Gloria (1980)

Director:

John Cassavetes

Writer:

John Cassavetes (writer)

Release Date:

19 September 1980 (West Germany)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

She attempted to beat the mob at their own game.

Plot:

Jack Dawn and his family are eliminated by the mob, because he was their accountant and was keeping a personal copy of their records...

Plot Keywords:

Action Heroine | Taxicab | Hotel | Informant | Statue Of Liberty

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 3 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

Julie Carmen	...	Jeri Dawn
Gena Rowlands	...	Gloria Swenson
John Adames	...	Phil Dawn
Tony Knesich	...	1st Man / Gangster
Gregory Cleghorne	...	Kid in Elevator
Buck Henry	...	Jack Dawn
Lupe Garnica	...	Margarita Vargas
Jessica Castillo	...	Joan Dawn
Tom Noonan	...	2nd Man / Gangster
Ronald Maccone	...	3rd Man / Gangster
George Yudzevich	...	Heavy Set Man
Gary Howard Klar	...	Irish cop (as Gary Klar)
William E. Rice	...	TV Newscaster
Frank Belgiorno	...	Riverside Drive Man #5
J.C. Quinn	...	Riverside Drive Man #4

Runtime:

123 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

UK:AA (original rating) | Singapore:PG | South Korea:15 | Sweden:15 | Iceland:12 | Argentina:16 | Australia:M | Chile:18 | Finland:K-16 | Norway:15 (re-rating) | Norway:16 (original rating) | Peru:18 | UK:15 (video rating) | USA:PG

Filming Locations:

New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

Quotes:

Gloria Swenson: You let a WOMAN beat ya, huh?
[yelling at mobsters in the subway as she and the boy are escaping]

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Mistress Electra (1983)

I was favorably impressed; certainly outdoes -Leon-

Tastes may vary on this one, but there's much about this film that's endearing to viewers. It strikes you that the story isn't exactly the only of its kind (I see it as a precursor to -Leon- and probably takes cues from the delightful -Paper Moon-, but others of its "kind" are hard to think of), but it's about as well-done as you might expect. Some may not care for the Cassavetes stylistic touches, but here they are not especially intrusive. Gloria's a tough and likeable "bitch" with a moral compass, rightfully the center of the story. It outdoes -Leon- by not investing too much script capital in "developing" the child character. (It was primarily that aspect of -Leon- that annoyed me most.) This is straightforward, without the frills and gimmicks, emotional or otherwise. I do plan on watching the recent version with Sharon Stone, but don't expect to be as satisfied as with this.

I'd give it a minimum of 7/10 on my own, tough scale. I am surprised this is so little-known compared to -Leon-.