-1959- The Beat generation espoused a rejection of mainstream American values, and John Cassavetess Shadows feels like a relic from that movement, with its improvisatory bebop jazz feeling, cameras in the street, method-style performances, frustration about accepted social norms, and an interracial romance between a hipster white guy (Anthony Ray) and a light-skinned black woman (Leila Goldoni) that eventually takes over the episodic narrative. Cassavetes was pushing the envelope at the time, reacting to the formulaic techniques of Hollywood movies. Shadows will forever have the novelty of coming first—frequently credited with being the pioneer American independent movie. The rough-around-the-edges aesthetics and occasional lets hit the nail on the head earnestness is made up for by scene work that is cheerfully goofy, spontaneous, aggressive, and inventive (for example, three tough guys run laps around a sculpture yard, throwing punches at one another, muttering lines like Ya got no appreciation for art? and This joint gives me the creeps!). Shadows isnt told through drawn-out scenes where we observe keyed-up performers doing abrasive verbal somersaults; its more of a collage that freely jumps back and forth between a series of brief flirtations, and its as if the viewer were marching through a block party catching little snippets of activity. At 80 minutes, its cinematic flash fiction, and a suitable entry point into the lively body of work Cassavetes made.
Posted on: Thu, 04 Dec 2014 04:56:34 +0000
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