Previously released by Criterion as part of their John Cassavetes: Five Films box set, two of maverick, ground-breaking director John Cassavetes' most acclaimed works are to be released by Criterion as stand-alone DVDs in October.

The 1974 A Woman Under the Influence details in emotionally devastating fashion the emotional breakdown of a suburban housewife and her family's struggle to save her from herself. Starring Peter Falk and Gena Rowlands (in two of the most harrowing screen performances of the 1970s) as a married couple, deeply in love, yet unable to express their love in terms the other can understand, the film is an uncompromising portrait of domestic turmoil.

The DVD of A Woman Under the Influence will have the following features:

• Restored high-definition 1.85:1 anamorphic digital transfer;
• Audio commentary by longtime John Cassavetes collaborators Mike Ferris (camera operator) and Bo Harwood (sound recordist/composer);
• Video conversation between actors Gena Rowlands and Peter Falk;
• Audio interview with Cassavetes by film historians Michel Ciment and Michael Wilson, conducted in 1975;
• Theatrical trailer;
• Stills gallery featuring rare behind-the-scenes production photos.

John Cassavetes engages film noir in his own inimitable style with 1976 The Killing of a Chinese Bookie. Ben Gazzara hits a career high as gentlemen's club owner Cosmo Vitelli, a man dedicated to pretenses of composure and self-possession. When he runs afoul of a small-time gangster, Cosmo is forced to commit a horrible crime in a last-ditch effort to save his beloved club and his way of life. Suspenseful, mesmerizing, and idiosyncratic, The Killing of a Chinese Bookie is a thought-provoking examination of desperation and masculine identity.

The 2-disc DVD of Killing of a Chinese Bookie will have the following features:

• Restored high-definition 1.85:1 anamorphic digital transfer of John Cassavetes' original 1976, 135-minute edit of the film;
• Restored high-definition 1.85:1 anamorphic digital transfer of Cassavetes' 108-minute edit from the 1978 theatrical re-release;
• Video interviews with star Ben Gazzara and producer Al Ruban Audio interview with Cassavetes by film historians Michel Ciment and Michael Wilson, conducted after the film's release;
• Stills gallery featuring rare, behind-the-scenes production photos.

Both DVDs will be released in October 2008 (exact date to be confirmed) at the SRP of $39.95 each.