Faces (I) (1968)

An old married man leaves his wife for a younger woman. Shortly after, his ex-wife also begins a relationship with a younger partner. The film follows their struggles to find love amongst each other.

Director:

John Cassavetes

Writer:

John Cassavetes

Stars:

John Marley, Gena Rowlands, Lynn Carlin

Nominated for 3 Oscars. Another 8 wins & 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
John Marley	...	Richard Forst
Gena Rowlands	...	Jeannie Rapp
Lynn Carlin	...	Maria Forst
Fred Draper	...	Freddie Draper
Seymour Cassel	...	Chet
Val Avery	...	Jim McCarthy
Dorothy Gulliver	...	Florence
Joanne Moore Jordan	...	Louise Draper
Darlene Conley	...	Billy Mae
Gene Darfler	...	Joe Jackson
Elizabeth Deering	...	Stella
Ann Shirley	...	(as Anne Shirley)
Dave Mazzie
Anita White
Julie Gambol

Storyline

Richard Forst has grown old. One night, he leaves his wife for Jeannie Rapp, a young woman who does not like friendship. Meanwhile, Richard's wife, Maria, is seduced by Chet, a kind young man from Detroit... A film about the meaningless of life for a certain kind of wealthy middle-aged people.

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Plot Keywords:

love | reference to freud | bare breasts | reference to peter piper | screening room | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

24 November 1968 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Dynosaurs

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$275,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Technical Specs

Runtime:

130 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

While filming a part on Theatre of Stars, John Cassavetes saw Steven Spielberg lurking around the set, as he was then in the habit of doing. Cassavetes approached Spielberg and asked what he wanted to be. When Spielberg replied he wanted to be a director, Cassavetes allowed the young man to direct him for the day. He later invited Spielberg to work on this film (Faces), Spielberg serving as an uncredited production assistant for two weeks.

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Quotes

Richard Forst: What do you want to drink?
Maria Forst: Well, whatever it is, I want it on the rocks, straight and dirty, because I feel very very bitchy tonight.
Richard Forst: Well, I feel very, very bitchy too. That makes two of us.

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Connections

Referenced in The Directors: The Films of Martin Scorsese (2000)

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Soundtracks

"Never Felt Like This Before:
Music and Lyrics by Charlie Smalls

User Reviews

This is the story of an aging business man, his quirky wife, an escort and a gigolo on an unpredictable evening in LA.

John Cassavetes had impressed me with Shadows, charmed me with Minnie and Moskowitz, and disturbed me with Husbands and The Killing of A Chinese Bookie, but Faces evoked all of these reactions simultaneously. The film balances the spontaneous vision and participation of the camera as it dances around the characters with the relentless exploration of awkward human contact. After watching Faces, it is difficult to return to some of the French New Wave films, with which Cassavetes' early work holds much in common. He simply embraced an akin visual style without diminishing psychological facets of his characters' abandon. Faces is truly Cassavetes' masterpiece and a work that brings to light all of his talents and contributions in the cinematic medium.