Shadows (1958)

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

Director:

John Cassavetes

Writer:

John Cassavetes

Stars:

Ben Carruthers, Lelia Goldoni, Hugh Hurd

Nominated for 3 BAFTA Film Awards. Another 2 wins & 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Ben Carruthers	...	Ben
Lelia Goldoni	...	Lelia
Hugh Hurd	...	Hugh
Anthony Ray	...	Tony
Dennis Sallas	...	Dennis
Tom Reese	...	Tom (as Tom Allen)
David Pokitillow	...	David
Rupert Crosse	...	Rupert
David Jones	...	Davey (as Davey Jones)
Pir Marini	...	Pir the Piano Player
Victoria Vargas	...	Vickie
Jack Ackerman	...	Jack, Director of Dance Studio
Jacqueline Walcott	...	Jacqueline
Cliff Carnell
Jay Crecco

Storyline

Benny's a hipster, moving in and out of Manhattan's beat scene, aimless, maybe close to trouble. His sister Lelia, who looks less African-American than White, is vulnerable and about to fall in love. Hugh, their older brother, is a struggling singer whose agent, Rupert, may be the only person with faith in his talent. The story moves back and forth, like jazz, among the three of them and what seems at first to be separate lives. Lelia meets Tony, and lets herself hope this is true love. Then he meets Hugh and prejudice gives Tony an excuse to cut and run. Can family and friendship bring solace for her hurt, purpose for Benny, and belief in Hugh? Is life more than shadows?

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Plot Keywords:

jazz | singer | new york city | nightlife | loss of virginity | 

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

14 October 1960 (UK)

Also Known As:

Shadows

Filming Locations:

Grand Central Station, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Lion International

Technical Specs

Runtime:

81 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Gena Rowlands: Uncredited, as a woman in a nightclub audience.

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Quotes

Girl at Party: The trouble with you is, you have a case of self-induced hysteria every time you hear the word 'existentialism'.

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Crazy Credits

"Presented by Jean Shepherd's Night People"

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Alternate Versions

Cassavetes screened a finished version of Shadows in 1957 and 1958 that ran 78 minutes. Part of the original negative of this version was used for the 1959 version, which was completely reshot with new actors. In 2002, Prof. Ray Carney of Boston University discovered the only remaining 16mm copy of this earlier version.

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Connections

References Man or Gun (1958)

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Soundtracks

Beautiful
Written by Jack Ackerman, Hunt Stevens and Eleanor Winters

User Reviews

Experimental Excellence

John Cassavettes decided as his first film, obviously as one that could be shot on a shoestring in New York and experiment with form and time, to not ave a script with dialog (merely an outline). And he delivered a 1959 feature equivalent of (present day) Curb Your Enthusiasm- all the actors know what to do and say and even have the right look in their eyes when they talk. In other words, it's one of the most naturalistic looks at a time and place, the "beat" generation, jazzed sweetly in it's score and telling a tale of racial tensions. A group of black siblings are the center-point, with one trying to get better gigs than the average strip-club, and has a sister, much more light-skinned than him, who gets entwined with a white man in a relationship, which shatters both sides. The film, however, isn't exclusively about that; Cassavettes likes to have his characters wander around New York City (which not many films did in 1959/1960), taking in mood, attitude and something akin to visual poetry, and his style of storytelling is like that of the improvisational jazz artists of the day. Dated, to be sure, but worth a serious look for film buffs. Martin Scorsese named this as one of his heaviest influences, if nothing else.