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Shadows (1959)
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Overview
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Director:
Writer:
John Cassavetes (writer)
Release Date:
11 November 1959 (USA)
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Plot:
Cassavetes' jazz-scored improvisational film explores interracial friendships and relationships in Beat-Era (1950s) New York City. full summary | add synopsis
Plot Keywords:
Awards:
Nominated for 3 BAFTA Film Awards.
Another 2 wins
&
1 nomination
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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)
(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 Reviews:
Experimental Excellence
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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 |
Additional Details
Parents Guide:
Runtime:
81 min | UK:87 min | USA:87 min
Country:
Language:
Color:
Aspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Certification:
Filming Locations:
Company:
Fun Stuff
Trivia:
Iconoclastic radio personality Jean Shepherd helped John Cassavetes raise money to make the movie by having Cassavetes on his show as one of his rare guests in February 1957. Shepherd loaned Cassavetes his assistant Ellen Paulos to help with the film. The thankful Cassavetes expressed his thanks in the opening credits of the movie. A title reads: "Presented by Jean Shepherd's Night People." (The Night People were members of what the New York Times in the late 1950s called the "cult" of Shepherd listeners.) Shepherd also appears in a crowd sequence in the film, smoking a cigarette. Paulos also appears in the film.
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Quotes:
Movie Connections:
References Naked Africa (1957)
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Soundtrack:
Beautiful
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FAQ
This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.more (26 total)
Message Boards
Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for Shadows (1959)| Recent Posts (updated daily) | User |
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| Spike lee | eduardoyoung21 |
| best actor? | Jumping_Elephant |
| Woman at Party | mcdunley |
| Lelia and Ben are black? | lonelybirthday |
| Which came first? | literatelover |
| Marquee Shots | 42ndStreetMemories |
Recommendations
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John Cassavette's decided as his first film, obviously as one shot on a shoestring in New York, to not even have a script with dialog, and delivers a 1959 feature equivalent of Larry David's 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 realistic looks at 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) and his style of storytelling is like that of the improvisational jazz artists of the day. Dated, to be sure, but worth a glance for film buffs; Martin Scorsese named this as one of his heaviest influences.