A Constant Forge - The Life and Art of John Cassavetes
Included in the "John Cassavetes: Five Films" Boxset
Charles Kiselyak’s A Constant Forge — The Life and Art of John Cassavetes is a detailed journey through the career of one of film’s greatest pioneers and iconoclasts. Assembled from candid interviews with Cassavetes’ collaborators and friends, rare photographs, archival footage, and the director’s own words, the film paints a revealing portrait of a man whose fierce love, courage, and dedication changed the face of cinema forever
Member Reviews
could be more critical - mseponine
I thought the first hour of this documentary was very interesting and inspiring. However, it soon became a one-note film, only about how great John Cassavetes was without much controversy or even criticism that would have made this documentary a better rounded film about a fascinating figure.A Touch of Genius - Kelly_Man
This film is over 3 hours long, and ranges from awful slide-show to brilliantly-poignant biography. I love it for the honest moments caught on camera from Cassavetes and friends, and hate it for the John "sound-alike" narrating the picture. It glosses over facts for time - the doc suggests that John started acting after making Shadows to finance his movies, forgetting that he was a famous actor when Shadows was released. Great contributions from Peter Falk, Sean Penn and Ben Gazzara in interview segments that really give a good sense of John's energy, and the love they all still feel for him. The best parts come from clips of John, in interviews, directing, or at home, showing him to be the laughing, friendly, brilliant artist he was. It's a shame this movie isn't better, because as it stands, it can only be preaching to the choir. I feel like a 90-minute cut of this with no narration from the sound-alike, and less clips from his films could have made for a really great documentary. Still, it's worth it for any fan.Iconic film director's life in film - AvidOscarBee
If you are a fan of John Cassavetes, the "thinking man's director", then you're in for a treat. If not, then this documentary is rather long but detailed in scruitizing his career as a "working actor" turned director and his off and on relationship with Gena Rowlands (The Notebook) whom he married after dating for one month.
This film gives a very detailed journey of his career in film and how he has influenced many of the directors of our current day. There are countless interviews with actors such as Peter Falk, Sean Penn, Gena Rowlands and counterless others who worked with Mr. Cassavetes over a period of some 40 years. Quite a treat for the avid film buff. Snippets of his work are shown and the library is enormous.
Overall, his vision was about demistifying the family, relationships and most importantly love. Enjoy!
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could be more critical - mseponine
I thought the first hour of this documentary was very interesting and inspiring. However, it soon became a one-note film, only about how great John Cassavetes was without much controversy or even criticism that would have made this documentary a better rounded ...A Touch of Genius - Kelly_Man
This film is over 3 hours long, and ranges from awful slide-show to brilliantly-poignant biography. I love it for the honest moments caught on camera from Cassavetes and friends, and hate it for the John "sound-alike" narrating the picture. It glosses over ...Iconic film director's life in film - AvidOscarBee
If you are a fan of John Cassavetes, the "thinking man's director", then you're in for a treat. If not, then this documentary is rather long but detailed in scruitizing his career as a "working actor" turned director and his off and on relationship with Gena ...