Love Streams **** (1984, Gena Rowlands, John Cassavetes, Diahnne Abbott, Seymour Cassel) – Classic Movie Review 5753

John Cassavetes’s 1984 film Love Streams is his final solo feature and tells the agonising story of a troubled middle-aged brother (Cassavetes) and sister (Gena Rowlands), abandoned by their loved ones.

Sarah Lawson (played by Gena Rowlands): ‘Love is a stream, it’s continuous, it doesn’t stop.’

Writer-director John Cassavetes collaborates on the screenplay with Ted Allan, author of the source play, for the 1984 Love Streams film tale of a middle-aged sister, Sarah Lawson (played by Gena Rowlands), with unusual ties to her decadent, alcoholic writer brother Robert Harmon (played by Cassavetes himself).

She looks to him for succour and a home when her marriage to Jack Lawson (Seymour Cassel) falls apart and she gets embroiled in an untidy divorce, he is visited by his ex-wife who forces him to take care of their eight-year-old son for 24 hours, and the siblings find themselves relying on one another.

This unusual, emotional character study is edgy, long (141 minutes) and perhaps unfocused. But it is still an extremely involving experience, especially for fans of Cassavetes’s films and the distinguished players’ fine brand of acting, which should be most everybody.

Though maybe it is neither Cassavetes nor Rowlands quite at their absolute best, they are still very impressive, and the raw, unpolished movie feels like it is telling life as it really is, not as seen through a rosy Hollywood filter.

It won the Golden Bear award the 34th Berlin International Film Festival.

Much of it was shot inside the home of Cassavetes and Rowlands), with none of Cassavetes’s usual trademark hand-held camera work.

Surprisingly, it is produced by Menahem Golan and Yoram Globus and made for their Cannon Films group, and released by their Cannon Film Distributors. Cannon cut the 141 minute film to 122 minutes for video release, with one scene and several unusual visual effects removed. The original version was released on DVD and Blu-ray for the first time in 2014 by The Criterion Collection.

Also in the cast are Diahnne Abbott, Margaret Abbott, Jakob Shaw, Michele Conway, Al Ruban, Eddy Dunno, Joan Foley, Tom Badal, Julie Allan, Doc Abedon, Risa Blewitt, Bronwyn Bobe, Tony Brubaker, Alexandra Cassavetes, Michele Conway, Cindy Davidson, Raphael De Niro, Barbara DiFrenza, Joan Dykman, Robert Fieldsteel, Leonard P Geer, Leslie Hope, Renee Le Flore, Hugo Napton, Phedon Papamichael, Christopher O’Neal, Dave Rowlands, Jessica St John, and Susan Wolf.

Love Streams is based very remotely on Ted Allan’s 1980 stage play, which starred Jon Voight as Robert Harmon.

Release date: August 24, 1984 (US).

The cast are Gena Rowlands as Sarah Lawson, John Cassavetes as Robert Harmon, Diahnne Abbott as Susan, Seymour Cassel as Jack Lawson, Margaret Abbott as Margarita, Jakob Shaw as Albie Swanson, Eddy Donno as Stepfather Swanson, Joan Foley as Judge Dunbar, Al Ruban as Milton Kravitz, Tom Badal as Sam the lawyer, Doe Avedon as Mrs Kiner, Leslie Hope as Joanie, Margaret Abbott, Michele Conway, Julie Allan, Risa Blewitt, Bronwyn Bobe, Tony Brubaker, Alexandra Cassavetes, Michele Conway, Cindy Davidson, Raphael De Niro as Billy, Barbara DiFrenza, Joan Dykman, Robert Fieldsteel, Leonard P Geer, Renee Le Flore, Hugo Napton, Phedon Papamichael, Christopher O’Neal, Dave Rowlands [David Rowlands] as the psychiatrist, Jessica St John, and Susan Wolf.

Diahnne Abbott married Robert De Niro in 1976, when they had a son, Raphael De Niro, who plays Billy.

David Rowlands is the brother of Gena Rowlands.

Love Streams is John Cassavetes’s final feature, though he later replaced original director Andrew Bergman on Big Trouble (1986).

John Cassavetes and Gena Rowlands in 1959.

John Cassavetes was a long-time alcoholic and died in Los Angeles from complications of cirrhosis, aged 59 on February 3, 1989.

Gena Rowlands died from complications of Alzheimer’s disease at her home in Indian Wells, California, on August 14, 2024, aged 94.

© Derek Winnert 2017 Classic Movie Review 5,753

Check out more reviews on http://derekwinnert.com

Virginia Cathryn “Gena” Rowlands (June 19, 1930 – August 14, 2024).