bonus here though is the sheer wealth of extras - there are lots and lots of interviews both with Cassavetes and a number of his collaborators which give an interesting insight into his working methods. Not only that but the set itself is extremely attractive; the striking cover is rendered in a smooth, matt cardboard with each disk in its own matt, pastel-coloured sleeve. There's also a weighty booklet with much information about the man and his movies. In all this is an excellent introduction to one of cinema's true mavericks, attractively presented with some splendid extras.

The Killing of a Chinese Bookie skips

Brilliant item - amazingly fast service. Top marks all round.

John Cassavetes prägte eine neue Art Film in Amerika, so wie z.B. heute die "Berliner Schule" in Deutschland.Schwarz-Weiß wirkt ohnehin alles authentischer... Hinzu kamen Themen, wie z.B. die Rolle der Frau in der damaligen Gesellschaft ("Frau unter Einfluss")...Gena Rowlands, im Privatleben Cassavetes`Frau, spielte diese Frauen in einem absolut besonderen Stil, der unvergesslich bleibt.Beide waren/sind herausragende Persönlichkeiten und es ist eine Ehre, diese Collection im Besitz zu haben.

Le lecture Blue Ray à qui j'ai offert le coffret ne parvient pas à lire ces DVD, pourtant clairement identifié Blue Ray. Des tentatives de lectures ont été fait par plusieurs lecteurs DVD Blue Ray, même en magasin en vue d’acheter un nouveau lecteur, rien n'y fait. Un professionnel et comme le confirme le message erreur, les DVD ne sont pas compatible pour la zone Europe. Ils ne devraient pas être proposé à la vente dans cette partie du monde ! La période de retour étant le 31 janvier, ces DVD et les 130€ sont pour la poubelle. Je demande à Amazon de réactiver et prolonger la période de retour et de surtout ne plus proposer cet article à la vente. Merci pour votre retour et bienveillance.