Best Actress 1974: Gena Rowlands in A Woman Under The Influence

Gena Rowlands received her first Oscar nomination for playing Mabel Longhetti in A Woman Under The Influence. Mabel is obviously a lonely, and stressed person, who has become completely crazy. Her husband (Peter Falk) does not know what to do about it and when it all becomes too much, he sends her to the ayslum. When she comes back, it is very hard for her to connect with her family and friends and Mabel might not be completely better. Let me just start by saying that A Woman Under The Influence has to be one of the weirdest, horrifying films I've ever seen and it was very exhausting to sit through. Not to mention, it was extremely long and I never want to see it again. But Gena Rowlands delivers an extraordinary performance in it. She is completely convincing and disturbing as a mental person. It's scary to watch. But she also shows that Mable does have some real emotion in her. We see her loneliness and her longing to have a stable relationship with her husband. She also shows us her love for her children and also wanting to have a good relationship with them. The scene when she is trying to be committed is a little over the top, but that's how it's supposed to be played. But she goes onto a whole other level when she comes home. It's devastating to watch and again Rowlands is completely convincing. The ending is near ridiculous and shouldn't work, but Rowlands and Falk make it work anyway. So, a tour de force performance that is completely real and is gut wrenching which gets