A debut feature of cult American director, the pioneer of independent cinema John Cassavetes, whose live camera follows the jazz vibes of the 1950s.
The story evolves around three African-American siblings: brothers Hugh and Ben and their sister Lelia. Hugh is the elder brother who looks after Ben and Lelia. He is a talented jazz musician, but his dark skin color evokes biased attitudes, causing problems on his way to a successful career. Unlike Hugh, his siblings are not that dark and often use it as an advantage. The characters spend time aimlessly wandering on Manhattan at night, getting involved in spontaneous situations and thereby discovering their fates. Jazz improvisation not only creates the atmospheric framework of the plot, but becomes an essential principle of Cassavetes’s method of cinematic narration.
Shadows
Dir. John Cassavetes, 87 minutes, USA, 1959
16+