Directed by:
John CassavetesScreenplay:
John CassavetesCinematography:
Erich KollmarCast:
Ben Carruthers, Lelia Goldoni, Hugh Hurd, Rupert Crosse, Greta Thyssen, John Cassavetes, Seymour Cassel, Jack Ackerman, Anthony Ray, Mel Stewart, Tom Reese (more)Plots(1)
Set amongst the lively milieu of artists and jazz musicians in bohemian 1950s New York, John Cassavetes' directorial debut follows the doomed relationship between a young mixed-race woman Lelia (Lelia Goldoni) and Tony (Anthony Ray), a white man who betrays his prejudice when he meets Lelia's brother, a struggling jazz singer. Shot on location with a cast and crew largely made up of amateurs and featuring a swinging, improvised score by Charles Mingus and Shafi Hadi, Shadows gave birth to a radical new film language grounded in authenticity, and is widely considered the first truly independent American film. (British Film Institute (BFI))
(more)Reviews (2)
John Cassavetes introduces us to a group of young New York bohemians with their joys and difficulties. He does this in a detached, improvisational way that is boring at times with empty talk in cafés underscored by jazz music, but captivating at other times with honest psychology and oppressively atmospheric dramatization (emotional strength, crushed by the pair’s racial difference). As a little underground statement by enthusiastic student-filmmakers, Shadows would be OK.
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A movie that didn't manage to grab me by the heart, but still captivates. If not by the story, then at least by the music, which gets under your skin. It's as if it's actually vibrating through the whole film. It's pleasant, it's nice, but it's not overwhelming. The fact that the story mainly focuses on relationships and doesn't unnecessarily escalate is also quite nice.
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