Good 70s Films: The Turning Point

1977 Drama
From 20th Century Fox
Directed by Herbert Ross

Starring
Anne Bancroft
Shirley MacLaine
Leslie Browne
Tom Skerritt
Mikhail Baryshnikov
Anthony Zerbe
Martha Scott
James Mitchell
Daniel Levans
Marshall Thompson

John Cassavetes

He is the greatest of maverick writer-directors whose most notable accomplishment-- and it's considerable-- is being the founding father of U.S. independent film-making.  Some may say one of the founding fathers and while that may technically be true, in my estimation no one was ever more dedicated to putting out indie films than this man.  Let's consider that the Independent Spirit Awards (televised every year usually one day ahead of the Oscar show) honors the best new film-maker with the prestigious John Cassavetes award.

Gena Rowlands

Here is half of one of the most legendary actress-director screen partnerships in Hollywood history.  There have been a number of other pairings but few evoke the stirring memories created by beautiful Gena Rowlands and her maverick husband, John Cassavetes.  Together, they were king and queen of the indies for 20 years, a deluxe duo who brought a searing realism to films like we'd never seen before.