Lollivan
It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.
Humaira Grant
It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.
Edison Witt
The first must-see film of the year.
Jackson Booth-Millard
From director John Cassavetes (Faces, A Woman Under the Influence, The Killing of a Chinese Bookie), this film appeared in the book 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die, I knew nothing about before finding it listed, so I was hoping it would be interesting. Basically the story is an improvised piece about interracial relationships in Manhattan, New York, specifically between three black siblings and their personal situations. Benny (Ben Carruthers) is a hipster aimlessly moving in and out of the beat scene of the city, and he may be close to trouble. Benny's sister Lelia (BAFTA nominated Lelia Goldoni), who looks more white than African-American, is falling in love with white man Tony (BAFTA nominated Anthony Ray), but she is equally vulnerable as his prejudice comes into play. The eldest of the three siblings is brother Hugh (Hugh Hurd) who is struggling with his singing career, his agent Rupert (Rupert Crosse) seems to be the only person who has faith in his talent. Like jazz the story moves back and forth between the stories of the three siblings, it starts seeing their lives separately before their individual situations bring them together. Also starring Dennis Sallas as Dennis, Tom Allen as Tom and David Pokitillow as David. I can see some reasons why this film was considered a benchmark for it's time, it is interesting to see what the actors come up with while ad-libbing, it certainly inspired independent filmmakers for the future, there might not be very much happening during this, but it is an alright drama. It was nominated the BAFTAs for Best Film from any Source and the UN Award for John Cassavetes. Worth watching!
bob_meg
Watching John Cassavetes debut film is a strange experience, even if you've seen improvisational films before.The first thing you notice is it's roughness. Right off, it's obvious some of the characters are screwing up their lines. But then you step back from the situation, as you sink deeper into these people's intimate exchanges and you ask yourself: "Do I ever stumble over MY words?" The answer of course, is sure, we all do. It's unfortunate that most of the gaffes in this respect come early in the picture, because, by about twenty minutes, you've sunk so deep in you wouldn't know it if a bomb went off behind you.The next thing you notice...or maybe you notice it hours or days after the film ends, is that you never saw any substantial plot, yet the themes and the poetry of the dialog and characters never leave you. In fact, the treatment of the role race plays in the everyday lives of these characters is always there, but it's so ephemeral that even they aren't aware of how it's informing their opinions of themselves, their self-consciousness, their perceived status, or the fate of their relationships.The title is appropriate because you get a full spectrum of blacks, whites, and grays...and not just in the skin pigmentation of the characters. Leila Goldoni (truly remarkable here) is an afro-American/Caucasian, her two brothers are white and dark afro-American. The irony is that they exist in what is undoubtedly the "hippest" most tolerant atmosphere of the time...beat-driven upper east-west Manhatten...and there are still conflicts within and around themselves.I don't think I've ever seen a movie with such a subtle delivery or technique. It's a lot like absorbing a really great piece of gallery art and then just nodding off in bliss as you think back to the images it evoked days later.Great mastering and extras on the Criterion disc. Arguably the first truly experimental independent film ever made.
ALauff
Seven months after a revelatory viewing of Faces, I finally found a rentable DVD copy of Cassavetes' first feature. Shot on a shoestring in Manhattan and in his acting workshop on ad hoc sets, Shadows was the culmination of months of improvisational rehearsals, in which the (mostly amateur) actors bonded with one another, invented their characters, and polished their techniques to give their filmed performances just the right tenor of spontaneous familiarity. This intimate approach led to some incredibly daring work in Faces—i.e., Seymour Cassel cramming his hands down Lynn Carlin's throat in an attempt to revive her from an overdose—just as the actors' utter conviction here yields blisteringly honest moments like Lelia and Tony's post-coital assessment of their relationship and Ben's revulsion at a black woman's touch as a manifestation of his racial confusion and self-loathing. This is a homemade production in the best sense: the out-of-sync dubbing and sound recording, and the granular cinematography and up-close camera setups, build an immersive atmosphere that perfectly suits Cassavetes' nuanced vision of human relationships as perpetual works in progress, marked by desperate emotional fluctuations and wistful attempts at communication and understanding. Charles Mingus's largely improvised jazz score is an ideal complement to the film's vision of living by the moment, a mantra by which Cassavetes worked and seemingly lived.
deannamay
It should be noted that this movie was not "improvised" (as you're probably thinking of it), despite what the title at the end suggests. The movie was heavily scripted and rehearsed - Cassavetes didn't have enough money to support the inevitably high production costs of an "improvisational" sort of movie, even if he had wanted to produce such a thing. The "improvisation" of the movie is contained in the actors' performances, and the emotions that they draw out of the lines.That said, allow me to say that this is a stunning work that I'm sure I'll come back to again and again. The depths of emotion that Cassavetes is able to draw out of the smallest gestures and interactions is incredible. I have no idea how he was able to direct such amazing performances out of the actors, especially under the conditions he worked. This is truly a magnificent landmark of film that I would recommend to anyone interested in exploring beyond the Hollywood mold.
