Gena Rowlands - A Woman Under the Influence

Why did I wait so long to discover Gena Rowlands? She's one of those actresses whose masterpiece performances I've never really explored. I've seen her in a number of films, usually believing her to be a good actress, but was only ever wowed by her in Hysterical Blindness and Another Woman, which could be considered one her greatest roles. Her collaberations with husband John Cassavetes were left unseen by me, until last night when I watched A Woman Under the Influence. It's a brilliant film, and Rowlands' performance as a mentally unstable woman, is heart-breaking - easily one of the best performances of crazy ever on film. I now understand all the hype about her, and I cannot wait to see Opening Night, another collaberation with her husband. As for 1974, the year the film was released, it must have been a great year for actresses. I've seen three of the five performances nominated for Best Actress (Rowlands, Dunaway for Chinatown, and Burstyn for Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore), and all three I'd consider brilliant, and some of the best performances ever. I wonder about the other two.