FORMING A LOOSE TRILOGY WITH SHADOWS AND FACES, HUSBANDS COMBINES THE RAW ENERGY AND RAMSHACKLE STRUCTURE OF THESE EARLY EFFORTS WITH THE USE OF PROFESSIONAL ACTORS AND TECHNICIANS.
Peter Falk, Ben Gazzara and Cassavetes himself play middle-class, middle-aged New Yorkers who take time out from their families to mourn the death of a fourth male friend and to reassess their lives. Their odyssey becomes an abortive attempt to escape the constrictions of suburban marriage and enter a world of male camaraderie where the good things in life—sport, drink, gambling, sex—seem freely accessible. Husbands is one of Cassavetes’ most disturbing films, not least because of its characters’ treatment of women. Not for the first time in the director’s work, the male characters’ need for love is expressed with intimidation and force. It’s not that Cassavetes is condoning this behaviour, but his total commitment to emotional honesty and the integrity of the performances mean that the audience is left to respond to the raw material at will.