“I’m taking a gamble making the film. I don’t have any money. I just go to the bank and borrow it. And hope. But what isn’t risky about movies? It’s always risky when it’s original… It’s a very dangerous territory to be in where you can only make a film if your grosses reflect a large gross. I’ve been making films for twenty-five years and none of them has really made a lot of money. But there’s nobody in the world who can tell me we didn’t succeed. And that’s the greatest feeling that I’ve ever had in my life. The most difficult thing in the world is to reveal yourself, to express what you have to. As an artist, I feel that we must try many things — but above all we must dare to fail. You must be willing to risk everything to really express it all.” —John Cassavetes

Essential viewing collection:

Cinéastes de notre temps: John Cassavetes (1969)

John Cassavetes: To Risk Everything to Express It All (1996)

BBC Omnibus: The Making of Husbands (1971)

I’m Almost Not Crazy: John Cassavetes — the Man and His Work (1984)

Great stories from Peter Falk: Cinefile — John Cassavetes (1993)

“Cinéma Cinémas,” a 1983 feature on Cassavetes directing “Love Streams” (1984)

Cinéma Cinémas — John Cassavetes Hollywood 65 (1986)

An hour-long documentary designed to celebrate the spirit of the independent filmmaker

John Cassavetes — The Haircut (1982)

Below: To honor his birthday, John Cassavetes and Martin Scorsese, who at the time was living on the set of “Minnie and Moskowitz.” [thanks to Will McCrabb]