Opening Night
“The Show Must Go On…”
Synopsis
Actress Myrtle Gordon is a functioning alcoholic who is a few days from the opening night of her latest play, concerning a woman distraught about aging. One night a car kills one of Myrtle's fans who is chasing her limousine in an attempt to get the star's attention. Myrtle internalizes the accident and goes on a spiritual quest, but fails to finds the answers she is after. As opening night inches closer and closer, fragile Myrtle must find a way to make the show go on.
Trailers, Teasers & Extra Featurettes
Official promotional previews, behind-the-scenes footage, and exclusive clips.
Opening Night (1977) ORIGINAL TRAILER [HD 1080p]
Type: Trailer • Published 2019-04-10
Top Cast
Explore Star Directory →
Gena Rowlands
Myrtle Gordon
John Cassavetes
Maurice Aarons
Ben Gazzara
Manny Victor
Joan Blondell
Sarah Goode
Paul Stewart
David Samuels
Zohra Lampert
Dorothy Victor
Laura Johnson
Nancy Stein
John Tuell
Gus Simmons
Ray Powers
Jimmy
John Finnegan
Bobby
Louise Lewis
Kelly (as Louise Fitch)
Fred Draper
Leo
Katherine Cassavetes
Vivian
Lady Rowlands
Melva Drake
Carol Warren
Carla
Briana Carver
Lena
Angelo Grisanti
Charlie Spikes
Meade Roberts
Eddie Stein
Release History & Theatrical Window
Berlin International Film Festival
Festival / Special Debut
December 22, 1977
Wide Cinema Exhibition
Key Information & Fast Facts
- Director
- John Cassavetes
- Screenplay & Story
- John Cassavetes
- Original Score
- Bo Harwood
- Original Title
- Opening Night
- Country of Origin
- United States of America
- Spoken Languages
- English
- Runtime
- 2h 24m
- Production Studios
- Faces International Films
Creative Leadership & Key Crew
John Cassavetes
John Cassavetes
Bo Harwood
Al Ruban
Tom Cornwell
Michael Lally, Sam Shaw
Department Leadership Roster
John Cassavetes
Director
John Cassavetes
Writer
Michael Lally
Producer
Bo Harwood
Original Music Composer
Tom Cornwell
Editor
Al Ruban
Director of Photography
Aleka Corwin
Costume Design
Charlie Picerni
Stunt Coordinator
Bryan Ryman
Production Design
Age Classification & Content Advisories
Official viewer rating standards and content warnings across international classification boards.
PG-13: Parents Strongly Cautioned — May contain intense action, language, or mature themes.
International Certification Matrix
Tous publics — Universal audience.
Parents Strongly Cautioned — May contain intense action, language, or mature themes.
Production Stills & Gallery
Official cinematic photography and background stills for Opening Night.
Featured In Curated Collections
Editorial lists, community rankings, and cinematic collections featuring Opening Night.
Letterboxd's Top 500 Films
Letterboxd's Top 500 Films. Ranks narrative feature films by average member rating (minimum 25,000 ratings). Excludes documentaries, shorts, and TV series. Letterboxd 官方 Top 500 电影榜单： 根据用户平均评分排名的剧情长片（最低2.5万评价门槛）。已排除纪录片、短片及剧集。 *(Updated via Automated ETL Pipeline: 2026-10-18 07:35:27 UTC+8)*
TSPDT - 1000 Greatest Films
They Shoot Pictures, Don't They? (TSPDT) - The 1,000 Greatest Films. A definitive meta-list aggregating thousands of critics' polls, historical rankings, and director top 10s to represent the ultimate critical consensus in cinema history. TSPDT 影史最伟大的1000部电影： 全球最权威的电影元榜单，由该网站汇总世界各大电影刊物历史评选结果及数千名影评人、学者的个人十佳榜单，通过算法加权计算得出的终极共识。 *片单说明：* 本片单只收录纯电影，以下剧集或迷你剧不予收录： • [#335] Berlin Alexanderplatz (1980) • [#514] Twin Peaks: The Return (2017) • [#614] Edvard Munch (1974) • [#703] The Sorrow and the Pity (1969) • [#890] Elephant (1989) • [#925] Heimat (1984) • [#968] Doomed Love (1978) 以下作品在 TMDB 被拆分为多个独立电影条目；本片单按作品/章节顺序连续收录，且每个分拆条目均沿用同一 TSPDT 名次： • [#171] Dekalog (1989) — 展开为 10 部电影 • [#988] Olympia (1938) — 展开为 2 部电影 *(Updated via Automated ETL Pipeline: 2026-10-18 07:30:01 UTC+8)*
Limelight Not Seen
American cinema | سینمای آمریکا
The best films up to 2025 | برترین آثار تا سال ۲۰۲۵
***Retro***
Criterion Collection
The Complete Criterion Collection. The Criterion Collection is a video distribution company that sells 'important classic and contemporary films' in editions that offer the highest technical quality. This list contains only the featured films released on DVD, BluRay and 4K Criterion releases — no supplements are included. Organized by spine number with the newest releases first. CC标准收藏完整收录版： 收录标准收藏（Criterion Collection）发行的重要经典及当代电影。仅包含正片（涵盖 DVD、蓝光及 4K 版本），已排除花絮补充内容。按 CC 发行编号倒序排列（最新发行在前）。 *注：榜单源数据中包含部分剧集/迷你剧，由于本片单只收录纯电影，故不再收录以下非电影条目：* • [#214] Mangrove (2020) • [#215] Lovers Rock (2020) • [#216] Red, White and Blue (2020) • [#217] Alex Wheatle (2020) • [#486] Eight Hours Don’t Make a Day (1972) • [#647] Dekalog (1989) • [#944] World on a Wire (1973) • [#1187] Berlin Alexanderplatz (1980) • [#1338] Fanny and Alexander (1984) • [#1341] Tanner '88 (1988) • [#1371] Scenes from a Marriage (1973) *注：以下影片因 TMDB 尚未收录，暂不在此片单中展示：* • [#531] First (2012) • [#1699] Ulysse (1983) *(Updated via Automated ETL Pipeline: 2026-10-11 07:39:08 UTC+8)*
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Frequently Asked Questions About Opening Night
Quick factual answers about cast, synopsis, director, box office, and release information.
What is Opening Night about?
Actress Myrtle Gordon is a functioning alcoholic who is a few days from the opening night of her latest play, concerning a woman distraught about aging. One night a car kills one of Myrtle's fans who is chasing her limousine in an attempt to get the star's attention. Myrtle internalizes the accident and goes on a spiritual quest, but fails to finds the answers she is after. As opening night inches closer and closer, fragile Myrtle must find a way to make the show go on.
Who directed Opening Night?
Opening Night was directed by John Cassavetes.
Who stars in Opening Night?
The principal cast of Opening Night includes Gena Rowlands, John Cassavetes, Ben Gazzara, Joan Blondell, Paul Stewart.
When was Opening Night released and how long is it?
Opening Night was released in 1977 with a total runtime of 2h 24m.
Who composed the musical score for Opening Night?
The original motion picture soundtrack for Opening Night was composed by Bo Harwood.
What is the age rating and content advisory for Opening Night?
Opening Night holds official age classifications: FR: U (Tous publics — Universal audience.); US: PG-13 (Parents Strongly Cautioned — May contain intense action, language, or mature themes.).