Straight out the gate, John Cassavetes signaled himself a singular voice in American cinema with this landmark independent film and his feature debut, Shadows. Set among the jazz set in gritty, post-war New York, this feverish, free form film centers on the affair between a light-skinned black woman and a white male musician. It employs a savage dissection of race relations as well as showbiz pressure, and shows a striking awareness of character dramatics and thematic material. Filmed in the acting workshop where Cassavetes taught in the 50’s, the film was largely improvised and features an upright bass score from the legendary Charles Mingus.
“Fitfully dynamic, endowed with a raw but vibrant strength, conveying an illusion of being a record of real people, and it is incontestably sincere.” – Bosley Crowther, The New York Times
“Again and again the line between acting and living is erased. Caught in the ecstasy of collective creation, a handful of earnest amateurs have almost accidentally produced a flawed but significant piece of folk art.” – Time
On Slate.com read how John Cassavetes’ startling directorial debut changed American movies forever.
Ariel Schudson discusses Shadows on the New Beverly blog.
