Shadows (1960)

Shadows is a film about interracial relations during the Beat Generation years in New York City, directed by John Cassavetes. The film stars Ben Carruthers, Lelia Goldoni and Hugh Hurd as three African-American siblings, though only one of them is dark-skinned. The film was initially shot in 1957 and shown in 1958, but a poor reception prompted Cassavetes to rework it in 1959. Promoted as a completely improvisational film, it was intensively rehearsed in 1957, and in 1959 it was fully scripted.

The film depicts two weeks in the lives of three siblings on the margins of society: two brothers who are struggling jazz musicians, and their sister who dates several men. Hurd plays Hugh, a jazz singer hunting for a job, finally landing a gig at a sleazy club. Carruthers plays Ben, a trumpeter who hangs out with his friends, tries to pick up girls, and gets in fights. Goldoni plays Lelia, a flirtatious artist whose innocence is revealed through three relationships she has, one with an older white writer, one with a shallow white lover, and one with a gentle young black admirer. Goldoni's uninhibited performance leaves the strongest impression on the viewer.

Film scholars consider Shadows a milestone of American independent cinema. In 1960 the film won the Critics Award at the Venice Film Festival.

Synopsis

Le film s'ouvre dans un bar, où des garçons tentent de trouver des filles pour la nuit. Benny, au caractère un peu difficile et sensible sur son identité afro-américaine, a besoin d'argent qu'il demande à son frère Hugh plus métis. Benny est un jeune homme révolté, qui tente de jouer de la trompette, mais erre surtout de bars en bars à travers les rues de Greenwich Village et de Broadway, à la fin des années cinquante, avec ses amis Dennis et Tom, tout en acceptant des compromis avec son art pour vivre.

Actors