Opening Night (1977)

Director:

John Cassavetes

Writer:

John Cassavetes

Release Date:

17 April 1978 (Sweden)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

An actress suffers an emotional uproar in her personal life after a fan dies trying to see her.

Plot Keywords:

Actress | Written And Directed By Cast Member | Theater | New York City | Hit By Car

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Golden Globes. Another 2 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

Gena Rowlands	...	Myrtle Gordon
John Cassavetes	...	Maurice Aarons
Ben Gazzara	...	Manny Victor
Joan Blondell	...	Sarah Goode
Paul Stewart	...	David Samuels
Zohra Lampert	...	Dorothy Victor
Laura Johnson	...	Nancy Stein
John Tuell	...	Gus Simmons
Ray Powers	...	Jimmy
John Finnegan	...	Prop man
Louise Lewis	...	Kelly (as Louise Fitch)
Fred Draper	...	Leo
Katherine Cassavetes	...	Vivian
Lady Rowlands	...	Melva Drake
Carol Warren	...	Carla
Briana Carver	...	Lena
Angelo Grisanti	...	Charlie Spikes
Meade Roberts	...	Eddie Stein
Eleanor Zee	...	Sylvia Stein
David Rowlands	...	Doorman
Sharon Van Ivan	...	Shirley
Jimmy Christie	...	News stand operator
James Karen	...	Bellboy
Jimmy Joyce	...	Bartender
Sherry Bain	...	Barmaid
Sylvia Davis Shaw	...	Hotel Maid
Peter Lampert	...	Maitre d'
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Josh Becker	...	Himself (uncredited)
Peter Bogdanovich	...	Cameo appearance (uncredited)
Seymour Cassel	...	Cameo appearance (uncredited)
Peter Falk	...	Cameo appearance (uncredited)
Jana Howard	...	Young Girl (uncredited)
William Kramer	...	Rabbi (uncredited)
Robert Leader	...	Larry Stein (uncredited)
Robert von Dassanowsky	...	Audience Member (uncredited)

Directed by
John Cassavetes

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
John Cassavetes

Produced by
Michael Lally	....	associate producer (as Michael Lally)
Al Ruban	....	producer
Sam Shaw	....	executive producer

Original Music by
Bo Harwood

Cinematography by
Al Ruban

Film Editing by
Tom Cornwell

Casting by
Prometheus Patient

Production Design by
Bryan Ryman

Art Direction by
Brian Ryman

Costume Design by
Aleka Corwin		(as Alexandra Corwin-Hankin)

Production Management
Edward Ledding	....	production manager (as Ted Lenning)
Foster H. Phinney	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Lisa Hallas-Gottlieb	....	second assistant director (as Lisa Hallas)

Art Department
Verna Bagby	....	chief set construction
Richard Upper	....	graphic artist
Robert Vehon	....	property master
Abraham Zwick	....	set construction assistant
Richard Upper	....	main title design (uncredited)

Sound Department
Crew Chamberlain	....	boom operator
Bo Harwood	....	sound
Joanne T. Harwood	....	sound assistant
Bill Varney	....	sound mixer
Joe Woo Jr.	....	sound editor

Special Effects by
Jaime Fernandez	....	rainmaker (uncredited)
Conrad Rothmann	....	special effects crew (uncredited)

Stunts
Donna Garrett	....	stunts
Victor Paul	....	stunt driver
Charlie Picerni	....	stunt driver (as Charles Picerni)

Camera and Electrical Department
Pat Don Aroma	....	best boy
Larry Baughman	....	best boy
Catherine E. Coulson	....	assistant camera
Donne Daniels	....	gaffer
Larry Dean	....	best boy
Frederick Elmes	....	camera operator
Michael Ferris	....	camera operator
Emmett O'Connell	....	best boy
Joseph L. Rezwin	....	gaffer
Son Robinson	....	gaffer
Richard Ross	....	gaffer
Jed Skillman	....	assistant camera
Richard Upper	....	still photographer
Dave Walker	....	best boy
R. Michael Stringer	....	additional photographer (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Charles Akins	....	wardrober
Miles Ciletti	....	wardrober

Editorial Department
Kathleen Barker	....	post-production
Kent Beyda	....	assistant editor
Hal Bowers	....	assistant editor

Music Department
Lee Houskeeper	....	musical consultant
Booker T. Jones	....	conductor
Booker T. Jones	....	music arranger
Booker T. Jones	....	musical director

Other crew
Robert Bogdanoff	....	production assistant
Esme Chandlee	....	publicist
Tom Cornwell	....	script supervisor
Arlene Harris	....	production secretary
Michelle Hart	....	production secretary
Susan Howell	....	production accountant
Jack Krupnick	....	location manager
Adria Later	....	teacher/welfare worker
Eve Siegel	....	publicist
Teresa Stokovic	....	production coordinator
Sharon Van Ivan	....	assistant to producer
Raymond Vellucci	....	production assistant
Rick Schmidlin	....	production assistant (uncredited)
Rick Schmidlin	....	production runner (uncredited)

Thanks
Harland Sanders	....	thanks (as Colonel Sanders)

Production Companies

• Faces Distribution

Distributors

• Faces Distribution (1977) (USA) (theatrical)
• Sandrew Film & Teater (1978) (Sweden) (theatrical)
• AFMD (1992) (France) (theatrical)
• Starz / Anchor Bay (1999) (USA) (VHS) (For Castle Hill)
• Criterion Collection, The (2004) (USA) (DVD)
• Concorde Home Entertainment (2012) (Germany) (DVD) (John Cassavetes Collection)
• Touchstone Home Video (199?) (USA) (VHS) (pan and scan)

Special Effects

• Special Effects Unlimited

Other Companies

• Cinemobile System  location services
• Gagi of Rome  men's wardrobe
• Samuel Goldwyn Studios  sound re-recording

Also Known As:

Runtime:

144 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | USA:PG-13 | Australia:PG | Portugal:M/12 (Qualidade) | Germany:12

Company:

Faces Distribution

Trivia:

Peter Falk, Seymour Cassel, and Peter Bogdanovich all make cameos in the opening night scene.

Quotes:

Sarah Goode:Just please tell me what this play doesn't express.
Myrtle Gordon:Hope.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in All About My Mother (1999)

Debunking the Myth of Improvisation

Opening Night is my favorite Cassavetes, and I feel it is my duty to debunk the notion that those or any of his films aside from Shadows was strictly improvised. In fact, his films were tightly scripted after actor improvisation was used to contribute to his ideas. The coherence of a film like Opening Night, the development of the themes of aging, vanity, and hope, could not just spring from the improvisational head of even the very fine actors in the movie. If you pay attention to the dialogue (outside of the lines in the play), it is obvious that much care was taken to craft them (e.g., the scene where Myrtle explains to the playwright what problems she is having with the character and script).