Faces (1968)

A middle-aged 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 5 wins & 6 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:

national film registry | marriage | love | happiness | divorce | 

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Taglines:

The Acclaimed Motion Picture

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

September 1968 (UK)

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

This film is part of the Criterion Collection, spine #252.

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Quotes

Richard Forst: Jeannie, do me a favor. Don't be silly anymore. Just be yourself.
Jeannie Rapp: But I am myself. Who else would I be?
Richard Forst: I'm serious.
Jeannie Rapp: Definition of serious: Blah blah blah blah...

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Connections

Referenced in Autumn Ball (2007)

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Soundtracks

Love Is All You Really Want
Music and Lyrics by Jack Ackerman

User Reviews

very unusual in a good way

I see movies hoping that they're different. I've seen so many films that were exactly the same and that's really just a waste of time. Well, Faces is certainly different. It's hard to get through. It actually took me a week. That's because there is little action and it is hard to get interested in it. The reason why it's so original is because it is practcially a documentary on social life in this time period. It's as low budget as you get. Characters just hang around houses drinking and enjoying themselves. So I guess there isn't much of a plot, but on the good side this might be the most realistic movie I've ever seen. I really felt like nothing was unrealistic, not even a single one of the conversations. That's different. Most movies try to impress, but Faces tries to be natural. That doesn't make much sense because "natural" means you're not trying to do anything, you're just existing as you always do. Maybe that was how Faces was filmed. It definately feels natural and that's a big achievment.