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IMDbPro

Opening Night

  • 19771977
  • PG-13PG-13
  • 2h 24m
IMDb RATING
7.9/10
11K
YOUR RATING
Opening Night (1977)
A renowned actress teeters on the edge of a breakdown as she counts down the days toward a big Broadway opening.
Play trailer4:45
1 Video
42 Photos
Drama
A renowned actress teeters on the edge of a breakdown as she counts down the days toward a big Broadway opening.A renowned actress teeters on the edge of a breakdown as she counts down the days toward a big Broadway opening.A renowned actress teeters on the edge of a breakdown as she counts down the days toward a big Broadway opening.
IMDb RATING
7.9/10
11K
YOUR RATING
    • John Cassavetes
    • John Cassavetes
  • Stars
    • Gena Rowlands
    • John Cassavetes
    • Ben Gazzara
    • John Cassavetes
    • John Cassavetes
  • Stars
    • Gena Rowlands
    • John Cassavetes
    • Ben Gazzara
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 42User reviews
    • 40Critic reviews
    • 69Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards

    Videos1

    Official Trailer
    Trailer 4:45
    Watch Official Trailer

    Photos42

    Opening Night (1977)
    Gena Rowlands in Opening Night (1977)
    Opening Night (1977)
    Opening Night (1977)
    Opening Night (1977)
    Opening Night (1977)
    Opening Night (1977)
    Opening Night (1977)
    John Cassavetes in Minnie and Moskowitz (1971)
    John Cassavetes and Gena Rowlands in Opening Night (1977)
    Gena Rowlands in Opening Night (1977)
    Shadows (1958)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Gena Rowlands
    Gena Rowlands
    • Myrtle Gordon
    John Cassavetes
    John Cassavetes
    • Maurice Aarons
    Ben Gazzara
    Ben Gazzara
    • Manny Victor
    Joan Blondell
    Joan Blondell
    • Sarah Goode
    Paul Stewart
    Paul Stewart
    • David Samuels
    Zohra Lampert
    Zohra Lampert
    • Dorothy Victor
    Laura Johnson
    Laura Johnson
    • Nancy Stein
    John Tuell
    John Tuell
    • Gus Simmons
    Ray Powers
    • Jimmy
    John Finnegan
    John Finnegan
    • Bobby
    Louise Lewis
    Louise Lewis
    • Kelly
    • (as Louise Fitch)
    Fred Draper
    Fred Draper
    • Leo
    Katherine Cassavetes
    • Vivian
    Lady Rowlands
    • Melva Drake
    Carol Warren
    • Carla
    Briana Carver
    • Lena
    Angelo Grisanti
    • Charlie Spikes
    Meade Roberts
    • Eddie Stein
      • John Cassavetes
      • John Cassavetes
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Peter Falk, Seymour Cassel, and Peter Bogdanovich all make cameos in the opening night scene.
    • Goofs
      A bus rolls by the New Haven theater with an ad for KBIG FM 104, a Los Angeles station.
    • Quotes

      Maurice Aarons: I thought that small talk was too small, I thought big talk was too pretentious, I thought music was noise, and I thought art was bullshit.

    • Connections
      Featured in At the Movies: Other People's Money/Ernest Scared Stupid/City of Hope/Life Is Sweet (1991)

    User reviews42

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    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).
    helpful•30
    10
    • Pokerface11
    • Dec 1, 2004

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • April 17, 1978 (Sweden)
      • United States
      • English
    • Also known as
    • Filming locations
      • Los Angeles, California, USA
    • Production company
      • Faces Distribution
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

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    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

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    • 2 hours 24 minutes
      • Mono

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