John Cassavetes

John Nicholas Cassavetes (December 9, 1929 - February 3, 1989) was a Greek-American actor, screenwriter, and director. Cassavetes created an American form of cinéma vérité with his innovative camera use, bleak outlook, and emphasis on improvisation. Film critic Ray Carney called him "the father of American independent film".

A Note On Improvisation

Rowlands has stated that the role of improvisation in Cassavetes films has frequently been misunderstood. Though Cassavetes allowed and even encouraged his actors to ad lib while filming, only very rarely, she says, were entire scenes filmed as they were being improvised. Rather, Rowlands reports, the actors would improvise from Cassavetes' scripts during rehearsals, then Cassavetes would rewrite scenes based on the improvisations.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~