Rowlands appeared in several groundbreaking made-for-television movies that dealt with controversial subjects. A Question of Love (1978) told the story of a lesbian couple (Rowlands and Jane Alexander) raising three children from their previous marriages. One of the ex-husbands sues for custody and the case goes to court. Their sexuality is under scrutiny and it’s ugly. Rowlands is superb and several moments during the courtroom scenes, particularly when she listens to her teenage son on the witness stand, are among her best work. In 1985, she appeared in An Early Frost, the first film to address the AIDS crisis, during a time of misinformation, fear and hatred. The success of An Early Frost – its ratings, its nominations and awards – was extremely important in raising visibility and humanizing the AIDS crisis.
Rowlands delivered another great performance in Woody Allen’s Another Woman (1988). (I wrote the liner notes for a boxed release of the film by Arrow Film.) Another Woman features a whole host of talent: Ian Holm, Mia Farrow, Gene Hackman, Sandy Dennis, Betty Buckley, Martha Plimpton… but this is Rowlands’ film. She plays philosophy professor Marion, the ultimate cool blonde. Marion is drawn back into the past and confronted with the damage she has done to others. Allen is in full Bergman mode here, the film’s structure similar to that of Wild Strawberries, with Allen hiring Bergman cinematographer Sven Nykvist to shoot the film. Another Woman is told primarily through intense, Bergman-esque close-ups of Rowlands’ face. These close-ups are unlike anything she’s done before. They’re arresting and uncomfortable. Roger Ebert’s review of Another Woman is well worth reading, especially his insightful comments on Rowlands:
“One is tempted to say that Rowlands has never been better than in this film, but that would not be true. She is an extraordinary actress who is usually so good and has been so good before, particularly in some of her husband John Cassavetes’ films. What is new here is the whole emotional touch of her character. Great actors and great directors sometimes find common emotional ground, so that the actor becomes an instrument playing the director’s song.
Cassavetes is a wild, passionate spirit, emotionally disorganized, uncertain and tempestuous, and Rowlands reflected that personality in her characters for him – white-eyed women on the verge of stampede or breakdown. Allen is introspective, considerate, apologetic, incredibly intelligent and controls people through thought and word rather than physicality and temperament. Rowlands now reflects that personality, revealing in the process that Cassavetes’ performances were actually “acting” rather than some kind of substitute for a documentary reality. Watching Another Woman gives a glimpse into what a fine actress Rowlands has always been.“
