★ 6 / 10
On paper, this jazz-fuelled, experimental looking, observation of
CinemaSerf
On paper, this jazz-fuelled, experimental looking, observation of racial tensions within a small group of friends made for an interesting concept. The…
On paper, this jazz-fuelled, experimental looking, observation of racial tensions within a small group of friends made for an interesting concept. The execution though, well I found that really quite messy. There's three siblings. "Benny" (Ben Carruthers); "Hugh" (Hugh Lord) and "Leila" (Leila Goldoni) with the sister having a far fairer skin tone than her brothers. "Benny" is a bit of a loose cannon, going with the flow in life; "Hugh" is a musician who is having a bit of a crisis of confidence that not even his supportive manager "Rupert" (Rupert Cross) can pull him from and finally there's the sister. She meets "Tony" (Anthony Ray) and falls completely for his charms. When he meets her brothers, however, there's an immediate sense of hostility. Not a violent one, especially, just one with pretty clear racial undertones that sets the scene for a drama to unfold in a meandering yet at times quite potent fashion. "Leila" finds herself caught up between her family and her lover and as the temperature gradually rises and the jazz accompaniment - trumpets particularly - gets more frenzied, this all encourages the dynamic of the story to become more turbulent and unsettling. So far, so good. It's just the acting. It's not very good nor is it very natural. There's a constant fluidity to the scenario that doesn't tally when "Leila" becomes smitten. It's never a plausible definite in this story of transience and movement, and way too much of the atmosphere here comes from the soundtrack - performances are almost incidental save for a few brawling scenes that seem to suggest that's mankind's solution to everything. It is innovative, I'd give it that, but John Cassavetes fails to invest his characters with any qualities that made me want to care, one way or the other, so i just didn't.
Read full review
★ 7 / 10
Primitive Cassavetes. Interesting, but no masterpeice
philfromno
1959 was a landmark in the world of film. Several great directors of the classic era were releasing career capping classics that ranked among their best. Just…
1959 was a landmark in the world of film. Several great directors of the classic era were releasing career capping classics that ranked among their best. Just a look at the titles is instructive, Hitchcock's North By Northwest, Billy Wilder's Some Like It Hot, Howard Hawks' Rio Bravo, Douglas Sirk's Imitation of Life. Add a couple from the previous year, Orson Welles' Touch of Evil, Hitch's Vertigo, and Nick Ray's Wind Across the Everglades, and you've got a pretty good summing up of what was possible within the classic Hollywood style.At the same time, two films appeared that hinted at a whole new way of making films. One was Jean-Luc Godard's Breathless, the other was John Cassavetes Shadows. The two films had certain things in common, largely improvised acting by non stars, handheld cameras, low budgets, and a certain youthful, jazzy swagger. In certain ways, though, they couldn't be farther apart. Godard was still a believer in the director as arbiter of style. He knew more about film than most Hollywood producers, and Breathless was filled with the iconography of the classic crime film. Cassavetes, on the other hand, was an actor, and a refugee from New York's underground theater scene. His first film shows him little impressed with the cinema, and a big believer in actors. Godard's film constantly references it's own artifice, whereas Shadows aims for a certain kind of naturalism.It doesn't reach it, mainly because naturalism is a myth, particularly in cinema. But it feels powerful, kinetic but lilting like the cool jazz on the score, certainly the main inspiration for the filmmaking style on display here. It ultimately doesn't hold together, mainly because Cassavetes' actors here are amateurish beatniks, where Cassavetes style requires strong, imaginative actors. His later work with Gena Rowlands, Ben Gazarra, and Peter Falk blows this out of the water. Due to the director's technical inexperience, some bits of dialogue had to be redubbed later, which defeats the freshness of the improvisation. Still it's fascinating to watch, both for the great moments (like the scene where Leila Goldoni talks about her dissapointment with losing her virginity) and to watch a groundbreaking artist finding his way.
Read full review
7.2/10
13.8K
•••
Thank you very much!