Husbands (1970)

User Rating:

7.4/10   

Director:

John Cassavetes

Writer:

John Cassavetes (written by)

Release Date:

8 December 1970 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

A comedy about life, death and freedom

Plot:

A common friend's sudden death brings three men, married with children, to reconsider their lives and ultimately leave together...

Plot Keywords:

Death | Infidelity | Subway | New York City | Basketball

Awards:

Nominated for Golden Globe.

Cast

Ben Gazzara	...	Harry
Peter Falk	...	Archie Black
John Cassavetes	...	Gus Demetri
Jenny Runacre	...	Mary Tynan
Jenny Lee Wright	...	Pearl Billingham
Noelle Kao	...	Julie
John Kullers	...	Red
Meta Shaw Stevens	...	Annie (as Meta Shaw)
Leola Harlow	...	Leola
Delores Delmar	...	The Countess
Eleanor Zee	...	Mrs. Hines
Claire Malis	...	Stuart's Wife
Peggy Lashbrook	...	Diana Mallabee
Eleanor Gould	...	"Normandy" Singer
Sarah Felcher	...	Sarah

Also Known As:

Husbands: A Comedy About Life, Death and Freedom (USA) (complete title)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for mature thematic elements including sexual situations, language, drunkenness, and brief domestic violence.

Runtime:

Japan:131 min | USA:138 min (original release) | USA:131 min (TV version: Sony Pictures Television print) | 154 min (San Francisco Film Festival)

Country:

USA

Language:

English | French | Italian | Mandarin

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15 | USA:GP (original rating) | USA:PG-13 (re-rating)

Filming Locations:

London, England, UK

Company:

Faces Music

Quotes:

Gus Demetri: Don't believe truth. Archie, just don't believe truth.

Movie Connections:

References Jules et Jim (1962)

Soundtrack:

Good Morning, Mr Zip-Zip-Zip!

"Jazz" acting

A Cassavetes film is like good jazz music: both are largely improvisational with the actor/musicians playing off each other. With Cassavetes, a basic written theme is provided and the actors embellish upon it; rhythms, tempos and emotional counterpoint are deftly manipulated. In HUSBANDS, Cassavetes is the bandleader, and Peter Falk and Ben Gazzara prove themselves to be two of the best "jazz actors" ever. HUSBANDS is "a guy film." Women have their "girl films," but here's one for we men (and for women who want to understand men). Cassavetes, Falk and Gazzara play three best friends who have just lost their fourth to a sudden death. The surviving three, all 40-something, run away from their marriages, jobs and other shackles for a few days in search of themselves, meaning, purpose. Along the way, we are intimately exposed to their fears, dreams, passions, disgusts, and their love for each other (expertly depicted male bonding: guys who understand each others' emotions, with masculinity remaining intact). Perhaps no other filmmaker/actor combo than Cassavetes and his "company" of actors have ever succeeded as well at depicting so uncompromisingly life's emotional truth. Mind you, Cassavetes' style and camera paints in broad loose strokes, so be forewarned if you dislike a hand-held shaky camera and sometimes out-of-focus shots as the camera operator tries to follow the improvising actor. But HUSBANDS has far less of this than, say, Cassavetes' FACES. And this is not all a downer film; there's much humor, too, in its sometimes bittersweet mood (for example, the Countess scene: "take your hand off my hand") All in all, and though a little long, a great film; well worth the time.