R.I.P. Gena Rowlands (1930-2024)

by John Charet

Last Wednesday, one of the most extraordinary actresses to have ever lived passed away at the age of 94. The actress was Gena Rowlands. The cause of death was complications of Alzheimer’s disease (read here and here). According to her son Nick Cassavetes (read here), Rowlands had been living with Alzheimer’s for the past five years. And yes, Nick is the son of the late great actor/director/writer John Cassavetes. Rowlands had been married to John from 1954 until his death in 1989. To commemorate her career, I will list my favorite films of hers where she serves as a standout below (all * * * * out of * * * *).

  1. Faces (1968) (Dir: John Cassavetes) Click here to view the film’s original theatrical trailer
  2. Minnie and Moskowitz (1971) (Dir: John Cassavetes) Click here to view the film’s original theatrical trailer
  3. A Woman Under the Influence (1974) (Dir: John Cassavetes) Click here to view the film’s original theatrical trailer
  4. Opening Night (1977) (Dir: John Cassavetes) Click here to view the film’s original theatrical trailer
  5. Gloria (1980) (Dir: John Cassavetes) Click here to view the film’s original theatrical trailer
  6. Love Streams (1984) (Dir: John Cassavetes) Click here to view the film’s original theatrical trailer
  7. The Notebook (2004) (Dir: Nick Cassavetes) Click here to view the film’s original theatrical trailer

I would like to end this blog entry with a question for my dear readers below

What is your favorite Gena Rowlands film?

19 thoughts on “R.I.P. Gena Rowlands (1930-2024)”

  1. A sad loss indeed, Gina never gave a bad performance. I love the film ‘Gloria’, and her portrayal of a strong woman facing down the Mob was exceptional. Unlike the unnecessary 1999 remake starring Sharon Stone.

    Best wishes, Pete.

  2. Such sad news. My favorite American actress has left us. By far, A Woman Under the Influence is both my favorite performance as well as my favorite Cassevettes picture.
    1.A woman Under the Influence
    2. Opening Night
    3. Faces
    4.Lovestreams
    5.Another Woman
    6. Tempest
    7.Gloria
    8. Minnie and Moskowitz

  3. It sure is sad news Bill. I wish that Gena Rowlands could have made it to 100. You can’t go wrong with A Woman Under the Influence Bill. One thing I do hope is that regardless of what anybody thinks of The Notebook, I hope that it encourages young viewers watching it, to seek out more of Gena Rowlands work – especially those directed by her late husband John Cassavetes.

  4. I hear ya Pete. I too loved everything about Gloria (the 1980 version that is). I also agree with you on the needless 1999 remake – who thought it was a good idea to remake it? 🙂

  5. Only one thing bothers me in Woman Under the Influence. The entire movie is predicated upon Nick’s mother seeing the man who spent the night with Mabel leaving the house in the morning.Yet this information is dealt with so briefly that I doubt many viewers will catch it. Yet Nick’s fear of future infidelities (the Billy Tidrow and Harold Jenson scenes) , aggravated by his mother telling him of how Mabel spent thier anniverary night is his motivation for agreeing to have her committed.

  7. Wow, I did not even hear about this until today. Where have I been? Wow, did she live a good, long life. I used to love her back in the day. Not that I stopped. Just haven’t seen her in a while. Gloria was one of my favorites.

  8. I hear ya Stacy – I wish she could have lived to see 100 like Eva Marie Saint did back in July. Speaking of Rowlands, who can forget this fantastic piece of acting – watch below:

  9. Thank you Steve 🙂

    Even though Cox’s intro to The Fly is incomplete, I found everything he said interesting regarding 1950’s monster movies.

    Was the second link to Dead of Night because the second link seemed to go to something else?

    Cox’s intro to The Honeymoon Killers is equally insightful and I love how he compares it to George A. Romero’s Night of the Living Dead.

    Speaking of Cox, I hear the next film, he is crowdfunding is going to be his last – you can click this link below to see what I mean

    Along with Gena Rowlands and Alain Delon, you are probably aware by now of the death of Donald Sutherland a few months ago – he will be missed and to this day, I still consider Nicolas Roeg’s Don’t Look Now to be my number one favorite horror film of all-time. Thoughts? 🙂

  10. Haha! Thanks for the clip, John. She’s hilarious. And you reminded me that I miss Columbo, too! (forgot the actor’s name. on the tip of my tongue)

  12. What do you think of the Dead of Night intro? Interesting thoughts on the other two intros. It’s too bad the link didn’t work. I don’t know why as I wrote the right URL. The Dead of Night intro is on the same channel as the other two intros, Freq Out.

    I think these three intros are great and I’m really pleased that they’ve been uploaded. I think Alex did a great job on these intros. It’s just a pity that The Fly intro is incomplete. The intros of the third season of Moviedrome were filmed in Spain.

    I was going to mention Alex’s next film too. He got a small amount of money through crowdfunding and he’s going to shoot a western in southern Spain on Sergio Leone’s western set (Oasys Mini Hollywood in Tabernas) and also in Arizona and California. The cast will be actors he’s worked with before on his previous films. This is cool for Alex that this is happening.

    It is sad about the passing of Donald Sutherland. Great actor of course. My favourites of his were Invasion of the Body Snatchers 1978 and Oliver Stone’s JFK. Invasion of the Snatchers is a great film and a classic. The ending is now iconic and mainly due to Donald Sutherland. He was also brilliant in his scene in JFK.

    Also sad about Alain Delon. I’m afraid I haven’t seen many of his films though.
    I’ve only seen Purple Noon, Girl on a Motorcycle (A Moviedrome film) and Scorpio (1973) with Burt Lancaster. I thought Alain Delon looked like Joe Dallesandro.

  13. Steve, I loved Alex Cox’s intro to Dead of Night 🙂 Even Cox loves the film -minor flaws or not. I loved hearing his impressions of not only German characters, but upper class types – for some odd reason, it gave me a smile for the rest of the day 🙂

    I hear ya about the incomplete Fly intro – who knows, maybe another uploader has it and we just do not know it? 🙂 Intriguing that the third season of Moviedrome was shot in Spain 🙂

    You were going to mention Cox’s next film too as well I see – great minds think alike 🙂 I can’t wait for it as well and it will be interesting to see which actors he reunites with 🙂

    I recently watch online the Donald Sutherland scene from JFK and it does get me interested in rewatching it again sometime soon – it has been 17 years. I totally have to rewatch that 🙂

  14. Another!
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ULExcXqA8z8

    Alex talking about the films that followed in the wake of Easy Rider is very insightful and I agree with him 100% on Warren Oates. It’s a pity he isn’t more positive on the film though. I think it’s a much better film than Alex gave it credit for. He really sells Vilmos Zsigmond’s photography short by describing it as blurry. When he says “You can’t really tell what’s going on”, I could tell what was going on. “And what’s going on isn’t very important”. I would disagree with that.
    This is one film I would disagree with Alex’s opinion on (Another was Manhunter) but I agreed with Alex more on Moviedrome than I disagreed with him.

    I think The Hired Hand is a good film. Peter Fonda did a great job directing it and Vilmos Zsigmond’s photography is beautiful. It’s a visually gorgeous film.
    The script is good, as is the score. Warren Oates gives one of his best performances. There is a lot that is good in the film.

    I’m hugely pleased this intro has been uploaded though.

  15. Steve, Alex Cox is every bit right on films as he is wrong and his take on The Hired Hand is (as you imply) a wrongheaded one. Along with Heaven’s Gate and this film, Vilmos Zsigmond also photographed Robert Altman’s McCabe & Mrs. Miller, a film that I am sure you will love – I surely loved it 🙂 Anyway, I too understood what was going on in The Hired Hand 🙂 As for Manhunter, I actually prefer that 100% to Silence of the Lambs. As you can tell, I am not a fan of Jonathan Demme’s film. As for Michael Mann, I am a huge fan of his work 🙂

    I agree with you on The Hired Hand 🙂 How would I sum up Peter Fonda’s 1971 directorial debut? Vilmos Zsigmond’s characteristically beautiful cinematography? Check. Alan Sharp’s (Night Moves) script? Check. The legendary Warren Oates? Check. The result is an American masterpiece 🙂

    I too am pleased that the Cox’s intro was uploaded 🙂 Also, I think The Hired Hand would make a great double bill with Altman’s McCabe & Mrs. Miller 🙂

    Btw, you know what film is always essential Halloween viewing (Halloween was a few days ago of course)? Ealing’s only foray into the horror genre, which was 1945’s Dead of Night 🙂 That one is often cited as the earliest portmanteau horror film 🙂

  16. I agree. Also, about the western Barquero (1970) starring Warren Oates and Lee Van Cleef. The first half is excellent but unfortunately it then falls apart. The second half of the film is really uninteresting, uneventful and forgettable which really is a pity. If the second half had been as good as the first half then it really would’ve been something. Warren Oates is great in the film though.

  18. The great British actor Bernard Hill passed away last May at the age of 79. This is especially sad as he played Uncle Fred in Lipstick On Your Collar. He was brilliant in Lipstick. His acting was fantastic and he stole every one of his scenes. He was funny in some scenes too. “Wasn’t aware? Does that mean you didn’t know you were doing it?” always cracks me up.

    It’s sad that another Lipstick actor has left us. Shane Rimmer (Colonel Trekker) and Roy Hudd (Harold Atterbow) also passed away in recent years and Peter Jeffrey (Colonel Birnwood) passed away back in 1999. Many they all rest in peace.

    Bernard Hill made many film and TV appearances. He was known for his roles in Titanic and The Lord of the Rings films The Two Towers and The Return of the King. In Britain his most famous role was as Yosser in the BBC miniseries Boys From The Blackstuff. His episode “Yosser’s Story” is great and he gives a great performance. I recommend it if you haven’t seen. His line “Gis a job” became a famous and much quoted line in Britain.

    Bernard Hill was a great actor and he always excelled in everything he was in. May he rest in peace.

  19. Hey Steve great to hear from you 🙂 I too heard about the sad passing of the fantastic British actor Bernard Hill 😦 I too remember him as Uncle Fred in Lipstick On Your Collar 🙂 I remember that line too and his delivery was right on target 🙂 He must have loved working with Dennis Potter 🙂 Thanks for bringing that miniseries up, it is always a joy talking about it and when I first watched it, like you, I knew was watching something special 🙂

    Shane Rimmer died in 2019 and Roy Hudd died in 2020 😦 As you so eloquently state, may they (along with Hill) rest in peace.

    Not only that, but Sr. Michael Gambon died last year as well 😦 He was also in a Dennis Potter miniseries (as you know) entitled The Singing Detective 🙂 Along with the aforementioned Lipstick on Your Collar and Pennies from Heaven, The Singing Detective ranks as one of my top 3 of my many favorite Potter miniseries 🙂

    The great British director Terence Davies also died last year and I was totally bummed after hearing that 😦

    Thank you for the heads up on Boys From The Blackstuff – I see the pilot episode is on youtube to watch 🙂 The plot centering around the Thatcher era reminds me of Mike Leigh’s early work 🙂

    Also, I think I told you this before, but I upgraded my original star rating of Brian De Palma’s Scarface from three-and-a-half to four stars (my highest) 🙂 That must make you jump for joy 🙂

    BTW, someone once asked how come the TV series Spitting Image never spoofed Alex Cox and Moviedrome and my answer was that he was probably far too anti-establishment for them :))

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