10 Things to Know About 'Love Streams' (1984)

10 Things to Know About Love Streams

10 Winner of the Golden Bear

Love Streams was the winner of the Best Picture Award at the West Berlin Film Festival, The Golden Bear.

9 Co-Writer Snubbed by Golden Bear Media Coverage

Love Streams was based on a play by Canadian writer Ted Allen who also co-wrote the screenplay with Cassavettes. This went unmentioned in contemporary media coverage of Love Streams winning the Golden Bear.

8 Released under the Boutique Label ‘Cannon Classics’

In their never-ending bid for legitimacy, Cannon Films created ‘Cannon Classics’ as a boutique label for their work with respected artists and legendary foreign filmmakers. By work, we mean that Golan and Globus shoveled money into a pile for a group of terrific filmmakers in hope that these legendary filmmakers would bring legitimacy to the Cannon Brand.

7 The Play Had a Very Different Title When it was Brought to England

Love Streams by playwright Ted Allan had a completely different title when it hit the stage in London. The play was called “I’ve Seen You Cut Lemons.”

6 Cassavetes Was Grateful to Cannon Films

John Cassavetes wasn’t a filmmaker whose movies made a great deal of money and thus it was often difficult to find financing for his work. That was true until Cannon Classics came around. Cassavetes was so grateful to Cannon Films Founders Golan and Globus that he signed a contract stating “My share of the profits for Love Streams will be as much as Menahem Golan gives me.

5 Cassavetes Signed for Another Movie with Cannon Films That Never Happened

According to Menahem Golan, Cassavetes signed on to make a second movie with Cannon Films that never ended up being made. In need of a paycheck and with his health declining, Cassavetes made his last movie for Columbia Pictures, a director for hire gig called Big Trouble. It’s unknown what Cassavetes would have made for Cannon Films. By the way, the contract for that second film was a signed cocktail napkin.

4 Love Streams Was Filmed at Cassavetes’ Home

Some of the lovely interiors of Love Streams were filmed inside the actual home of director John Cassavetes and his wife/co-star Gena Rowlands. This saved on location budget and allowed the couple the ability to be at home where, at the time, they had a 13 year old child, the youngest of their three kids.

3 Put the Camera Wherever

Speaking to reporters at the San Francisco Film Festival in 1984, John Cassavetes spoke about his style of shooting stating that he used to care about camera movement and placement and unique angles, But, by 1984, he could not have cared less about the elaborate ability to craft strange or unique angles to capture the action on screen. In fact, according to Cassavetes, regarding the filming of Love Streams

“Now I just go with the crew, wherever they put the camera is fine with me.”

2 Cannes Film Festival Protest

Love Streams was part of a Cannes Film Festival protest by Cannon Films executives Menahem Golan and Yoram Globus. Having been told that none of the movies they were eager to see compete at the festival had been chosen for competition, Golan and Globus launched an all out assault that included their very own festival featuring 12 films that were shown at the same time as films actually in competition at Cannes. One of those films was Love Streams.

1 The video Release of Love Streams Was 20 Minutes Shorter than the Theatrical Cut

When Love Streams was set for a home video release, Cannon Films stripped 20 minutes out of the film, leaving the 141 minute film a mere 121 minutes. Cassavetes was allegedly not part of the edit, Sadly Cassavetes had already become afflicted with Cirrhosis and his failing health likely prevented him from fighting to keep the film from being cut.

It wasn’t until Love Streams was released as part of the Criterion Collection in 2014 that the full version of Love Streams was seen publicly following its 1984 theatrical release.