Chase
1Aug11
Did you know there wasn't a script either? Everything was improvised; Makes it that much better.
Wall
Displaying all 30 wall posts
TakaAwesome
24Mar12
A bit overrated, I thought. Innovative for its time I imagine, but not impactful today. Using amateur actors was bold but hindered the film - at times the acting was just plain bad. Between this and "The Killing of a Chines Bookie," I'm not sold on Cassavetes yet, but I look forward to seeing more of his (hopefully better) films.
Franklinton Underground Cinema
31Jan12
Dangerous and spontaneous, "Shadows" presents issues of racism and sexism through the purity of improvisation. Six Stars.
meancreek
2Nov11
A stunning experience and a landmark in cinematic history. Cassavetes' debut feature is a mesmerizing and powerfully made film with some very strong performances from the mainly unknown cast.
Yuki Aditya likes this
Thomas Ban and Yuki Aditya like this
All Is Grace
19Oct11
An improvisation?! Give me a break, it was better than any script driven films I've seen lately. MASTERPIECE.
Yuki Aditya likes this
DT
28Aug11
A lot of points I'd echo in the comments below me. A stunning work, rightfully considered a landmark in American independent cinema but to me it's also a striking reinvention of Italian neorealism - a subgenre which, it turns out, did indeed have a direct influence on Cassavetes. Can't wait to see more of the man's films.
asuraf
15Aug11
Cassavetes made this, his first film, for 40,000 dollar over two years, re-cutting and adding additional scenes in 1959 when an earlier, even more raw, cut drew mixed responses. Hard to believe anything was more scrappier or amateur than what he came out with as "polished"; this is arguably the most important independent amateur film of the modern era. A true original.
Shelley
1Aug11
a beautiful film. the black & white/shadows it creates is amazing. a very slow, emotional, jazz-filled portrait of a family and their friends. cant wait to see other Cassavetes movies
Sarah Karina-Bogart and DT like this
TheArshMan
22Jun11
Wow, this has become one of my favourite films after two viewings in two days. I will need to see other Cassavetes films!
Poughkeepsie
20Jun11
A year before Breathless (or 3 if you count the 1957 version), Cassavetes' Shadows swung to the sounds of improvisational jazz.
Sarah Karina-Bogart
17Nov10
One of those movies that reminds you how beautiful film can be as a medium.
Daniela and Manuel Molina like this
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Zachary Phillip Brailsford
5Aug10
Wow, that was really fantastic. What a fun film, brimming with life! Savvy
Robert W Peabody III
17Dec09
Corner boys and faux hipster witness a social movement resulting in mea culpa. Film cries out for a script; Ray cries out for Gena. Development of a sustainable theme in an oeuvre and mumblecore, sometimes called slackavettes, starts here.
Cody Rhoades
14Feb09
The late 1950s and early 60s were some of the most inventive and creative times in the film industry. Shadows is a shining example of this.
