After the death of a common friend, three married men leave their lives together, seeking pleasure and freedom and ultimately leaving for London.After the death of a common friend, three married men leave their lives together, seeking pleasure and freedom and ultimately leaving for London.After the death of a common friend, three married men leave their lives together, seeking pleasure and freedom and ultimately leaving for London.
- Awards
- 1 nomination
- Annie
- (as Meta Shaw)
- 'Normandy' Singer
- (as Eleanor Gould)
- Director
- Writer
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaScreenwriter John Cassavetes wrote the film's dialogue after doing improvisations with actors Ben Gazzara and Peter Falk. Reportedly, Cassavetes built the film's three main central characterizations around the real-life personalities of the film's three main actors one of whom included himself.
- Quotes
Archie Black: [Arriving at the funeral] I suppose this is proper, all these big cars and chauffeurs. Black shiny cars. Seems dopey for a guy like that. Well, I guess that's what they do. People get symbolic over death. They get very formal, and it's really ridiculous. Because it's probably the most humiliating thing in the world. But I feel very relaxed. People die of tensions. That's all they die of, Gus. That's the truth. Did you know that? I know it, and it's something I'm never gonna forget.
Gus Demetri: Don't believe truth. Just don't believe truth. Archie, I'm telling you, don't believe truth.
Archie Black: That is the truth now. You see, the truth will never kill you. Lies will. Not cigarettes, not alcohol. Lies, Gus. Lies and tensions. That'll kill you. That'll kill you before cancer in the heart. Did you know that?
- Crazy creditsThere are no closing credits and no "THE END" title card. The screen just goes black. In the opening credits, everyone involved in the film (even the "little people") are credited on two "tell all" title cards, right on down from the actors to the grips, a total of 82 credits.
- Alternate versionsThe original theatrical release ran 154 minutes. The out-of-print VHS release from Columbia/Tristar runs 132 minutes.
- ConnectionsFeatured in Siskel & Ebert: Cousins/The Mighty Quinn/True Believer/Tap (1989)
- SoundtracksShow Me the Way to Go Home
(1925) (uncredited)
Written by Irving King
Sung a cappella by Ben Gazzara, Peter Falk and John Cassavetes
Some of John Cassavetes' films can be hard to watch. OPENING NIGHT is an interesting experiment, top-heavy with subplots. GLORIA was an aborted attempt at a more commercial film. Although Gena Rowlands would kick Sharon Stone's butt if both of their films were compared, the pace to Cassavetes' GLORIA is languid. Not what you'd expect from an action film.
This is, however, one of the Cassavetes' traits: the element of surprise.
There are alot of surprises in HUSBANDS. The film begins with a funeral, as Falk, Gazzara, and Cassavetes put their friend to rest. This event depresses these men, and they go on a drinking binge that seems to last the rest of the movie. There is drinking, carousing, horseplay, sex with female strangers, and a conspicuous tendancy to ignore the wives. These are married men, but until their conscious returns to them, they seem to forget that.
HUSBANDS is what I would term as a humble classic. The main reason why I consider myself a Cassavetes fan is because his films are humble. They are always ambitious, mind you, but I love the choices that Cassavetes makes in his editing, and his casting. Cassavetes allows the actors to explore the characters as they are acting on camera, and sometimes this leaves the rough edges of improvisation showing. He knows how to draw out un-self-conscious performances, and there is sometimes gold mined from this method.
Along with WOMAN UNDER THE INFLUENCE, this is my favorite of the films in Cassavetes catalogue. While HUSBANDS is Cassavetes "man" film, I suppose...INFLUENCE could be seen as his "woman" film. But, to be fair, Cassavetes made films about both sexes, and usually quite successfully. If you have heard of Cassavetes and are not familiar with his work, this is a good place to start.
HUSBANDS, in its climaxes and anti-climaxes, ends up feeling more and more like reality as you watch it. There are strange moments, and as I said before many surprises. But these are some of the kinds of moments that make up life: When a friend goes from laughter to tears in moments, when a joke is no longer funny, and becomes more serious than a heart attack. HUSBANDS is about common people, and how uncommon they can sometimes be. There is darkness, and there is light. Watch HUSBANDS to know what I'm talking about.
- silentgpaleo
- May 5, 2000
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- Release date
- Country of origin
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- Also known as
- Husbands: A Comedy About Life, Death and Freedom
- Filming locations
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $1,000,000 (estimated)
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