John Cassavetes - "Television Sucks!" 

I love Gena Rowlands reflection in the mirror.

Gotta love how John and Gena are holding hands up until the moment John needs both of them to articulate his rant lol

A director that actually respects his audience is such a rare and beautiful thing.

Now in the industry we need people like Cassavetes more than ever

I got rejected from a film club for wanting to show unconventional films because "It isn't what the students want" now John Cassavetes has made me feel good about calling that individual a coward.

the way Gena Rowlands looks at him says it all

I just need to listen to this speech every morning, before I do anything else.

Gena’s facial expressions say everything.

What an inspiring and passionate figure was John Cassavetes.

God, all that laughter at the end. It's like being around Cassavetes was actually like being in one of his movies...

"Come on, baby! Show me something!"

I bet Gena jumped his bones immediately after this press conference.

Cassavettes is so inspiring. And I love that he is not afraid to say that his work is fantastic, his collaborators are fantastic and he's fantastic. As a writer trying to make his way in LA, where there is this subtle, but powerful disdain for anyone who truly BELIEVES in themselves and knows their worth (especially women and POCS), this is really empowering to see.

Sadly, it's still relevant. The average moviegoer doesn't want more. Look at the films dominating the box office.

He was such a maverick. His films were personal and challenging.

Wow, I love his passion. I also love how he includes the people that helped make his films when he talks about his films. Seems like such a genuine guy.

Gena's loving this.

I love you John, you gave me hope.

John Cassavetes was ahead of his time. He is 100 percent better than Hollywood. A brilliant artist and Director. Will not watch movies or TV today because it is corporate junk Television sucks!! You are so right John.

Brilliant artist, there’s nobody like Cassavetes in film. Can you imagine how he would have felt about all of this super hero crap being produced today? That’s a tirade I would have loved to hear.

Ben and Gena talking to each other on the side... Just waiting for that finale. I'm sure she had heard this speech a thousand times haha the greatest

the way she looks at him though

The man was a manic, artistic genius. He has been forgotten. Well kids, keep your CGI junk, this man knew how to put life and emotion into film.

hahahaha, I just love how he culminates all those feeling and that speech into two words "Television Sucks!" Everyone there laughs like my god we believe you but no one is going to see this film just based on this interview and what you said. Hahaha, Man is a legend indeed! Did not give any fucks whatsoever!

John Cassavetes, a 100% passionate and talented Greek! Brilliant director!

" This is a stupid town" starts the rant.

Tell it like it is, JC!

40 years later we now live in a world with globalized superhero movies being pushed as must see works of art.

PART 2: I just read, in a Ray Carney book, about an interview Cassavetes had with Pauline Kael, in which Cassavetes told Kael to leave half-way through the interview because she did not appreciate the "artistic side" of his work. Remember that Kael was one of the leading critics at the time, and doing a "good" interview would have gave him so much more attention to his virtually unseen films. He continued doing this in so many other forms of promotion (like this interview).

Macdonald Cassavetes, what a guy.

How could someone possibly dislike this?

OPENING NIGHT is a truly amazing film! I was glued to the screen for the whole 2.5 hours, and just felt electrified and exhilarated after it all ended. Pretty much all of his movies make me feel like that, though, but especially that one. His directorial work contains so much confidence, emotion, enthusiasm, subtlety, intelligence, and genuine fascination with humanity. I wish he was alive to see what an impact his work has made, although he's still hugely underrated.

sincerity personified

thanks everyone for your comments. it's good to know his words are still connecting!

Let's revive cinema as an art.

thanks for posting this. just read this transcript in Cassavetes on Cassavetes. LOVE HIM

Thank you so much for putting this up!

I miss human beings like this.

I watch this everyday for inspiration and motivation. Thank you, John!

I love his sincerity. "We're terrific, we're sensational." It's pure passion, and so inspiring.

In 1975 I became TV free. My girlfriend and I hosted a card tournament among our friends and the prize was our TV. One of the best decisions of my life.

Just watched "Opening Night" Gifted director, special actors. John is so right about the industry and its worse now. Thank for sharing.

Cassavetes never cheats his audience. I wish more directors were like him. I agree with his comments about Hollywood. I think the majority of movie goers can’t understand his art today and it’s a shame. He really gave us true art.

This is one absolutely beautiful moment with Cassavetes! He really is a prophet, and dynamic. I would have done anything to help work on one of his films, every one is a masterpiece for me.

Thanx so much for posting. I loved all of John Cassavete films. He was a brilliant directer. I admired him very much..

One of the greatest interviews I've ever seen.

Saw Opening Night yesterday evening- truly amazing. Going to look for his other films now

John was a man of conviction. I believe he was devoted to everything. His wife, children, friends and his art.

Yes, Mr. Cassavetes was and is amazing. Corageous, brilliant, passionate, committed, talented and dedicated. This interview shows his frustration at the system better than any clip I've ever seen, and time has borne out his anger: movies have become unwatchable, and OPENING NIGHT disappeared without a trace, only to have a few revivals after the director's death. He's right about his own film: OPENING NIGHT is a masterpiece.

“You’ll never get another one like this” So amazing, the best to ever do it

Cassavetes was a genius. When I started NYU film school in the early '90s, most of my fellow students knew nothing about Cassavetes. Granted, most of his films were not easily available on video then, but he was well-known as an actor and they hadn't seen any films he acted in. This led to an expression I often repeated: "This is what they let into NYU?" I also noticed that the other students had no fire in their bellies - film is art and artists are passionate. Look how passionate Cassavetes is here. Did he have a few drinks in him? Perhaps but he was totally lucid and coherent and obsessed with art. TV sucks now but back then there were actually a lot of good shows on the air. And he was right about "Opening Night," which is his best film after "Husbands."

inspiración pura... gracias por compartir este video

If someone could kindly post the full interview that would be grand.

John is right. He's a genius and an inspiration!

One of my favorite directors. His opinions are quite strong and powerful. Love his independent spirit as a human being and a filmmaker as well.

I appreciate original creative expression, so of course I loved his work! Really loved HUSBANDS! Loved his laugh and the ending here!

Brave people, brave man. Thank you John ... Thank you for posting this.

This should, no, MUST be shown EVERYDAY in every commissary of every studio in Hollywood. In every home of every talentless, overpaid, executive in Hollywood. In every film school in the country. Wise words from one of the greatest directors and actor of American Cinema.

I wish someday make something that makes me feel so proud like he was

where is the rest of this interview? it used to be on youtube -- it was about 45 minutes long but now it's gone!

that was great, really loved it. as he said, the movie WAS inspiring and his words REMAIN inspiring. thank you. would love to convince a fellow teacher to show this.

Love and miss this man!

lol You know, if John hadn't added that last line about television, this may have gotten on the air and many more people may have seen Opening Night. Kind of reminds me of Patrice O'neal, the comedian, who--if he submitted just a little bit to the system--would have found such a wider audience. But he didn't. And I think we should respect both these men for that, because as easy it is to say: keeping your dignity and individuality in show business--no, LIFE--is one of the hardest things to do.

Love the Man!!! Long live John.

time magazine had the audacity to kill god.

Gotta love Seymour Cassel's hearty laugh at the end.

One man can make difference. Finally one man tells hollywood what it is and now we can see more of what he was talking about. Tv sucks movies suck everything about the business sucks. You will meet the most uncreative people in the business. It’s all bullshit. And that’s why most of them need to get the fuck outta there and start putting in some people who are qualified to get into the minds of the people for two hours and enlighten them in some way. Some people think it’s just movies no it’s shaping the minds of the young so I think that’s an important profession which should take lives more seriously then just another behind on the seat.

Love you John, you are missed.

I love all of Cassavetes films, including Opening Night!

the king

He is soooo right. But nothing has changed. Hollywood has a formula and you don't change that formula. Also, people don't want to see a movie that makes them think. They just want bubble gum for the mind.

his rant nails it ,even more now than then ....i can feel the cosmo vitteli here

This is an excerpt. I've seen the longer interview but can't find it now. Link it and you'll get a big like from me.

Wonderful!!!!

I always think of Cassavetes, Ben Gazzara and Peter Falk as brothers. There is something uniquely similar about those three. They were very close friends.

Great man, great filmmaker way ahead of his time.

Preach it, brother.

Hell Yes! His words hold true today more than ever. I'm sick right now with all the crap that's out. Amen Cassavetes!

" Perfect love casts out all fear"......feelin it JC....

Does anyone know where I can find the rest of the interview?

If you like John see Tempest. It's great.

Beautiful.

This is a good example of why I love John.

Thanks for uploading this - the man should have been paid just for living.

What would be the best Cassavetes film to start with? I was thinking about that box set, but it's too expensive. This film? - Faces, Woman Under the Influence, Shadows, Chinese Bookie? Thanks.

@kiasmus Why was there Suffering? Just wondering. I heard stuff but I dunno.

I bawled in a way I didn't know I could anymore when I saw Love Streams. I liked Love Streams a lot more, but all his films are just great.

i wonder what peter falk would say to that final statement. HA!

Brilliant clip. Everything John says ring true.

Hola! Estoy muy interesado en esta entrevista. Alguien podría transcribir lo que dice al español. Gracias, saludos.

4 people disliked this video because of the watermark on the screen

i'm in love with him!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I wonder what John's opinion of Ben in Road House would have been.

SO Great

What film exactly is he referring to? Btw, I think if he were alive today he'd probably feel differently about television, because of cinema having become even bigger than it was in his time and TV productions being relatively smaller, hence less monumental, + in TV productions unknown and less stellar actors have a better chance of getting on with their job of acting and making a living, small as it may be. What's superb with Cassavetes input in cinema is that the sheer urgency and transparency of his vision has no time for anything else other than expressing the truth. In that respect he's more of a writer/poet/play-write than a cinematographer in the technical understanding of the job. He's all about expression and little or none about the essence of film producing technique as with J.L. Godard.

Lyrics please..!! necesito poder traducir esto al Español !!!, saludos desde Chile!

this is fuckin' awesome. tell it like it is. wake up.

What an intelligent, passionate, handsome, sexy man.

I love Gena Rowland's reflection in the mirror as well. She is so in love with her husband and listens to him with such admiration and respect. Cassavetes and Rowlands were up there and as legendary as Bogart and Bacall. So classy , intelligent and suave , and entertaining and beautiful people , inside and out. I loved those two and i miss them. Gena just passed away recently and i am happy that she and John are together in Heaven but i am sad for the entetainment industry because Cassavetes and Rowlands are gone now and with the Lord in Heaven , who is responsible for their talent and beauty. I hope that i am able to meet them when i get to Heaven. Thank you Lord for John and Gena and the impact that they have made in peoples lives.

Preach it John, preach it.