ReaderKenka Let's be realistic.

CommentsXp Best movie ever!

PiraBit if their story seems completely bonkers, almost like a feverish work of fiction, you ain't heard nothing yet.

Billie Morin This movie feels like it was made purely to piss off people who want good shows

Ore-Sama Gena Rowlands, known for her spell binding performances (especially in Cassavette films), gives perhaps her greatest performance yet as aging theater actress, Myrtile Gordon. Beloved by her peers and fans alike, she struggles with her latest role, having to play an aging woman, a role that forces her to face herself, a role she despises. That's on top of witnessing the death of a young, rabid fan. As the opening of the play, "Second Woman" comes closer, her downward mental spiral only worsens.It's hard to know what to say about this film. I've mentioned Rowland's performance, great as it is, is enhanced by fantastic cinematography.Shots such as Rowlands looking herself in the mirror, but in such a fashion that it appears someone is sitting next to her, the many well timed close ups of her face, among the many genius shots. This is the closest Cassavette has come to making a psychological thriller. Those familiar with "Black Swan" or even "Persona" will no doubt notice similarities, although as is usually the case with this director, it never fully fits any particular genre, only giving you shades of it. Anyone expecting any ultimate outcome or revelation will be disappointed. Is Myrtile's problem alcoholism? Is she simply insane? Is it all just about aging?Is it all of that? Like many things in life, it's much more likely to be a variety of factors, and it only aids the film in creating multiple layers to this dilemma rather than trying to build around one problem.The play within the movie (reportedly filmed in front of an undirected audience giving legitimate reactions), where often times Myrtile changes dialogue, goes off script, are less interesting than what goes on behind the scenes, however this doesn't hurt the film much, especially when, given the unpredictability of the lead actress, can go off at any moment in a completely unpredictable direction and become a further unveiling of the actors on stage. A big part of this film is the creative process, of the some times rigid adherence to script, to the very idea of staging emotions and feelings that are pre rendered into a script. Perhaps it's for this reason that the on stage antics don't feel as powerful, but ultimately beneficial to the film on a thematic level.Many, especially if used only to mainstream movies, might find this movie slow and confusing. Cassavette's style does take getting used to. Having watched other films of his however, I found this, despite it's near two and a half hour length, to be an easy sit with time flying by. Absolutely recommended.

cmccann-2 When speaking of John Cassavetes' contribution to the cinema, 'Opening Night' often goes overlooked. A shame, because it's a great film in its own right.A character-driven drama about a stage actress's fall from grace, it follows Myrtle Gordon (Gena Rowlands) as she struggles with various personal problems (the death of a young fan, aging, alcoholism) in the time leading up to the premiere of a new play. 'Opening Night' also features Ben Gazzara as the theatre director and Cassavetes himself as one of the play's co-stars, with Cassavetes regulars like Peter Falk and Seymour Cassel providing bit-part roles.This is one of the director's most personal films, and one he spoke about with much pride in interviews. The stamp of his distinctive style is there (roving documentary-style camera-work, emphasis on acting) and the major themes in his own life at the time are reflected in the picture (theater, drinking problems, aging). Gena Rowlands gives a stellar performance, making Myrtle into a sort of tragic heroine, and the rest of the cast does well supporting her.Worth checking out for anyone interested in the art of acting or the work of John Cassavetes. 8/10.

sdave7596 "Opening Night" released in 1977, tries to be an ambitious production. It succeeds only in the truly stunning performance of Gena Rowlands. Her character of theatre actress Myrtle is not necessarily someone we would love in real life. She is self-absorbed, often obnoxious, and makes life miserable for those around her - in other words, not unlike some actresses! Myrtle is also a woman on the edge of collapse - we are not quite sure if the demons she is fighting are real or imagined, although we are let in on the secret early. Rowlands is obviously well directed with love by her gifted husband, actor/director John Cassavettes, who has a role in the film as well. This film is not without flaws - it is overly long, and the last part of the film where Myrtle goes on stage while very drunk seems almost cruel. The "improvising" in some of the dialogue - at least while on stage - goes on way too long. Some of the supporting characters give good performances, especially from Ben Gazarra, playing Myrtle's sleazy producer. Joan Blondell's character is never fully developed, and I never could figure out why she was in the film, except to placate Myrtle. See this film for Rowlands alone - she is fascinating throughout - and it is tough to take your eyes off her, although you will want to at times.

jzappa I was absolutely blown away by John Cassavetes's Opening Night. It's the first movie of his that I've seen that seems to be on a bigger scale, thus it feels more mainstream, but it still doesn't feel as if he grounded himself any more than he has in his previous films. That is perhaps what makes it so intense. There is also something undoubtedly cathartic about watching this movie.It's about what in fact Cassavetes has made a staple of his career, an ideal that he has expressed behind the camera throughout his career as a director and is here expressing it in front. Rowlands's character, middle-aged stage actress Myrtle Gordon, cannot bring herself to play her role in the upcoming production as written so she uncalculatedly follows impulse after impulse, resulting in what appears to be chaos on stage, until she finds the right one. It's a daringly abstract premise.This is a movie that does not fail to capture the innate steering that one goes through during an emotional cleansing. No one understands why Myrtle does many of the things she does, and it is seen and even portrayed as something destructive, yet it just might be the best thing for her. It may be a cleansing rather than a breakdown. A withdrawal, a cocoon, a rebellion, it all culminates into a meltdown. Cassavetes gives her character a brutally real touch, which is that early on, she is ardently arguing that she has nothing in common with her character, yet she is in quiet but emotionally corroding fear that the opposite is true.The last scene, the climactic performance that Myrtle shares with a character painfully estranged from her who is acting with her, is one of the most interesting, hilarious, hard-hitting, enlightening, and enjoyable moments I've ever seen in a movie.