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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
    Great Great Great - Opening Night is a movie for people who love movies!
    Opening Night is *such* a fun movie to watch. John Cassavetes was smack dab in the middle of his stride as a director, having completed A Woman Under The Influence (his watershed picture, a hugely intense, absolutely fantastic movie that manages to zone almost completely on nothing but individual human emotions - fear, love, self-doubt) and The Killing of a Chinese Bookie (an awesome awesome awesome movie with Ben Gazzara where he's working for and running from the mafia around Los Angeles, incredible, resonant, mostly handheld cinematography that places emphasis on human faces and a script that is full of realistic dialogue - probably because the film is heavily improvised) just before this. What it's all about is a middle-aged actress whose overriding insecurities as a human being are drawn to the surface by a single incident: the accidental death of an adoring, enigmatic fan. As she muddles her way through previews of her upcoming Broadway play 'Second Woman' (of which she is the star), her health -- mental and otherwise -- begins to deteriorate. She just can't get it together, and an unsympathetic (and when they feign sympathy and support, they're unbelievable) cast of supporters doesn't help matters. She drinks and drinks and drinks and falls down some and messes up a lot. Will she get it together in time for Opening Night?

    Underneath this, John Cassavetes stages and films various scenes of the fictitious play in front of an actual audience, aware of the film cameras filming a movie or not. In that sense, these bits of the film are incredibly interesting. John Cassavetes and Gena Rowlands share unmatched chemistry on stage, being that they were one of the most in-love couples in the annals of film history, and it shows. Cassavetes reminds me you of his dynamite ability as a nuanced, fun-to-watch character actor, and Gena Rowlands reminds you of why she's believable as an adored, successful stage actress. These are somewhat arcane stage performances, but are delightful.

    What is wrong with Opening Night? It's a movie for people who love movies, with long takes, memorable camera moves, first rate acting, high-concept ideas, a solid beginning middle and end, a great score, and a central theme that is very compelling. Some of Cassavetes' best work, a real brawny film, tall and beautiful, heavily recommended to people who are sick of cotton candy movies, sick of feature-length trailers, sick of all the crap. If you want a thick, expansive thing, Opening Night sits on the shelf, waiting.
    helpful•35
    12
    • Eight Two
    • Aug 13, 2002

    Details

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    • 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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