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Master Rank #542

A Woman Under the Influence

1974

GCML Total8.2640% Greatness · 40% Engagement · 20% Ease

Directed by John Cassavetes

CastGena Rowlands · Peter Falk

USAEnglishRomance / Drama155 minNot Rated
Sight & SoundNarrative FeatureDeliberate pace
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Spoiler-free premise

Mabel, a mother and wife, is on the brink of insanity as her blue-collar husband Nick attempts to understand her plight.

Read expanded premiseLonger, still spoiler-free

Long Island housewife Mabel Longhetti's intense behavior unsettles husband Nick, who loves her but responds through control, embarrassment, and a crowded family network. A dinner for Nick's work crew and later domestic gatherings expose conflicting standards of normality.

Why it belongs

John Cassavetes lets Rowlands and Falk make marriage frighteningly intimate, with improvised-feeling behavior revealing love tangled in surveillance and control.

Read expanded why it belongsThe fuller editorial case

Crowded tables, unfinished gestures, children, spaghetti, work crews, sudden dancing, and handheld close proximity make every social space unstable; Gena Rowlands's Mabel and Peter Falk's Nick continually misread care as management.

Major award record

Metadata only · zero points in 40/40/20
Golden Globes1 win1975 · official film record ↗
Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama1975 · Gena Rowlandsofficial film record ↗

Totals include every recorded competitive win. Only Picture or top-film honors, Direction, Screenplay, and lead or supporting performances are named.

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Descriptive guidance derived from rating, genre, runtime, mood, and GCML scores.

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