Gloria (1980)

Mild mannered Jack Dawn has been secretly working as an accountant for the mob. He, his Puerto Rican wife Jeri, his teen-aged daughter Joan and his mother-in-law, all who were planning on ... See full summary »

Director:

John Cassavetes

Writer:

John Cassavetes

Stars:

Julie Carmen, Tony Knesich, Buck Henry

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 4 wins & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Julie Carmen	...	Jeri Dawn
Tony Knesich	...	1st Man - Gangster
Gregory Cleghorne	...	Kid in Elevator
Buck Henry	...	Jack Dawn
John Adames	...	Phil Dawn
Lupe Garnica	...	Margarita Vargas
Jessica Castillo	...	Joan Dawn
Tom Noonan	...	2nd Man - Gangster
Ronald Maccone	...	3rd Man - Gangster
George Yudzevich	...	Heavy Set Man
Gena Rowlands	...	Gloria Swenson
Gary Howard Klar	...	Irish Cop (as Gary Klar)
William E. Rice	...	TV Newscaster
Frank Belgiorno	...	Riverside Drive Man #5
J.C. Quinn	...	Riverside Drive Man #4

Storyline

Mild mannered Jack Dawn has been secretly working as an accountant for the mob. He, his Puerto Rican wife Jeri, his teen-aged daughter Joan and his mother-in-law, all who were planning on going on the run, are murdered by the mob because Jack was going to inform on them to the FBI. Before they're killed, Jack and Jeri are able to send their six-year old son Phil to Jeri's friend and their neighbor, Gloria Swenson, for safe keeping. Also with Phil is the book which contains all the information Jack was going to turn over. Gloria and Phil have an antagonistic relationship, not so much for who they are but what they are, Phil a kid, and Gloria a strange white woman who hates kids. As an ex-mistress of a mobster, Gloria learns that the people that killed the Dawns are old friends of hers. As Gloria and Phil go on the run both from the mob and from the authorities (who believe she kidnapped Phil) throughout New York City, Gloria has to come up with a plan on how best to save themselves, ...

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Plot Keywords:

puerto rican | new york city | neighbor | gangster | witness | 

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Taglines:

And she's out to beat the mob at their own game.

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Thriller

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

19 September 1980 (West Germany)

Also Known As:

Glória

Filming Locations:

New York City, New York, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

123 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Cassavetes employed an unusual and rather ingenious method to cast Juan Adames as the character of Phil: He held a casting call in a New York disco with hundreds of children and their parents together in the same room. A lot of the parents complained, but Cassavetes wanted a child who was tough enough to stand out in such an intimidating situation.

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Quotes

Gloria Swenson: You let a WOMAN beat ya, huh?
[yelling at mobsters in the subway as she and the boy are escaping]

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Connections

Featured in Precious Images (1986)

User Reviews

Gena Rowlands gives a subtle yet powerful performance as a woman confronted with a life or death decision

As the title character in 'Gloria' Gena Rowlands gives a subtle yet powerful performance which gives this John Cassavettes film its soul and its focal point.

On the advent of Sharon Stone's re-characterization of 'Gloria' in the 1999 Sidney Lumet re-make it bares mentioning that while Ms. Stone is wonderfully talented the passionate yet understated performance that Gena Rowlands gives in the original can't & won't be topped.

As a woman confronted with a life or death decision, to save her own or that of a child orphaned by the mafia, Ms. Rowlands brings us a character that we can all relate to, a woman caught at the crossroads of her life.

If you've ever had to make any sort of 'Should I stay or should I go' life changing desicion and you're thinking of seeing the current re-make I encourage you to rent the original as well, you won't be disappointed!