The Fifth Hall of Fame

Oh no! ... Haha it might be alright, because I watched it a long time ago.

I'd like to thank CR for the link to this.. I'm almost certain this was the thread that actually got me to watch "A Woman Under The Influence", I just wish I knew what I read that made me watch it. Before joining this site, I only saw one J.C. (Minnie and Moscowitz, which is ok, Seymour Cassell is very annoying, but J.C. puts him in half of his movies) and I remember thinking how amazing the movie was. Every time I watch it, I learn something.. Cassavetes never speaks down to the audience, never spoon feeds them, things aren't spelled out, and if you blink, you might miss something.... It was interesting to read your thoughts on it.

First off, I don't think Mabel was crazy - but a woman under the influence. She's a free-spirit... Nick says early on that he thinks Mabel is mad because he doesn't spend any time with her - work and sleep seems to be his life. She goes through all the trouble of having her mother take the kids, even though she doesn't seem to have the best relationship with her. And then she gets stood up - and while she waits, she drinks and drinks, and doesn't make good decisions, as we see when she wakes up and realizes what she did... Also, she mistakes Carson Cross for Nick - maybe this is a little sign, perhaps she never sees Nick, she doesn't even recognize him. We learn later that they only got married because she got pregnant. The movie shows little misinterpretations by other characters, and how accidental life is.... Before I get into that, you see how much Mabel wants to please his co-workers, makes them food, tries to be whatever he wants her to be, and failing, as Nick thinks she's too flirtatious. She doesn't live by others' standards, she has her own way - he even mocks a snooty New England accent-type, and how she wants people to feel comfortable around her.... I love when she's picking up her kids, and she asks a few ladies, and none of them even respond back, and it's frustrating for me to watch their lack of humanity. One even has a watch; both women completely ignore Mabel, and so I can understand her frustration.

Remember when Nick comes home and sees Mr. Jensen in his room. All an accident, but that's life too. I don't think Mabel did anything crazy, she was playing along with the kids. When Nick's mother sees the naked baby, she asks the child why she's naked. The child doesn't say a thing, so his mother (who doesn't like Mabel) suggests "Was it mommy?" and the daughter answers yes (another accident/falsehood). In fact, all Mabel said was "Wear your costumes" and show Mr. Jensen a little play, since he was very stiff from the beginning. It all blows up in her face. Nick punches her out as well.

You can also tell Nick is very indecisive - he still leans on his mother for everything. If you pay attention, you can see when Nick's offer to have Mabel come over is rebuffed. Of course, Cassavetes would never spoon-feed and have a full conversation to establish it, you can figure it out. The mother seems to compete for Nick's attention, and she gets it, and Mabel gets none, even when he promises a night just for them. On the phone he says "Do you want me to bring Mabel?" and then only to hear "I'll come by myself".

The doctor is a real quack, Dr. Zepp. He does nothing but elevate tension. Mama Longhetti starts with Mabel of course, and when she feels everyone is out to attack her, she dances like a swan. Big deal..

Then Nick has his turn being a parent. He has to deal with his co-workers talking behind his back, literally. I love the shot when you hear the talk, but the camera only shows Nick - that's the kind of cinematography I like, I don't care about deserts and mountains... He even has a friend go with him, and expresses his frustration. To make his life easier, he gets the kids a little drunk.. "You'll sleep like rocks" he says on the back of the truck. Well, it's too much, and when it's bed-time, Nick keeps trying to entice one of his kids to keep him company, probably since Mabel is in the institution. He even tells Maria again, "Well, if you want to keep me company, I'll be downstairs" - though the kids are feeling sick and wanna sleep.

Then Mabel comes back. Again, Nick can't seem to do the right thing. Of course, Nick's mother takes charge, and Nick falls right in line - he's like a child mentally. But the mother is right this time, and pretty empathetic. She tells Nick everyone has to go home - except family ("Adolf, you're family" - I love how many times that name is said) it's too overwhelming for anyone, especially someone who has been through hell with electric shock treatment, separation from everyone and everything she knows.

Mabel is so docile, but gets comfort from her father, her first (and maybe only) protector. Then he tells her "Maybe you should go stand by your mother" which hurts her feelings; she wants comfort. Notice everyone makes suggestions for her, but when Mabel finally speaks up and says she wants to be alone with Nick, they tell HER what's best for her, and that's been the problem the entire time. She's never been free to decide for herself. Mabel isn't even "allowed" to see her kids until Mama Longhetti approves it first.

When she comes in, even the idiot doctor says "Must have been hard.. Sorry to be the one to have done the committing" - his presence alone is a bad reminder. He's constantly trying to be more important than he is, letting her know about the kids, as if he was taking care of them... It's heartbreaking seeing her with the children after six months of separation. She tells Maria to come on over.. Maria says "Do you want me to come over to you?" and Mabel says "if you want to" and the little girl not knowing any better says "Ok, I'll stay here then".

I know I've shown how much I admire the writing and dialogue, but the silence in this movie is perfect; it says so much. There's a lot of humor as well, mostly black humor..

Again and again, Mabel says "I wanna be alone with Nick"... At one point she asks her father to stand up for her. He literally stands up. The mother finally says "Can't you understand what she's trying to tell us?" And finally, it's too much for Mabel, and she starts to dance like a swan again. This seems to bother Nick because it's perceived as being crazy. Of course, he knocks her out again.. The kids actually side with their mother, but it doesn't prevent Mabel from trying to kill herself. Of course, Nick punches her out again, threatens to kill her and the children, which scares them into finally going to their room. Things get settled somewhat, Nick even puts a band-aid on her wound (symbolism perhaps), and they get prepare for another day. She constantly wonders if he loves her, and he doesn't answer. Maybe he doesn't. Maybe he did what he did out of norms of society, at least his understanding, as he is very indecisive, and needs his mother's permission for every little thing he does, and when she isn't around, others' opinions.

I think an important point of the movie is that there is no manual for life. It's complicated with intuition vs. the perceived.expecations...

I also think it's great how Cassavetes always found a way to create, and never let anything get into his way. After "Shadows" which French directors say influence "The New Wave", he was sought out, and directed two great movies in the studio system, but it didn't work out, especially after he punched out one of the more powerful producers, Stanley Kramer, with good reason. Cassavetes invites him over for Thanksgiving, and he is said to make a phone call to fire John. He would act in movies to invest in his movies. He even wrote them all himself. He uses his mother, father, mother-in-law in the movie, as well as other friends, actors who worked with him since his first movie. John even used his own home!

I hope I wasn't being intrusive, since I wasn't part of this, but I know you all have saw the movie, so I can actually speak freely. Wasn't expecting it to be that long, but it's a great movie, and everyone has their own interpretation, and I love talking movies very specifically.