Shadows

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Shadows

1959,

1h 21m,

Drama

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Watchlist

100%

21 Reviews

Tomatometer

81%

2,500+ Ratings

Popcornmeter

100%

Tomatometer

21 Reviews

81%

Popcornmeter

2,500+ Ratings

At a party, Lelia (Lelia Goldoni), a young African-American girl with a light complexion, meets Tony (Anthony Ray), a somewhat callow white musician, and they begin a romance. Lelia thinks she's in love, but Tony is surprised when he meets her older brother, Hugh (Hugh Hurd), and realizes she's black. Hugh is an unsuccessful singer with a hostile attitude, while Lelia's other sibling, Ben (Ben Carruthers), is trying to make it as a trumpet player when he isn't getting into trouble.

Derek Prouse

Sight & Sound

Jan 11, 2020

Shadows is not a film in which issues need to be resolved. It captures the tensions of its society on a vividly expressive level, and that is its strength.

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Jonas Mekas

Village Voice

Nov 18, 2017

[Shadows is] so far ahead of all Hollywood and independent films that once you've seen [it] you can no longer look at the official cinema: you know that American cinema can be more sensitive and intelligent.

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Jeremiah Kipp

Slant Magazine

Feb 14, 2009

3/4

The Beat generation espoused a rejection of mainstream American values, and John Cassavetes's Shadows feels like a relic from that movement.

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Angelos Koutsourakis

PopMatters

Feb 21, 2024

10/10

Pure reproduction is not what interests Cassavetes and his films demand a more productive audience which is not content with consuming, but with producing meaning, too.

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P.S. Harrison

Harrison's Reports

Jul 9, 2020

There is humor, pathos, romance, suspense, a back-alley brawl. The on-location backgrounds of Times Square, Greenwich Village, subways, cafeterias, bus terminals, add a great deal to the degree of realism.

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Phil Gordon

California Eagle

Jan 31, 2020

I found it most intriguing by its unusual qualities and new approach.

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Jan 26, 2019

The best movie ever made!

Finn R

Dec 14, 2018

It was an interesting experiment, but it just doesn't work for me. With all the jump cuts and shoddy audio I can't bring myself to say that this film is good. It could have been executed much better. At the end of the day, the improvisation seems to be a cheap gimmick to get people to forgive the messiness of the film.

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Draco S

Jul 8, 2017

Just as the French New Wave was arriving, Cassavetes debut brought indie films into full circle. It's simple, engaging, charming and most of all not Hollywood.

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Hermione M

Apr 21, 2017

Truly avant-garde beat generation biracial romance film. Feels very real and raw, and a bit surprising and mature in themes compared to anything else from that era.

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Leia P

Apr 6, 2017

A complex and creative portrayal of racial prejudice and youthful promiscuity in New York City.

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John Cassavetes

Director

Hugh Hurd

Hugh

Lelia Goldoni

Lelia

Ben Carruthers

Ben

Anthony Ray

Tony

Dennis Sallas

Dennis

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Synopsis

At a party, Lelia (Lelia Goldoni), a young African-American girl with a light complexion, meets Tony (Anthony Ray), a somewhat callow white musician, and they begin a romance. Lelia thinks she's in love, but Tony is surprised when he meets her older brother, Hugh (Hugh Hurd), and realizes she's black. Hugh is an unsuccessful singer with a hostile attitude, while Lelia's other sibling, Ben (Ben Carruthers), is trying to make it as a trumpet player when he isn't getting into trouble.

Director: John Cassavetes
Producer: Maurice McEndree
Screenwriter: John Cassavetes
Distributor: Orion Pictures, Criterion Collection
Production Co: Lion International
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Nov 11, 1959, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 29, 2011
Runtime: 1h 21m
Sound Mix: Mono
Aspect Ratio: 16mm, 35mm

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