"Director: John CASSAVETES"

• Husbands (1970) (Criterion Collection) UK Only | Blu Ray | (08/06/2020) from £20.89   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  The trailblazing independent auteur JOHN CASSAVETES (Opening Night) pushes his raw, uncompromising emotional realism to its limit in this unflinching portrait of masculinity in crisis. Cassavetes joins BEN GAZZARA (Anatomy of a Murder) and PETER FALK (Mikey and Nicky)both of whom would become key collaborators of the director'splaying a trio of middle-aged Long Island family men who, following the sudden death of their best friend, channel their grief into an epic, multiday bender that takes them from Manhattan to London in a desperate, debauched quest to feel alive. By turns painfully funny and woundingly perceptive, this self-described comedy about life, death, and freedom stands as perhaps the most fearless, harrowingly honest deconstruction of American manhood ever committed to film. Special Features: New 4K digital restoration, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack Audio commentary from 2009 featuring critic Marshall Fine New interviews with producer Al Ruban and actor Jenny Runacre New video essay featuring audio recordings of John Cassavetes in his own words exploring the actor director's spirited approach to acting The Story of HusbandsA Tribute to John Cassavetes (2009), a half-hour program featuring Ruban, actor Ben Gazzara, and cinematographer Victor J. Kemper Episode of The Dick Cavett Show from 1970 featuring Cassavetes, Gazzara, and actor Peter Falk Trailer PLUS: An essay by filmmaker Andrew Bujalski

• Too Late Blues (Masters of Cinema) (DUAL FORMAT Edition) | Blu Ray | (21/07/2014) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £17.99

  The supreme master John Cassavetes followed up his earth-shaking 1959 debut Shadows with this his first directorial effort for a major studio. Positioned somewhere between Cassavetes' ferocious independent productions and the Hollywood fare of the early 1960s Too Late Blues represents a glimpse at a road not taken neither by the director himself nor by mainstream American cinema in the era of the studio system's collapse - a parallel-universe of the movies that never came to pass... except in rare instances such as Too Late Blues. Legendary American singer Bobby Darin (of Beyond the Sea fame) plays the leader of a jazz band whose peripatetic performances ultimately lead him to cross paths with a singer (Stella Stevens later of Jerry Lewis's The Nutty Professor) with whom he falls in love. Drama ensues when Darin's masculinity is thrown into question following a violent brawl and the film lurches towards its gripping conclusion. The critic Jonathan Rosenbaum wrote that Cassavetes' film is a portrait of the self-laceration and other forms of emotional brought about when a footloose jazz musician decides to sell out and go commercial that it has moments that are indelible and heartbreaking and that if you care a lot about Cassavetes you should definitely see this. The Masters of Cinema Series is proud to present John Cassavetes' Too Late Blues for the first time on Blu-ray and DVD in the UK. Special Features: Gorgeous 1080p transfer of the film on Blu-ray and progressive encode on the DVD More extras to be announced closer to release! 36- page booklet with a new essay and conversation vintage interview material rare archival imagery and more!

• Opening Night (DVD & Blu-ray) | Blu Ray | (27/05/2013) from £14.99   |  Saving you £5.00 (33.36%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Receiving its long-overdue world premiere High Definition release, as part of this BFI Dual Format Edition, John Cassavetes' emotionally charged 1977 film Opening Night stands as one of the great American movies about theatre and the art of performance, and was nominated for 2 Golden Globe Awards. Featuring the great Gena Rowlands (A Woman under the Influence) in an award-winning role as the Broadway legend Myrtle Gordon. When a young fan dies in an accident while trying to meet her, Gordon must confront her personal demons in the run-up to the opening of her latest play. Opening Night also stars John Cassavetes in a rare acting role in one of his own films, alongside regular collaborator Ben Gazzara (Husbands, The Big Liebowski, The Killing of a Chinese Bookie). Special Features: Audio Commentary (Feature length) Memories of John (DVD only) Falk on Cassavetes part 3: the later years (DVD only)

• A Woman Under the Influence (The John Cassavetes Collection) (DVD & Blu-ray) | Blu Ray | (17/09/2012) from £18.99   |  Saving you £3.00 (17.66%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Receiving its long-overdue Blu-ray world premiere, A Woman Under The Influence is arguably John Cassavetes' most popular and influential film. Released in 1974 it stars Cassavetes' wife Gena Rowlands (Gloria, Faces) and the legendary Peter Falk (Columbo) as Mabel and Nick Longhetti, a blue-collar couple struggling to cope with her slip into mental illness. A key work from a golden era of American filmmaking - this masterpiece of American independent filmmaking is as powerful and devastating today as it was when it was first released. The film received two Oscar-nominations - Rowlands was for Best Actress and Cassavetes for Best Director - losing out to Francis Ford Coppola for Godfather Pt II.

• The Killing of a Chinese Bookie (DVD + Blu-ray) | Blu Ray | (15/07/2013) from £12.98   |  Saving you £9.00 (81.89%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Receiving its long-overdue High Definition premiere as part of this Dual Format edition The Killing of a Chinese Bookie is John Cassavetes' uncompromising character study of a gangster. Cassavetes regular Ben Gazzara (Anatomy of a Murder Husbands The Big Lebowski) plays a seedy Los Angeles strip-club owner who runs up heavy gambling debts which he arranges to wipe out by murdering an elderly Chinese gangster. Also amongst the cast is Cassavetes regular Seymour Cassel (Faces Rushmore) and legendary cult actor Timothy Carey (The Killing Paths of Glory). Arguably the most plot-driven of his films Cassavates withdrew The Killing of a Chinese Bookie shortly after the initial release and subsequently re-cut a shorter version with a different opening. Both cuts are made available on Blu-ray and the DVD. Special Features: Presented in both High Definition and Standard Definition Includes both the 135 minute and 108 minute re-cut versions Selected scene commentary by Al Rubin and Peter Bogdanovich on long version Extensive booklet with essays and film credits

• Shadows (The John Cassavetes Collection) (DVD & Blu-ray) | Blu Ray | (23/04/2012) from £15.99   |  Saving you £4.00 (25.02%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Dual Format Edition containing the DVD and world premiere Blu-ray release of John Cassavetes’ groundbreaking debut feature, Shadows (1959), a film which gave birth to a radical new film language that has influenced the work of filmmakers for decades since its release. Shadows revolves around the inter-racial romance between a black woman and white man, and their relationship with her jazz singer brother. Its depiction of themes of inter-racial relationships and non-conformist lifestyles were way ahead of its time.Shot on location in 1950s New York, with a cast and crew made up primarily of amateurs, this radical, ground-breaking film is as devastatingly powerful now as ever. The film’s score features jazz legend Charlie Mingus. Extra features: Presented in both High Definition and Standard Definition Audio commentary Seymour Cassell and Tom Charity Silent rehearsal footage (DVD only) Peter Falk on Cassavetes (Paul Joyce, DVD only) Original trailer

• Faces (The John Cassavetes Collection) (DVD & Blu-ray) | Blu Ray | (23/04/2012) from £18.98   |  Saving you £3.00 (17.66%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Dual Format Edition containing the DVD and world premiere Blu-ray release of John Cassavetes' astonishingly powerful 1968 feature, Faces, a film which has had a huge and lasting impact on independent filmmaking, evident in the work of Martin Scorsese, Spike Lee and Jim Jarmusch to name only a few. Set in suburban middle-class America of the 1960s, Faces portrays the disintegration of a marriage with an honesty rarely matched in cinema. Originally released when Cassavetes was a big name Hollywood acting star (The Dirty Dozen, Rosemary's Baby) Faces was nominted for 3 Oscars - an unheard-of achievement for an independent film at the time.

• The John Cassavetes Collection | DVD | (12/09/2005) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £49.99

  A collection of films from famed actor and independent director John Cassavetes comprising: Shadows (1959): A depiction of the struggle of three black siblings to survive the mean streets of Manhattan 'Shadows' was Cassavetes' jazz-scored improvisational film exploring interracial friendships and relationships in Beat-Era (1950s) New York City made from a script entirely improvised by the talented cast heralding a vital new era in independent filmmaking. Faces (1968):

• A Child Is Waiting | DVD | (16/03/2015) from £14.83   |  Saving you £-1.84 (N/A%)   |  RRP £12.99

  Drama starring Burt Lancaster and Judy Garland. Psychologist Dr Matthew Clark (Lancaster) runs a controversial boarding school for children with learning difficulties known for its no-nonsense, tough love approach. When Clark recruits former concert pianist Jean Hansen (Garland) as the school's new music teacher despite her complete lack of teaching or nursing experience, she quickly forms a bond with one of the children, the severely autistic Reuben (Bruce Ritchey), much to Clark's concern.

• The Killing of a Chinese Bookie (DVD & Blu-ray) | Blu Ray | (15/07/2013) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £22.99

  Receiving its long-overdue Blu-ray world premiere as part of this Dual Format Edition The Killing of a Chinese Bookie is John Cassavetes' uncompromising character study of a gangster. Cassavetes regular Ben Gazzara (Anatomy Of a Murder Husbands The Big Liebowski) plays a seedy Los Angeles strip-club owner who runs up heavy gambling debts which he arranges to wipe out by murdering an elderly Chinese gangster. Also stars Seymour Cassel (Faces Rushmore) and legendary crime actor Timothy Carey (The Killing Paths of Glory). Arguably the most plot-driven of his films Cassavetes withdrew The Killing of a Chinese Bookie shortly after the initial release and subsequently re-cut a shorter version with a different opening. The re-cut version is available on the Blu-ray and the DVD includes the long version amongst the special features. Special Features: Original 1976 cut (128 mins. DVD only) Audio commentary - selected scenes on 1978 cut (Blu-ray and DVD) Anything for John (90 mins documentary. DVD only) The Haircut (dir. Tamar Hoffs. 22 mins. 1982 short film starring John Cassavetes)

• A Woman Under The Influence | DVD | (23/10/2006) from £8.81   |  Saving you £7.18 (81.50%)   |  RRP £15.99

  A tough-minded moving film about a working-class housewife's mental breakdown caused by imposed social rules. This insightful study of sexual politics earned an Oscar nomination for both Gena Rowlands and John Cassavetes.

• Gloria | DVD | (01/08/2005) from £6.73   |  Saving you £6.26 (93.02%)   |  RRP £12.99

  She's tough...but she sides with the little guy. Jack Dawn and his family were eliminated by the mob because he was their accountant feeding information to the FBI. However his six year old son Phil escaped with neighbour - and former gangster's girlfriend - Gloria. Now in his possession Phil has his father's black book containing account details of the mobsters. They want it back and the pair dead... Winner of the Best Picture at the Venice Film Festival the film also s

• Big Trouble | DVD | (08/12/2003) from £8.07   |  Saving you £4.92 (37.90%)   |  RRP £12.99

  The last film directed by John Cassavetes, Big Trouble reteamed some of the creators of the much funnier The In-laws. But despite another script by Andrew Bergman, and a cast that reunited Alan Arkin and Peter Falk, this comedy doesn't live up to its predecessor. A spoof of Double Indemnity, the film casts Arkin as a nervous insurance agent faced with huge college tuition bills for a trio of sons headed for Yale. To make extra money, he gets involved in a scheme with a woman (Beverly D'Angelo) trying to kill her husband (Falk). That the whole thing turns out to be an adventure in insurance fraud shouldn't come as a surprise. Despite an inconsistent script, the chemistry between Arkin and Falk can still produce the occasional laugh. --Marshall Fine

• Minnie & Moskowitz - (Mr Bongo Films) (1971) | DVD | (04/04/2011) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £17.99

  'Minnie and Moskowitz' is a romantic comedy by pioneering Director, John Cassavetes, starring Gena Rowlands as Minnie and Seymour Cassel as Seymour Moskowitz. The story starts with Minnie, a divorced museum curator who goes on a blind date with Zelmo Swift, (Val Avery) who happens to be married. But later she rejects the date which results in a big argument between the two. Car park attendant, Seymour manages to defuse the situation but surprisingly falls in love with Minni upon first sight despite their differences.

• A Child Is Waiting | DVD | (06/07/2009) from £17.53   |  Saving you £-1.54 (N/A%)   |  RRP £15.99

  A Child Is Waiting

• The Killing Of A Chinese Bookie | DVD | (23/10/2006) from £16.20   |  Saving you £-0.21 (-1.30%)   |  RRP £15.99

  A small-time Los Angeles night club owner falls for a lavish invitation to gamble at a private club. After losing high stakes on extended credit he is pressured by a gangster to erase his debt by killing a rival underworld power referred to only as 'The Chinese Bookie'...

• Opening Night | DVD | (09/07/2007) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £15.99

  Opening Night (1977)