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Shadows
Shadows
8.0
/10
3,831 Ratings

SHADOWS

Directed by John Cassavetes
United States, 1959
Drama, Avant-Garde, Music

Synopsis

Lelia, a young African-American girl with a light complexion, meets Tony at a party and they spark a romance. Their relationship crumbles when Tony meets Lelia’s brother Hugh, a talented dark-skinned jazz singer struggling to find work, and he discovers the truth about Lelia’s racial heritage.

Synopsis

Lelia, a young African-American girl with a light complexion, meets Tony at a party and they spark a romance. Their relationship crumbles when Tony meets Lelia’s brother Hugh, a talented dark-skinned jazz singer struggling to find work, and he discovers the truth about Lelia’s racial heritage.

Our take

A breath of fresh air that changed independent filmmaking forever, John Cassavetes’s monumental debut rebels against Hollywood’s formulas and commercial imperatives. Grooving to the jazzy swing of downtown New York, Shadows also tackles the racial intolerance that undercuts the chic social scene.