A Woman Under the Influence (Member Choice Classic)

A fitting tribute to the brilliance of both the recently-departed Gena Rowlands and her husband John Cassavetes, this coruscating anatomy of the alcohol-induced implosion of a blue-collar housewife and its effects on those around her is one of the most intense and compelling American movies of the 1970s. Shot and distributed largely on-the-hoof by Cassavetes after studio bosses had told him that “no-one wants to see a crazy, middle-aged dame”, Peter Falk not only contributed a stunning performance as the bewildered husband, but also $500,000 of his own money to ensure that the film got made. We can only be grateful to him that he did and that it was.

89% – Rotten Tomatoes

8 / 10 – IMDB

““A Woman Under the Influence” gives us a woman whose influences only gradually reveal themselves. And as they do, they give us insights not only into one specific, brilliantly created, woman but into some of the problems of surviving in a society where very few people are fully liberated. “