A Constant Forge

A heartfelt and well made documentary about John Cassavetes, and his unique way of capturing honesty on film. Many familiar faces from the filmmaker's repertory company share insights and anecdotes, and if you're a Cassavetes fan, the 3 hour+ running time flies by instantly and leaves you wanting even more. A good way to spend a rainy afternoon, listening to friends reminisce about a special talent.

Beautiful documentary about John Cassavettes that allows you to really take the time to listen to these fascinating people reliving some of the happiest times that they ever had - seemingly both professionally and personally.

Bravo to the filmmaker for taking the time (his and ours) to give Cassavettes the attention he deserved and not a 90 minute piece where it is all shoe-horned in. If you love film and get a chance to see this, grab it.

I just watched A Constant Forge, and after reading Cassavetes on Cassavetes, I'd have people read the book before they see this film to get the "whole" truth about Cassavetes. The big problem with the doc is that everyone has nothing but good things to say about John. No one has anything to say thats bad about him. It paints him as an angel. For those that have read Cassavetes on Cassavetes, or knows anything about John at all, you know that he's far from the angel that this doc paints him as. I did give the film 4 stars just for the fact that there is some good behind the scenes footage that is worth seeing, but for the real truth about Cassavetes I'd look to the books that Ray Carney has wrote about him.

I give it three for showing some archival footage of him at work on set. But everything else, all the interviews, the music, the sentimentality, is way too much and over the top. Even when they show photos they are only to help serve this image of an 'angel' who could do no wrong.

Everything Falk, Rowlands, and the other actors he worked with is nothing but comments on 'how great he was', or how touching, or how much of a 'genius' he was. But we get this in every other documentary about filmmakers! The best ones do their best to avoid it. This one indulges in it. Even the people who we know to have smart things to say (like Ray Carney) have their words spun to fit into the context of this 'great' man.

Am I to believe this man was so flawless? If someone made a documentary about me or one of my friends like this I'd burn every copy I saw.

If you want an honest look at John Cassavetes then watch I'm Almost Not Crazy: John Cassavetes, the Man and His Work instead of this Gena approved fairy dust. On that documentary you get honest opinions and answers from those involved including Gena herself and some honest answers to the question itself:Do you like working with Johhn Cassavetes. Here on this one everyone is so overfawning about how great it was and the phrase crazy genius is overused. Worse is Sean Penn and Jon Voight's appearance in this video. Both of them when John was alive had the chance to work with him and both backed out. Sean's project was later revived by John's son but it wasn't that great. The only good thing about this is the footage. Otherwise save yourself the time and watch I'm Almost Not Crazy: John Cassavetes, the Man and His Work.