MovieChat Forums > A Woman Under the Influence (1974) Discussion > Boring, and I blame it on the direction

Boring, and I blame it on the direction

posted 15 years ago by Rrichboy
42 replies | jump to latest

Sorry, but I love Gena Rowlands, but I have so much trouble with this movie. Today, I tried watching it with a friend, and, as always, we both fell asleep before the first hour was over.
Directors need to know how to edit, pay attention to sound, etc.
The performances are top notch, but the movie's pace doesn't work for me. We watched Ordinary People instead. That has scene after climactic scene.
That's me.

[–] 13 years ago

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[–] coolbrett 12 years ago

I blame it on the writing, not direction. In fact the direction is what made me stay til the very end (regrettably), because it felt like it was drawing toward a point but it never did

[–] SimplemindedSociety 12 years ago

why can't a film be both good AND boring? Just because Casavettes thinks drawing things out to 150 mins is necessary doesn't mean he's right. He is not observing it from our point of view, and audiences don't have to be culturally-inferior to find a film boring.

[–] 12 years ago

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[–] hodie 11 years ago

Watching it now. Almost can't take my eyes off Rowlands.

"Joey, have you ever been in a Turkish prison?"

[–] Rrichboy 11 years ago

Gloria is my favorite movie of all time. everyone is different. relax

[–] blackderby 10 years ago

You are sooo right! Love Gloria, it's one of my absolute favorites and so original for the time it was released. The whole picture is great and Gena Rowlands just shines in that movie. I find A Woman a good movie (not for everyone though) and Gena is always wonderful. But I think Gloria is her all-time best performance.

[–] Disardor 10 years ago

Ordinary People is a far more conventional melodrama than A Woman Under the Influence, which is a great movie but an uncomfortable watch.

[–] matt72582 9 years ago

I love Cassavetes, this movie, and Rowlands performance.

You should watch a movie for what it is, and not in the context of other films.

Also, some of you guys should make your own movie and let me know when you're finished.

[–] 9 years ago

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[–] Ore-Sama 9 years ago

IMO there's too much yelling and it makes me anxious,

That's kind of like saying a horror film is too scary or a comedy is too funny. Can't fault a film for doing its job.

also there's too many scenes which have the same tone and level of energy without adding any new character or plot information, so I think monotonous is a better word to describe it.

Every scene does add things. It's just it doesn't add information. Cassavette exposes his characters with every new scenario he forces them in, much in the way people can learn about themselves when confronted with a new and uncomfortable situation. Watching the movie waiting for new info or details is the wrong way to watch.

I don't know anything about this director, but he could have easily shortened the film by an hour. So I'm assuming he has a particular reason why he doesn't.

He wanted his films to be challenging, and length was one of the ways he made this happen. "Shadows" is one of his only films to fall under the 90 minute mark.

Though I'm a less is more type of artist.

Less is more would apply to "A Woman under the Influence" I would think. The plot is sparse and there's not that many characters.

"It's just you and me now, sport"-Manhunter

[–] MoviemanCin 8 years ago

Yes it was. Boring and too long.

Boom.

Schrodinger's cat walks into a bar, and / or doesn't.

[–] prplayer 8 years ago

it started off intriguing but got repetitive and manipulative as it went along

6/10

so many movies, so little time