IMDb > Shadows (1959)
Shadows
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Shadows (1959) -- Clip: House party with credits

Overview

User Rating:
7.4/10   2,561 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?

Up 1% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.

Director:

John Cassavetes

Writer:

John Cassavetes (writer)

Contact:

View company contact information for Shadows on IMDbPro.

Release Date:

11 November 1959 (USA) more

Genre:

Drama more

Plot:

Cassavetes' jazz-scored improvisational film explores interracial friendships and relationships in Beat-Era (1950s) New York City. full summary | add synopsis

Plot Keywords:

more

Awards:

Nominated for 3 BAFTA Film Awards. Another 2 wins & 1 nomination more

NewsDesk:
(5 articles)

The gutting of Miramax, Pt. II: Is this the end of New York movie culture?
 (From EW.com - The Movie Critics. 2 November 2009, 3:58 PM, PST)

Husbands and Wives
 (From IFC. 18 August 2009, 7:10 AM, PDT)

User Comments:

When Improversation Works more (25 total)


Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)
Create a character page for: ?

Additional Details

Runtime:

81 min | UK:87 min | USA:87 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1 more

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15 | UK:PG (re-rating) (1992) | UK:X (original rating) | USA:PG (1991)


Fun Stuff

Trivia:

This caused a stir as it fairly explicitly showed an unmarried couple in a post-coital position and its suggestion that a young woman would actively seek out sex. more

Quotes:

Tony: I need the key for 042!
David: You can't get it, Elaine's not in.
Rupert: Where is she?
David: She's dealing with the raccoons, man.
more

Movie Connections:

References Man or Gun (1958) more

Soundtrack:

Beautiful more


FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
14 out of 26 people found the following comment useful.
When Improversation Works, 8 November 2000
Author: marquis de cinema from Boston, MA

In 1959, came two films named Breathless and Shadows that would have an impact on World Cinema. The former would begin a new era in French Cinema called the French New Wave. The latter would change the face of Independant movie making. Breathless was made by a man who was in love with the cinema and possessed quite a bit of knowledge about films. Shadows was done by a man whose origins lies in the theatre. Shadows(1959) came about because of John Cassavettes inability to find work as an actor during the 1950's. His anger and frustration due to not finding work led to his first film as a director. Shadows is about a couple of light black skin people who try to pass themselves as white in order to find acceptence. The main actors play themselves in this groundbreaking feature. The best scene of the film is when Lelia brings her boyfriend who is white to her brother's apartment and reveals to him that's she and her family are black. It would have a tremendous effect on future directors like Martin Scorsese and the Coen Brothers. The film's urban grittiness and the theme of guilt seems to be a predecessor to Martin Scorsese's breakthough classic Mean Streets(1973). Shadows(1959) is the grandfather of Dogma95 as well as The Blair Witch Project(1999) and Timecode(2000).

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