Gena Rowlands receives an Honorary Award at the 2015 Governors Awards in the Ray Dolby Ballroom at Hollywood & Highland in Hollywood, CA, Saturday, November 14.
@@AKSyndrome I would die to have been in that group.In one of the (few movies I was in,) the editor told me that: "Yeah, they told us to take out your best takes, because you were too good, and it made (the star) look bad.
Gena Rowlands has died today at age 94, a month after we all learned of her Alzheimer’s diagnosis. She was one of the greatest leading character actresses of all time, right up there with Bette Davis and Barbara Stanwyck. Gena had a capacity to inhabit her characters right down to the marrow. She was magical on the screen. Obviously, that took a lot of debilitatingly hard work on her part to achieve. Let us all celebrate what she was able to accomplish. May her memory always be a blessing.
Watched this speech on august 13 again, a day before she passed, bc i felt like and now I am back to pay Tribute to this magnificient actress. REST IN PEACE GENA ROWLANDS
I've only seen her in A Woman Under the Influence just yesterday but jesus, that was one of the greatest performances ever put to film. Should have won the oscar 40 years before this
Gena Rowlands' Honorary Oscar is richly deserved. At the risk of stating the obvious, these Oscars should be awarded during the Oscar ceremony in February, rather than being relegated to a presentation that is seen by a small group on line. Her Bette Davis story is priceless; her work with her late husband John Cassavetes is timeless.
She also should have won all awards for her performance in "A Woman Under The Influence"...She was truly amazing~~Can't believe she was not recognized for that~~
Got me teared up and laughing and excited and sad that both she and Mr. Cassavetes weren't recognised earlier. What and extraordinary talent, a spirited, warm and glowing personality. A Legend.
@Hendry Tanamas What do you mean by you miss "The deadly group" ? I just finished watching the movie Strangers she was talking about with Bette Davis, really good acting by both.
@@ellamone9998 Interestingly, I see there's an Irish definition of 'deadly'.....as in 'the pubs were deadly' meaning excellent. Gena's still VERY much with us so I'm sure he didn't mean it another way. :)
One of my all time FAVORITE actors. She was ROBBED in 1974 but I’m THRILLED she received this award. So well deserved and how wonderful she also paid tribute to her husband, the great John C. 😊
YES! finally the oscars recognize GENA ROWLANDS after that horrendous snub when she lost for her brillaintly life-changing performance as A Woman Under The Influence. Congrats!
+Fadhil Ramadhani She wasn't snubbed. She was nominated so she won already. But her peers had to pick one who excelled as well, and that was Miss Burstyn. Why is it people want to take away an Oscar? All five nominees are winners!
cats pajamas LOL that's a sad excuse to say that all nominees are winners. Have you seen Alice doesn't live here anymore and A woman under the influence? if you have then you know whose performance is better.
+Fadhil Ramadhani I'm entitled to your opinion and you are too. I've seen both films and I prefer Miss Burstyn's work. If you don't think so then TAKE IT UP WITH THE ACADEMY VOTERS.
No she wasn't robbed. Bursty deserved her Oscar. In fact I don't know how Rowlands was worthy of an Honorary Oscar, something politics here. And I hardly remember A Woman Under The influence, she's played this part before and since.
Gena was always such a beautiful and classy actress - and was from my hometown of Madison, Wisconsin! I’m so glad that she paid homage to her late husband, John Cassavetes, who passed away in 1989 after 35 years of marriage. They were a dynamic couple.
Gena is one of the most underrated talents of Hollywood. I am delighted to see how humble she is here, so proud and happy to receive an Oscar for the whole of the work in American cinema. I've never seen her complaining about losing her Oscar for A Woman under the Influence, which I consider to be her acting masterpiece, for Ellen Burstyn. She was an admirable human being, never bothered to make fame, but she was worried about building characters with quality. Congratulations, dear Gena, this Oscar is the most deserved by you. John & Gena: the perfect due! It’s impossible to see a movie by Cassavetes, Gena acting and not to be enchanted by what you’re seen on screen. Love her in Opening Night, Love Streams, Faces, A Woman under the Influence, Gloria, minnie and moskowitz, Strangers, Once Around.
Voilà une Dame qui mériterait d avoir plusieurs Oscars et comment il n ya plus s acteur ou actrices de cette trempe et il faut dire que l on ne trouve ces acteurs qu en Amérique
Feeling sad today. Another Queen gone. Unique within her peers. Incredible woman whom played so many different women. Thanks Gena never forgotten. SEMPRE VIVA 🌹
She is one of the coolest people on planet earth, without a doubt ~ and such a colorful, artistic life, committed to small projects rather than large. What a great gift she has given to so many artists and viewers of her work. We are so very lucky to have her captured on film in such excellent performances ~ she never disappointed, NEVER. I am very grateful that I was first introduced to her with her performance in Gloria. I was in high school when Gloria came out. In retrospect, that particular film truly impacted what films interested me from that point on. Remarkable, she was........ Where has the Academy been, she should have won that Oscar for Gloria and so many other films ~ Another Woman..... Next, Academy recognize JOHN CASSAVETES ~
Gloria is one of my favorite movies especially because it portrays a strong compassionate woman ! She should have received an Oscar 40 years ago and how about a lifetime achievement award now !
I just saw Gloria again after about 20 years was the last time I saw it- and I still enjoyed it tremendously--you are a wonderful actress and so deserving of this award
The very first time I saw Gena Rowland in a movie I must have been 9 or 10 years old and that movie was Gloria I believe in 1980. I was an instant fan & admirer of her craft at an early age. When I saw her earlier work I got to witness not only a great actress but a true beauty that looked so stunning on the big screen. Gena was truly created to be an actress I truly believe that. Her beauty and toughness were two combinations that looked so perfect on her. Thank You Mrs Rowland for showing a kid from Brooklyn what a gifted true actress really looks like and what a pleasure it was. Love You!!!💕🥰💕
The Bette story is charming but it reminds us, Bette Davis is the legend she is because she always cared what ended up on the silver screen - she was attentive and brave enough to ensure things were right. She was really a pioneer for every actress who cares about their own work.
I can't believe that it took all these many years for the academy to give an award to Gena....and why not show it during the telecast ??? Only a select group of people can see this....anyway, very thankful for youtube….loved Gena's story about Bette Davis...lol...Bette and Gena are my absolute fav stars and I LOVED that film they made....would have been wonderful if her husband John had been there too. Gena Rowlands is a true legend and star. ~ 💎✨
Miss Rowlands is in that elite pantheon of the greatest actors of all time. R.I.P. dear, lovely lady. The world is a sadder place without you. God Bless you. Xxxxxx. ❤❤❤❤❤❤.
Gena should've been Oscar nominated for "Minnie & Moskowitz" (1971) and "Opening Night" (1978) and the two times she was nominated, "A Woman Under the Influence" (1974) and "Gloria" (1980), SHE SHOULD'VE WON!
She definitely should have won for Woman Under the Influence. And in 1980 there should have been a tie between her, Ellen Burstyn and Mary Tyler Moore. Probably the best year for that category....ever!
God, how I love this woman. She is such a convincing actress who has portrayed roles which have mirrored aspects of my life. I love you, Gena Rowlands!
What an actress. I loved her in "Opening Night," "Another Woman," and a TV movie she did with Jane Alexander called "A Question of Love." Her work in these movies was so great, and so inspiring and influential to myself as an aspiring actor at one time. I can't believe she wasn't nominated for an Academy Award--or won even--for "Opening Night"--a tour de force, and landmark performance. (Though the five nominees that made the cut that year were admittedly great, too).
I was in jr. high when "A Question of Love" aired. I had known for some time I was gay. And this film made it okay as I was watching it with my conservative father who actually appreciated it because Gena was starring.
One of our great actress. From a woman under the influence to Gloria and hysterical blindness. Gena is one of a kind. Nobody has that strength in one look.
That Bette Davis story relates to a television movie they made at the end of the 1970's. Its striking the number of female actors who cite Gena Rowlands performance in A WOMAN UNDER THE INFLUENCE as one of the reasons they became actors.
One of my favourite actresses of all time. I am in love with her and her late husband John Cassavetes and their work. The man next to her (toward the end) is one of their three children, Nick Cassavetes.
my first introduction to Gena was when she appeared on the tv show peyton place back in the 60's. i thought she was marvelous as Adrienne van Lydon . from then on i was hooked and i followed her career and saw many of her outstanding performances . my all time favorites are Gloria and A Woman Under The Influence --- which by the way she was jipped of the Oscar. Finally she has one.!!!
Why in this world you dont' let us see her walking onstage and receiving the ovation? This has happened year affer year with the Governors Awards on this channel. I don't understand it.
GENA IS A WONDERFUL ACTRESS,,,AND SHE SHOULD HAVE BEEN COMMEMORATED MUCH MORE THAN SHE WAS IN HER CAREER.....THAT BEING SAID,,,,GLORIA WAS ONE OF THE BEST MOVIES THAT I EVER SEEN,,,AND GENA'S PERFORMANCE IN THAT MOVIE WAS SPELLBOUNDING AND ASTRONOMICAL....IN FACT,,GLORIA TOUCHED MY HEART AND SOUL TO THE CORE,,,AND 40 YEARS LATER IM STILL TROUBLED IN MY SPIRIT ABOUT THE REALITY AND TRUTH OF THAT MOVIE.....ALSO,,I GIVE MUCH RESPECT TO THE WRITERS AND PRODUCERS OF GLORIA,,THEY ARE INDEED GENIUS AND MAJESTIC IN THERE SKILL...IN FACT,,,GLORIA CAPTIVATED AND DISPLAYED THE EMOTIONS OF LOVE,BETRAYAL,SADNESS,PROTECTION,LOYALTY,STRUGGLE,FEAR,COURAGE,ENDURANCE,COMPASSION,SYMPATHY,EMPATHY,VIOLENCE,MURDER,HEARTLESSNESS,WICKEDNESS,EVIL,TENDERNESS,FAITHFULNESS,SEPARATION,REUNITING,YEARNING,BROKENNESS,HEARTBREAK,RUTHLESSNESS,INNOCENCE,PURITY,THOUGHTFULNESS,CARING,CONCERN,INTIMIDATION,BOLDNESS,FEARLESSNESS,BRAVERY,WAR,ESCAPE,GOD,MORALS,VALUES,MORALE,AND RIGHTEOUSNESS,JUST TO NAME A FEW......ONCE AGAIN,,,,GENA WAS AMAZING IN GLORIA,,,AND THE MOVIE WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN THE SAME WITHOUT HER......MUCH LOVE AND RESPECT TO GENA ROWLANDS,,,AND THE WHOLE CAST OF ACTORS,ACTRESSES,PRODUCERS,WRITERS,DIRECTORS,AND EVERYONE ELSE INVOLVED IN THIS MAJESTIC FILM.......
R.I.P. VIRGINIA CATHRYN "GENA" ROWLANDS (1930-2024) A good friend, Dino Manrique, introduced me to the work of John Cassavetes in 2000. Before even watching any of his films, just reading his words online was like an electric shock to my soul. I love and admire other filmmakers, but Cassavetes is the one I feel the closest to personally, even though I never met him. Gena Rowlands as Mabel Longhetti in "A Woman Under the Influence" (1974), Directed by John Cassavetes, is one of the three greatest acting performances on film that I have ever seen. The other two are Isabel Adjani in Possession (1981), Dir. Andrzej Żuławski, and Maria Falconetti in La passion de Jeanne d'Arc (1928), Dir. Carl Theodor Dreyer. (I think it's important to note that Dreyer was Cassavetes' second favorite film director next to Frank Capra. There was reportedly a 4 hour cut of "A Woman Under the Influence" that was described by people who saw it as magnificent, and as slow and stately as Dreyer. - Source: Cassavetes on Cassavetes by Ray Carney) The filmmaking of John Cassavetes and Gena Rowlands holds the most special place in my heart and soul as both an audience member and as a filmmaker. The Criterion Collection's Five Films John Cassavetes boxset describes Cassavetes as being both an astonishing director of actors, and (an agitating) director of the audience. I would add to that insight that John couldn't have worked, fell in love and spent his life with a better co-director and collaborator than Gena to astound, baffle, frighten, shake, rattle, unnerve, and disturb the audiences of their films. "You like to feel when you watch movies, huh? Well, feel this, and this, and this, AND THIS!!!" Like I said, I never met John, or Gena for that matter. John died in 1989. I was surprised how hard I took Gena's death just a few days ago. She's in reality a stranger to me. I guess that's the power of the very personal truths in the work they made together that make me feel some kind of affinity and closeness. As a writer-director, John is one of the filmmakers who showed me the possibilities of narrative film beyond its conventional forms. "So a film scene can be that long? So a film scene can have so many emotional, mental, interaction-al and behavioral things happening all at once, and one after the other?" As a performer, Gena is one of the actors on a very short list who showed me the possibilities of an acting performance beyond its conventional forms. Instead of just an actor fulfilling the needs of their character in a scene, it transforms into someone living their mysterious, unique, unpredictable, painful, lonely, tumultuous, intense, but also enduring and hopeful life onscreen. "Her emotions, her thoughts, her expressions, her gestures, her actions, moment-by-moment, so true, so honest, so painful, so committed, they keep changing, so fast, I can't keep up!" In her greatest performances, like Mabel Longhetti, Gena has that rare quality of creating what I call "spiritual danger" in her acting. It is this quality that makes audiences most uncomfortable. There's a lot of good acting out there for audiences to enjoy. There's a lot of award winning worthy acting out there for audiences to admire. But there are few performances like Gena's in "A Woman Under the Influence" that slip under your skin, that dig deep into your flesh, that pierce you to the very core of your heart's pulse, that stare into your soul with an intense, blinding gaze that can be unbearable. Rest in peace Gena. Your massive contributions to the arts of acting, theater, and cinema will never be forgotten. Your work with John will continue to inspire generations of artists - if they are brave enough and talented enough - to push the boundaries of their art forms in the search for the truth.
Gena and John should had won MANY TIMES and I hope her son Nick get's what he deserves during his lifetime...I love him so much....I can understand how Gena loved and misses John...that statue she holds...tall and shiny is like her husband was and her son IS.....Nick is incredible....look at him......