In a tangential sense, no filmmaker working from 1960 onward would have gotten anywhere without the influence of John Cassavetes and Gena Rowlands. But in a very real sense, Martin Scorsese has said he would have likely left film entirely had it not been for the support Cassavetes and Rowlands showed toward him early on in his career. Following the death of Rowlands last week, Scorsese released a statement paying tribute to her.
“Up there onscreen, there was no one else quite like her. That’s the kind of observation that’s often made about people after they’re gone, but in Gena’s case it happens to be true,” Scorsese wrote. “She had an extremely unusual combination of qualities. Her talent, which was extraordinary. Her bravery and commitment to her art formn— equally extraordinary. Her presence… this was someone who could hold a room by just walking in and standing there. Her kindness and humanity, which I experienced firsthand. Her beauty, earthy and ethereal at the same time.”
Comparing her to past cinematic luminaries, Scorsese said, “If Gena had been born a little earlier, she might have been a different kind of star, more like Mary Astor or Bette Davis, whose work she loved. But she married John Cassavetes. She did remarkable work with many directors including Woody Allen, Paul Schrader, Jim Jarmusch and her son Nick Cassavetes. But the pictures Gena and John made together, most of them shot in their own home on their own dime, were real family affairs made with complete independence.”
Placing their work within a larger context of artistic expression, Scorsese went on to compare their films with the work of Shakespeare.
“They are also, all together, a peak in the history of cinema,” he wrote. “They challenged each other, they cajoled each other to go further and further. With ‘Faces,’ ‘A Woman Under the Influence,’ ‘Opening Night’ and ‘Love Streams,’ they made films that have been inspirations to generations of filmmakers and actors. As Peter Brook said of Shakespeare, those pictures will always be ahead of us.”
Others honored Rowlands’ memory by posting to social media. Jim Jarmusch, who directed her in “Night on Earth,” wrote in a post on Instagram, “R.I.P. Gena. you are the greatest ever. What a gift to have worked together, a beautiful dream for me. My love flows out to you always.”
Her “Night on Earth” co-star, Winona Ryder, also shared a photo of herself wearing a black button down with the name “GENA” stitched in red over her heart and her hand underneath it.
