Review of Opening Night (1977) by Tobias M — 29 Sep 2012

One of my favorite messes of cinema, and my first taste of John Cassevetes's directing, which I've heard so much about. His style and his perspective of everything is so advance and so clear, but it can become a controlled mess trying to get exactly what he wants from the story. This film purposely goes why off the deep end of capturing Myrtle Gordon decent into madness, through the brilliant set piece of an obsessed fan getting killed after meeting her after a show. She then loses, or maybe even rises above reality and try's to figure out what is happening in this reality, and while doing so, she try's to figure out what this stereotypical and meaningless play truly means. John Cassevetes attacks Myrtle from every perspective, with such logic, but we know that there is something more to what is going on. Though in the end, we never find out. It's such a masterful film, no other director could have done it right. Also, I found this film to be beautiful. but, not in like a "Days of Heaven" kind of way, just in a bare cinematic way. It's hard to explain, but I adore it so much. Myrtle Gordon sort of reminds me of Howard Beale from "Network" (1976). Gena Rowlands and Peter Finch also had performances of the same caliber. The ending as well, wow, how many question do I have? I loved the ending. When she shows up drunk, we don't know how the play will turn out, I assumed she is slightly at ease of her pain after she kills the girl at the spiritualists house, but a bit into the play we notice an entire change of tone within Myrtle. The ending was simply brilliant, and it didn't make the film feel incomplete.

THIS FILM IS NOT FOR A LIGHTWEIGHT VIEWER!