The one thing John Cassavetes hated about Hollywood: “We don’t fight the system anymore”
John Cassavetes might not have been the biggest or most successful film director of all time, but he has built himself one hell of a dedicated fanbase. A pioneer of self-funding and distribution, Cassavetes made some great movies in the 1960s and 1970s, often involving his wife, Gena Rowlands. Gloria, Opening Night, and A Woman Under the Influence are just some examples of the fantastic work this couple did together.
Despite spending most of his life in the business—he was an Oscar-nominated actor before he got behind the camera—Cassavetes had his gripes with the system. Following his brief foray into the studio system, the director realised he enjoyed doing things his own way. He lamented the lack of artistic freedom that came with making a big picture. This would explain why he often chose to work alongside his friends and family, including Rowlands, Seymour Cassel, and Columbo star Peter Falk.
At the 1985 San Francisco Film Festival, Cassavetes outlined his frustrations with the Hollywood of the era. “We don’t fight the system anymore,” he told the crowd. “Before any picture is made, conferences are held, and all the reasons the picture shouldn’t be made are given. It’s mind-boggling. The one thing I can’t stand is people saying, ‘You can’t.’ They’re used to saying ‘no’ to everything. It becomes automatic. Anytime a director says, ‘Okay, we’re ready to shoot,’ he really doesn’t know if they’re going to finish the picture. You can never be sure—that’s on any picture.”
When Cassavetes began his filmmaking career, he witnessed the rise of the New Hollywood era. This saw a rise in director-led projects, where auteurs could put their own stamp on a film with minimal studio interference. This very much suited Cassavetes until it all came crashing down. Thanks to a few major flops— (Heaven’s Gate) —studios reasserted control in the early 1980s. This would have been a few years prior to Cassavetes’ speech, which explains where his tirade came from.
The Greek-American icon held on to some of his originality during the decade. In 1980, the same year Heaven’s Gate came out, he released Gloria, which he followed up with the excellent Love Streams in 1984. Sadly, two years later, he took on another studio gig: Colombia Pictures’ Big Trouble. Essentially a Double Indemnity rip-off, the movie stank to high heavens. Cassavetes died three years after its release, making his final feature release a stain on his reputation.
Considering how important he was to the indie cinema movement and his brilliant mind for original ideas, it is heartbreaking that his career ended on a soulless studio flop that was a carbon copy of something else. This was far from a fitting end for a man who had given so much to the film industry and whose influence can still be felt strongly today. Thankfully, he left behind so many other great movies that those who want to celebrate the great aspects of his life can do so with ease.
His legacy also lives on through his son Nick, an actor and director in his own right. He’s arguably best known for making the 2004 romantic classic The Notebook. Similarly to his father, Nick kept things in the family, casting his mother, Gena Rowlands, in a major role as the older Allie Hamilton.
