A Woman Under the Influence

Director John Cassavetes pioneered American independent film with his use of cinéma vérité in fictional narrative. By A Woman Under the Influence, his seventh film as director, Cassavetes had developed a distinct style of long takes, desultory lighting, and handheld cinematography which were employed to "convince the audience that what's on the screen is really happening." Often in collaboration with his wife, actress Gena Rowlands, Cassavetes created a series of stark dramas like this tale of a New York housewife slowly losing her grip on reality. As the title character, Rowlands gives an Oscar-nominated performance opposite Peter Falk as her beleaguered husband.

A Woman Under the Influence was added to the National Film Registry in 1990.