A WOMAN UNDER THE INFLUENCE

The mood is quickly established with a musical score that employs numerous dissonant chords, cementing a theme of disconnection that runs throughout A Woman Under the Influence (1974). Not in quite some time have I been so impressed by, and cognizant of, a film’s score. Composer Bo Harwood cradles the entire film using only a piano and an acoustic guitar (throwing in a youthful kazoo during the closing scene). The only orchestral dynamic is when Italian opera is injected into a single scene as music that is being listened to by the characters. The movie's central score is underdone and naked, which makes it perfect as a thin blanket upon which this vibrant story can rest.

This film made my 2023 must-see list because of the highly heralded and Oscar-nominated performance of Gena Rowlands. She plays Mable Longhetti, a Los Angeles housewife and mother, married to Nick (Peter Falk), a construction foreman who is absent from the home for long periods. Mable is a woman who doesn’t conform to the social norms of a woman her age and of the era. She experiences many of her daily moments from a childlike innocence, while also being a mature woman who needs attention and will seek that attention through unconventional means. Rowland imbues Mable with physical tics and vocal patterns that are superbly conveyed and amazing to behold.

The story was written by Rowland’s husband, John Cassavetes, who also directed the film. The story was originally written to be a play, but Rowland wasn’t sure she could portray Mable eight times a week, so it was rewritten to be a film. This movie is much more character-driven than plot-driven. We are given a look inside Mable and Nick’s relationship, how it started, how it survives, and how it is challenged. What we aren’t given are clear answers to complex questions. We know Nick and Mable love each other, but is their relationship a healthy one? Mable’s adoration of her children is evident, but is she a fit mother? Mable clearly has some level of mental imbalance, but to what degree does her husband and family exacerbate or abate that imbalance through their “help”? What is the ultimate influence that the woman is actually under? The answers will depend on the viewer… and that is just one of many, many things that make this movie a superb one.

And what of all those accolades for Rowland’s performance? That’s one question that certainly has a clear answer. She was worthy of them all. And I would be remiss not to mention how great Peter Falk was as well. His portrayal was subtly impressive and never overshadowed by Rowland’s, which was a tough feat. In fact, Falk was so dedicated to having this film produced, that he put up $500,000.00 of his own money to help fund it when major studios repeatedly turned Cassavetes down. In the end, A Woman Under the Influence became an independent gem. A gem worthy of being gazed upon and admired for its brilliance.